Advertisement

New WWII exhibition at former Ford Factory to open on 16 Feb

A new permanent WWII exhibition, located at the former Ford Factory, will be opened to the public on 16 February. (Yahoo photo: Safhras Khan)
A new permanent WWII exhibition, located at the former Ford Factory, will be opened to the public on 16 February. (Yahoo photo: Safhras Khan)

A new permanent World War II (WWII) exhibition, located at the former Ford Factory where British forces surrendered to the Imperial Japanese Army, will open on 16 February.

“Syonan Gallery: War and its Legacies” at Upper Bukit Timah replaces the exhibition “Memories at Old Ford Factory” after a year-long revamp.

On 15 February 1942, just one week after the Battle of Singapore began, British Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival led his officers towards the Ford Factory to negotiate the surrender of Singapore to Japan.

Minister Yaacob Ibrahim (right) being briefed by Chng Yak Hock, Assistant Conservator, Archives Conservation Lab, National Archives of Singapore. (Yahoo Singapore photo: Safhras Khan)
Minister Yaacob Ibrahim (right) being briefed by Chng Yak Hock, Assistant Conservator, Archives Conservation Lab, National Archives of Singapore. (Yahoo Singapore photo: Safhras Khan)

The exhibition features contributions from the community and archival materials, many of which have never been displayed before. Visitors can gain better understanding of the darkest chapter in Singapore’s history through the exhibition’s oral history interviews and interactive elements.

Speaking at the preview of the exhibition on Thursday (9 February) , Minister for Communications and Information, Yaacob Ibrahim, commended the National Archives of Singapore for making the exhibition “very compelling”.

“It is also meaningful for people to come here and understand what we went through during the war years,” he said.

Visitors can view exhibits about the Battle of Singapore at the Syonan Gallery. (Yahoo Singapore photo: Safhras Khan)
Visitors can view exhibits about the Battle of Singapore at the Syonan Gallery. (Yahoo Singapore photo: Safhras Khan)

The exhibition is divided into four zones. The first sets the scene of pre-war Singapore and tells the history of the Ford Factory, the US carmaker’s first plant in Southeast Asia which it opened in 1941.

The second zone focuses on the British surrender to General Tomoyuki Yamashita and his Japanese forces in the boardroom of the factory. The third zone highlights the lives of people in Singapore during the Japanese Occupation while the fourth zone focuses on the aftermath of WWII.