Tours

The Singapore Tourism Board announced the resumption of tours on 28 June 2020 as part of the gradual reopening of the country in the aftermath of the circuit breaker measures imposed on 7 April 2020. While the regular tours cannot be offered at this time I have restarted with 2 themed tours that have been adapted from the full-day tour. The duration of the tours enables me to spend more time on the chosen subjects than I would have been able to on a regular tour.

Do note that safe management measures will be implemented and/or carried out in the course of the tours to mitigate any risk of infection between participants. I seek your cooperation and understanding on this to ensure we all do our part to keep everyone around us safe.

WAR AND REMEMBRANCE - 
THE FALLEN OF THE KRANJI WAR CEMETERY

This is a 1 hour walking tour of Kranji War Cemetery. Some of the topics we will discuss during this walk include but are not limited to...

1) the history and mission of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.and how Kranji War Cemetery came to be.

2) the stories of the men and women who are buried and commemorated (not the same) at the Cemetery and War Memorial (again, not the same thing!)

3) the makeup of Malaya Command, how it truly was an army of the Commonwealth of Nations.

4) those who are buried in the Kranji Military Cemetery including one of our lesser known local military personalities

5) how the 2 world wars have shaped the way we remember those who have died at war

​6) how do we as citizens of a modern Singapore share a connection with those who have come so far to die on the land we now call home.

Meeting Point: Kranji War Cemetery, 9 Woodlands Road, Singapore 738656 (15 minutes walk from Kranji MRT)
Tour duration: 1 hour
Maximum number of people on the tour: 10

CONTEST IN THE NORTHWEST -
THE FIRST 48 HOURS OF THE BATTLE OF SINGAPORE

With the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve as a backdrop we delve into a study of the critical first 48 hours of the Battle of Singapore. A close reading of the week long battle for Singapore will show that it was a chaotic one, with many simultaneous events happening both at the front and to the rear.

1) We start the tour by walking up to the coast where we will have a panaromic view of the Straits of Johor and try to mark out the Causeway as well as other landmarks on the opposite shore. We take a close look at the mangrove covered shoreline to have an idea of the challenges of terrain faced by both the Japanese and British.

2) Through the use of maps and markers we will lay out the situation on both sides of the Causeway on 31st January 1942. On this day, the rearguard of Malaya Command, 2nd Bn, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders marches across the Causeway, piped to the tune of Highland Laddie by their regimental piper before a hole is blown behind them, separating the island and its defenders from the Japanese 25th Army and returning Singapore to a true island state if ever so briefly.

​3) We then discuss how the situation came to be on that fateful day by briefly recalling the Battle for Malaya and how Malaya Command was beaten down the peninsula in just 55 days.

4) Moving back to 1st February 1942, we talk about defensive preparations on the island where we will learn what was done (and what wasn't) in the crucial week before the invasion of Singapore.

​5) 8th Feburary 1942, the Japanese 25th Army crosses the Straits of Johor opposite the northwest coast of Singapore in strength, landing in the sector defended by the 8th Australian Division. We talk about the actions on both sides in the critical first 48 hours of the Battle for Singapore.

Meeting Point: Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Visitor Centre, 60 Kranji Way, Singapore 739453 
Tour duration: 90 minutes
Maximum number of people on the tour: 5

Also do note the address of the meeting point, it's on the "newer" side of the Wetland Reserve, not the Visitor Centre at Neo Tiew Crescent​

    Book your Tour here!

Tour Booking procedure

1) Fill in the form to the left.

2) You will be contacted by email to confirm your tour booking.

3) Once your booking is confirmed you will be directed to make a 20% downpayment on the tour cost.
​(Fully refundable up to 48 hours before tour start)

4) Pay balance on the day of the tour