Commemorating, Remembering and Reflecting at Deadpoet’s Cave

It’s that time of year again.

No, not Chinese New Year but Total Defence Day on 15 February. (No… come back! Continue reading this post…)

Total Defence Day sounds sterile though. We should remember why, of all 365 days of the year, this day was chosen: Singapore fell to the Japanese on 15 February 1945. I feel it should be renamed “Fall of Singapore Day” or something similar. The total defence implications are quite clear, and it is so much more visceral. Singapore… fell?

To whom? How? Why did this occur? Can we prevent it from happening again?

Perhaps, it is with some of those questions in mind that I help guide the Battle of Pasir Panjang Commemorative Walk, held this year on Sunday, 11 February from 7 a.m. to 12 noon.

We will recall the Malay Regiment and how they fought stubbornly against the odds to defend Pasir Panjang Ridge. The guides, who are part of the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, will share the story of these brave men as well as the story of the ridge itself - a heritage told in geographical, historical and natural terms.

Besides this, there will be activities going on at Reflections at Bukit Chandu and Memories at Old Ford Factory.

There’s an Amazing Race-style heritage hunt, the Heritage C-Race, which starts at Reflections and ends at Memories. This happens on Sat, 10 Feb and Mon, 12 Feb from 8.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.

On Saturday, 10 Feb, you can catch an outdoor screening of a P. Ramlee film about a young boy as a Malay Regiment soldier during the Occupation. This takes place at Reflections, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

For the school kids, there’s Operation Maths Defence on Tuesday, 13 Feb.

Finally, for the working public, there are night tours from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Wed, 14 Feb at Reflections and Thu, 15 Feb at Memories. More details about these activities here.

I quite sure you’ll discover something you never knew if you take part in any of these. Particularly the walk. =)

Technorati Tags: history, heritage, singapore, world+war+II, pasir+panjang, malay+regiment