As the narrator says, that is the Cenotaph. It is dedicated to British soldiers who died in WWI (when WWI broke out, a group of mostly British young men left Singapore to fight in the war). A dedication to those who died in WWII was later added to the reverse side of the Cenotaph. The Lim Bo Seng memorial looks like a little Pagoda, very different from the Cenotaph.
Awesome video! Singapore looked surprisingly modern, good to see some familiar buildings like St. Andrew's church, the Raffles hotel. My grandmother was a teenager at the time!
Unfortunately it did not show the kampong side of Singapore, mainly how well it thrives and the nice "ah ma's" that care for caucasian children or the coolies at boat quay. But a good insight into how Singapore was like in 1938... Thanks for putting this up!
Noteworthy, SG’s Lee Kuan Yew made it Policy to Marginalise & Oppress SG’s Muslims… It is Only AFTER LKY was caught red handed in 2010 & Paraded like a Common Street Criminal at SG’s Sikh Police Temple that SG Government Now Covertly taking steps to correct LKY’s Predatory Bad Habits & Racist Policies against Minorities….
at the end of the video the voice over says "a mighty guardian of the east" how much time did it take to be captured by the japanese? with a much smaller force too! its great that they saved these old videos. they are a joy to watch!
this is great! Being a Singaporean and a video editor, its great to see some of the buildings still standing at its original place, and funny to see how the video was edited in the pass.
@sheeming The reference to the World War is the First World War (1914-1919). The Cenotaph was completed in 1922. The "stately Municipal Building, one of Singapore's newest constructions", was completed in 1929.
wonder if there are any 80 or 90 year old you-tubers out there who saw this video...it must bring back so much memories. even for me, the sights of workers walking on planks with loads of goods on their shoulders brought back many fond memories of my childhood living next to boat quay
That was when "Bak Kut Teh" (pork bone soup/tea)) was born. Imagine having "Bak Kut Teh" without meat. That those bones came without meat were discarded bones sourced from the butcher and cost little. The enterprising Teochew hawkers added a lot of pepper and garlic and boiled it for hours into a broth that's heavenly. The main customers are the "coolies' (bare bodied men with strength of an ox) and it all started at River Valley Road which parallels Boat Quay docks side. The teh(tea) to counter the greasiness of the soup. The filler is of course is the big bowl of rice that comes with the soup. Eaten by the side of the road in squat position. What a life.
i like this video clip. i've seen most of the things shown except the rickshaws and the vintage cars, having grown up in the fifties. its unfortunate we do not have more such videos posted. singapore was such a relaxed city, its unfortunate this video did not show changi beach, one of my favourites. thats where the locals who are not club members go for a picnic and swim. how i miss the singapore of old................
I may be wrong but the sound track and music appear as though they have been recently substituted and made to appear original. The narration accent is 'not quite right'.
A dedication to the soldiers who died in WWII was later added to the reverse side of the Cenotaph. The "Chopsticks" is the Civilian War Memorial dedicated to civilians who died during the Japanese Occupation - 4 pillars, 1 for each of the main races Chinese, Malay, Indian, Eurasians.
I bought a Yamaha acoustic guitar and a Sony walkman in Singapore way back in 1980. There were so many beautiful and extravaganza shopping complexes and plazas at that time. Looking forward to visit Singapore again next year. God willing.
Singapore has changed soooo much! But the life in the past always appear better !! Those lucky souls who must have enjoyed the grand old peaceful times !!!
Saya 33, dari Malaysia, yang masih ramai rakyat kaum Melayu Malaysia tidak mengetahui tentang hal ini, cuma saya saorang sahaja yang tahu sebab arwah atuk saya orang Singapura yang lahir pada tahun 1915 dahulu dan membesar di kawasan Geylang pada masa itu, saya warga Malaysia buat masa ini saya tinggal di Tmn Pelangi, Johor Bahru dan selama ini bekerja kat Singapura, tapi buat pada masa sekarang dah tersekat oleh covid19, saya terpaksa berihat kat rumah sebab pkp sampai bila pun belum tahu lagi, kalau tidak saya suka berjalan kat Singapura walau tidak bekerja atau bercuti kadang pergi ziarah kubur arwah atuk saya di perkuburan Islam Pusara Aman, Choa Chu Kang, Singapura, semasa kat Singapura saya bekerja di banyak tempat saperti di Woodlands, NTU, Science Park, Jurong / Tuas Industrial, East Coast Park, Pasir Panjang Distripark, Geylang Serai dan banyak tempat lagi, sekian sahaja, terima kasih!
great footage!!!! priceless!! one lorry didn't give way to the poor rickshaw man charge him (posthumously)) with failing to give way to major road rickshaw traffic!!!just look at those clean green electric trams..electric vehicles were more popular in those days, we have moved away from clean and green vehicles since then, are we going backwards in modernity now? wished the video lasted more than 11 mins!
At 5:09 one can see Sri Mariamman temple with the statue of two British Soldiers at the first roof tier. It seems now they have been replaced by Sepoys. Does any of you know the full story?
"..the cheapest shopping centre in the world.." how times have changed since then.. as of 2020.. Singapore ranked as the most EXPENSIVE city to live in.
Not a tall building in sight and it looked more like a "Garden City" than it does now!!!Nice to be able to look at the sky without stretching the neck too far.
The cathedral is st Andrew's cathedral, not st George's as is suggested. I think this was a deliberate error, to steal Scotland's credit with regards to Singapore's early scottish pioneers. The cathedral was named st Andrew's ro recognise their contribution. I think what the director of this video has done is shocking,truly shocking.
I am sad with all angry comments written. So much anger and bitterness!! It is easy to sit in your chair and look back or condemn the government of Singapore - whether British or PAP. Have you heard of "armchair generals"?? I love Singapore and my heritage and am glad That I speak English thanks to the British and my Chinese thanks so my heritage.
Me too! And I remember you and Peter. I worked at Jackson Wain with Rick Davis in the Chinese Chamber of Commerce building. A great time to be there wasn't it?
This film was not shot in the 30s for sure. WWII and Japanese occupation was in early 40s. It's better for the uploader to edit the year of the film or it tarnishes the facts of such well-preserved video - smdragon Jan 14 2012 (Singapore)
The video focuses on the city centre in the south of SIngapore. He wasn't. Pasir Ris was a swamp. It isn't now. Maybe LKY was looking beyond the then commercialised areas. His team made the changes to the areas we now live in.
I am happy for being able to view these footages as it showed me what Singapore was liked when my great-grandfather first came to Singapore. The adults shown in these pictures might have passed on already and the kids might still be around. Singapore was and is still so beautiful. By the way, being ruled by the British was just something meant to happen sooner or later then because the world was so small. Now, with the advancement of technology, nobody should rule over anybody anymore.
I beg to defer. I know some Singaporeans are proud and some like to list out the achievements of Singapore. But most of Singapore's achievements are there because Singaporeans, in general, are a very hard working lot. It's not fair to disregard the whole population as 'arrogant' because of a few boastful mouths.
Ahhh... My mistake. My history is very very bad. As you would know, the effect on Singapore during WWI is almost none existence and so, that slipped my mind. There was only the 1915 mutiny by the British Indian troops garrisoned in Singapore that was recorded. I apologise to whoever is involved with the film.
Thanks to this video,we can see that Singapore was a thriving cosmopolitan country already before the LKY govt came into power and was not a sleepy fishing village as described in the govt's narrative.
Sleepy fishing village is true. But it's in another era. It is like in ancient times before Sriwijaya came to power. Before the Trade Route from China to Middle East through sea in that region exist.
The praised fortifications that made this the so-called "Gibraltar of the East" were ultimately useless when the Japanese attacked in 1941, and the comfortable life of "devoted" Chinese amahs for British residents would be ended with the surrender in 1942. When this movie was made, however, people believed such things could never happen.
My dad was posted to Singapore Sept 39 as RAF aircrew. He remembered being told that the Japanese would make poor night fighter pilots because of their eyesight! He also remembered being treated with great arrogance by the white women (he was a mere Flight Sgt) & was not allowed to enter Raffles by the front door! The superior aerodromes had grass runways so were unusable in Monsoon & no ground defence. He later escaped to Java & thence to India where he was chosen for a secret squadron.
+John Ong The migrants came to Singapore because the country the British founded was much better/safer and could offer a much better life than the countries they originated from (mainly china). The country and its infrastructure were very much developed by the time Singapore became independent. The notion that Singapore was a third world country under the british is nonsense and is mooted for political gain. It is important for a people to remember where they have come from and to celebrate that.
+John Ong There were plenty of wealthy Chinese living in beautiful houses. Plenty of Europeans living in slums in their own countries. By definition the Europeans in the colonies were wealthier.
@@johnong75 The vast majority of our ancestors came to Singapore after the arrival of the EIC and Raffles, not before. We need not to conjure up a "victim" mentality where none exists. Our forefathers were not brought in chains or press-ganged to come over here. They came willingly, often due to torrid conditions in their original homelands. Many ended up living mundane, dreary common lives. Is it not the same in any era? Many Asians made it very rich too! All in all, better the British colonial administration, with its relative benevolence and policy of non-interference, compared with contemporary empires such as the German Nazi Reich and the Japanese (Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere) empire.
wowthse oldtemples restill heretoday in 2021 thechinesetemple siang lim see is at toa payoh andthe hundu one iss at south bridge road! and my father was onceoneofthose coolies who carriedte parcels from the bum boats ashore
It must be a mistake. That is definitely St Andrew's Cathedral. St George's Church is also Anglican and also existed back then but it was and still is located in the Tanglin Village area.
That's true. The city generates heat. And the lack of wind and trees too. Try go to a small island in Indonesia and it's 1000 times more comfortable than SG.
