SURRENDER AT SINGAPORE 119
Johor Bahru
Mandai
Sarimbun Beach Kranji Woodlands
Nee Soon
Seletar
Sembawang
Paya Lebar
Kallang
Sa Ranggong
Bedok
Changi
Tengah
Jurong
Pasir Panjang
Bukit Timah
Choa Chu
Kang
Singapore
Peirce
reservoir
MacRitchie
reservoir
S i
ng
ap
or
e
St
r
a
it
Johor e
S t
ra
it
Pulau Ubin
SINGAPORE ISLAND
MALAYA
27th Australian
Brigade
53rd British
Brigade
54th British
Brigade
22nd Australian
Brigade
1st Malaya
Brigade
18th Infantry
Division
28th Indian
Brigade
5th Infantry
Division Japanese Imperial Guards
Kr
an
ji
△ Hands up in surrender
Faced with almost certain defeat, British and Commonwealth
soldiers in Singapore give themselves up to invading Japanese
troops on February 15, 1942.
THE BRITISH SURRENDER
FEBRUARY 15, 1942
Within the British perimeter, supplies of water,
gasoline, and ammunition were running low.
The Japanese pressed hard against the perimeter,
and on the morning of February 15, Percival, faced
with the impossibility of launching a counterattack,
opted to surrender. The formal surrender
occurred at 5:15 pm, with hostilities ending at
8:30 pm. Around 110,000 British, Indian, and
Australian troops were captured and a further
5,000 killed or wounded. The Japanese suffered
1,714 deaths and 3,378 wounded.
TAKING THE ISLAND FEBRUARY 11–15, 1942 4
The Japanese swept south-east toward Singapore city,
taking Bukit Timah and its Allied food and fuel supply
depots on February 11 and then capturing the water
reservoirs that supplied the city. By February 13,
Japanese engineers had re-built the causeway over
the Johore Strait, allowing them to drive their tanks
across to the island. On February 12–13, the British
established a 28-mile (45-km) defensive perimeter
around the city, behind which they retreated.
3
Jan 31
The British
blow holes in
the causeway
linking the
mainland to
Singapore. Feb 7 The
Japanese launch
a feint attack on
the north-east
of Singapore.
Feb 10 The
Japanese suffer heavy
losses in a battle
around the mouth
of the Kranji River.
Feb 12–15
A Malayan infantry
battalion, two British
infantry battalions,
and a force of Royal
Engineers fight a
bitter defensive
action.
Feb 11
The Japanese take
Bukit Timah.
Feb 14 The Japanese occupy
Alexandra Hospital in the
west of Singapore city, where
they kill up to 50 soldiers and
around 200 patients.
Feb 15
After the Allied
surrender, many
prisoners are held
at Changi Prison.
Japanese advance Feb 11–15
British defensive
perimeter, Feb 13
Johor-Singapore causeway
THE AFTERMATH
FEBRUARY 15, 1942, ONWARD
Most of the captured Allied soldiers were interned
in Changi Prison, where many died. Others were
deported to be used as forced labor. Singapore’s
Chinese, Malay, and Indian citizens all suffered at
Japanese hands. During the Sook Ching massacre
from February 18 to March 4, the Japanese
targeted Chinese civilians, killing up to 70,000.
Singapore would later be recovered by the British
after Japan’s defeat in September 1945.
5
Sook Ching massacre sites
Massacre
Allied defensive
positions
Allied prisoners
US_118-119_The_british_surrende_at_Singapore.indd 119 19/03/19 5:40 PM