The Fall of Singapore 1942 - 1945

Today, 15 February 2022, marks the 80th Anniversary of the Fall of Singapore to the Japanese in World War II. 15th of February is also designated as Total Defence Day, a national policy that encompasses the six pillars of defence - military, civil, economic, social, psychological and digital. Every year on this day since 1998, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) would sound the Public Warning System to mark the day when Singapore fell to the Japanese during WW2 and the importance of taking charge of our own defence; the sirens can be heard from all parts of Singapore.

This is going to be a lengthy post. So, before I continue rambling any further, please allow me to share an interesting new exhibition that’s happening at the National Museum of Singapore. An exhibition called “Dislocations: Memory & Meaning of the Fall of Singapore” which showcases artefacts from the Japanese Occupation, will be on display from now till 29 May 2022 to mark the 80th Anniversary of the Fall of Singapore. Admission is free for all Singaporeans and Permanent Residents. Also, don’t forget to head up to level 2 of the museum and look for the permanent gallery called “Syonan Years 1942-1945”, a rather fitting continuation after visiting “Dislocations”.

Visit this link for more information: https://www.nhb.gov.sg/nationalmuseum/our-exhibitions/exhibition-list/dislocations

Another event that I would like to hightlight is one held by the National Archives of Singapore (NAS) called “New Light on an Old Tale” that will last from 15 February 2022 till 30 June 2022. The exhibition will be held at the atrium of the NAS Building, outside Oldham Theatre. It showcases Japanese Occupation artefacts donated by private collectors. Admission is free for all. To find out more, check this link:https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/exhibition-artefacts-anniversary-japanese-occupation-singapore-world-war-ii-2496651

Foreword

Since today it’s the 80th Anniversary of the Fall of Singapore, I shall talk about the stamps and postal stationery used during that period and the history of the war. This blog entry is going to be a mixed bag filled not only with pictures of philatelic items but also with photographs and paraphernalia relating to the history. I will not only talk about stamps and postal stationery used exclusively in Singapore but of other places occupied by the Japanese as well. Please bear in mind that I am just an amateur philatelist and not a historian, even then, my knowledge in Japanese Occupation philately is rather rudimentary. To be forthcoming, this is quite a daunting field of study to dwell into and sometimes a pain to collect as it is a vastly complex subject. A whole gamut of stamps were issued in different territories for a multitude of reasons and the plethora of overprints that were created across different states in Malaya within a short span of time almost made me turn away from the subject. Moreover, there are many forgeries of Japanese Occupation stamps and covers out in the market to swindle unsuspecting collectors. I wouldn’t be surprised if experts in this field managed to find a couple of them here in this entry. Imagine this, even reputable and seasoned stamp dealers telling you that they can’t guarantee their goods are 100% genuine! That being said, I still had fun doing research and acquiring the materials needed for this entry. I would like to humbly seek your understanding if there are any mistakes made. Please feel free to correct me in the comments section, thank you. Without further ado, please enjoy and treat this blog post as a virtual museum. 

Lastly, as you may know, there are many jargons and terminology in philately. You may actually refer to my third blog post earlier entitled “Jargons” to have a better understanding. However, a few terms which you will often find mentioned in this entry shall be posted here to facilitate the ease of reading.

Terminology

C.T.O.: Cancelled-To-Order. Stamps that are pre-cancelled by a postal service upon production. They are normally sold to stamp collectors at a lower price instead of being postally used.

Maxi-Card: Short for Maximum Postcard. A postcard which has all 3 things belonging to the same theme - the picture on the postcard, the stamp, and the postmark. Hence, it can be said that the postcard has reached its maximum in theme consistency.

Overprint: A new text, design or numeral printed over an existing stamp, making it into a new stamp. If the overprint changes the face value of the stamp, then it is also known as a “Surcharge” stamp.

Semi-postal stamps: Also known as charity stamps, these are surcharged stamps which people have to pay in addition to its face value. The additional surcharged fee is then donated to a national cause. Such stamps were very common in World War 2.

Brief History of The Conflict

On the morning of 7 December 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a few hundred planes from the decks of its aircraft carriers and carried out a devastating surprise attack on a major United States naval base at Pearl Harbour in Hawaii. The attack had sunk or crippled several American warships and put many war planes out of commission. By badly damaging the US Pacific Fleet, the Japanese had thought that this would dissuade America from ever intervening in Japan’s interest in Asia but it only served to strengthen the resolve of the Americans to enter the war. While the attack on American soil was happening, the Japanese simultaneously carried out aerial bombings on the other side of the world. Multiple regions in South-East Asia were targetted, including Peninsula Malaya and Singapore. This kickstarted the Second World War in The Pacific.

The above illustration shows a Japanese issued semi-postal stamp that commemorates the First Anniversary of The Attack on Pearl Harbour. This is an aerial photograph that was taken by a Japanese bomber pilot as they were attacking the US naval base.

A Japanese postcard depicting the attack on Pearl Harbour.

Another postcard on the attack on Pearl Harbour, many American battleships were docked side-by-side. This postcard is affixed with a relevant stamp and cancelled with a commemorative postmark. This makes it a maxi card.

A closer look at the cancellation mark from Tokyo that commemorates the “First Anniversary of the Great East Asia War”. When Pearl Harbour was under attack on 7 December 1941, the invasion of South-East Asia took place at the same time on the 8th of December, due to time zone difference.

The Japanese had a grand plan for Asia called “The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere”. The goal was to remove the Western colonial powers from Asia and become its new master. However, people didn’t see it as some form of liberation but rather, a brutal occupation. Prior to the invasion of South-East Asia, there were already numerous news reports of Japanese brutality in China, where a massive number of Chinese civilians had been mercilessly massacred in The Rape of Nanking. The Chinese population in Malaya and Singapore were particularly afraid when the war was inching closer because many of them were immigrants from China and they have helped raised money for the war efforts back home by buying war bonds. Local Chinese businesses boycotted Japanese products and street vigilantes would even attack anyone caught secretly dealing with Japanese merchants. Some even risked certain death by going over to mainland China to fight against the Japanese. 

Manchuria was a gateway for Japan to further its ambitious expansion into inner China.

A set of Japanese stamps issued in Manchukuo on 1 October 1943 called “Friendship between the Peoples of Manchukuo and Japan”. The Japanese invaded Manchuria after staging the “Mukden Incident” in 1931, Manchuria became a puppet state after its defeat and was renamed “Manchukuo”. Two stamps in this set are written in Chinese script and two in Japanese script. Reading from top to bottom and right to left, it says, “The rise of Japan is the rise of Manchukuo”. 

So, people largely knew that life would be worse off living under the Japanese than living under British colonial rule. In actuality, The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere and the constant chants of “Asia for Asiatics” were a guise conjured up by the Japanese to not only kick the Western powers out, but to also grab the resources desperately needed to fuel their military ambitions in China and beyond. Malaya was a vital trading route to the British and it was rich in tin, rubber and oil, commodities that the Japanese sought to capture as their prize.

A 1942 Japanese magazine which has a coloured map that denotes with icons the natural resources that each territory has, gold, copper, tin, food, rubber, oil etc.

The following illustrations below are postcards showing the Japanese soldiers transferring from a troop transport ship onto a landing craft and fighting to capture the Borneo oil fields. Most of Japan’s oil was imported and it was one of the commodities badly needed when USA imposed an embargo after Japan had attacked China. Artists often followed closely behind the soldiers into battles to draw what they see, albeit of victories. The art style of these drawings are known as senso-ga. Their drawings were then reproduced on postcards and given to soldiers to write back home, the postcard images served as propaganda back home. 

The Japanese made landings at 3 areas on 8 December 1941 to begin the invasion, Singora and Pattani in Siam, known today as Thailand, and Kota Bharu in Malaya. The British made a series of strategic miscalculations that would expedite the loss of the Malay Peninsula. 

Map of the Japanese invasion of Malaya and Singapore.
Source: Cambridge University Press

A Japanese postcard that shows the fighting in Malaya and Singapore.

The British and Commonwealth Forces defended Malaya with about 140,000 men and the Japanese had about 70,000 troops. However, the British and Commonwealth Forces were largely inexperience in battle and consisted of soldiers from different territories of the Empire such as India, Australia and Malaya itself. The local Chinese in Malaya and Singapore were also hastily recruited as a volunteer force and were given haphazard training and equipment to fight alongside. This has made communications rather incongruous among the multi-ethnic Commonwealth soldiers, and not to mention the lack of camaraderie. The Japanese on the other hand, had been battle-hardened veterans who have fought in China before World War 2 even officially started. They were quite well-adapted at jungle warfare and many of these indoctrinated soldiers held a strong conviction that dying for the Emperor, whom they viewed as a god-like figure, was the greatest honour there can ever be.

Statues of Malay soldiers from the 1st Malay Regiment led by Lt. Adnan Saidi in the Battle of Pasir Panjang.

Mural of The Malay Regiment fighting the Japanese at Bukit Chandu.

On the equipment front, the Japanese had 568 modern fighters and bombers while the Royal Air Force only had 253 obsolete war planes, some of which were from World War 1. They couldn’t commit anymore precious planes to a colony while mainland Britain was still at war with Nazi Germany. The Royal Navy dispatched a battleship and a battlecruiser, HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse respectively, to defend Malaya. However, there was no air cover to protect the warships en-route and Japanese bombers made quick work of them, sinking both warships off the Coast of Kuantan and killing 840 sailors. The British had no tanks because they thought that the jungle terrain was impassable for tanks and therefore, impractical to station such vehicles there. The Japanese thought otherwise and used light and medium tanks to invade Malaya in a “Blitzkrieg” fashion while the infantry kept up with the tanks, with bicycles that were stolen from villages. 

Another famous hiccup was that the British had always thought the Japanese would most likely attack Singapore with warships from the south through the Singapore Strait. Therefore, gun batteries were strategically emplaced along the coastline facing the Riau Islands, forming a costal defence network. There is a long-standing misconception that these guns can’t turn 180 degrees to fire at enemies approaching landward from the north, which the Japanese eventually did. In fact, most of them can do a full rotation. What the blunder was, was that these guns did not possess the right munitions to have an effect on the Japanese. They only had AP (armour piercing) rounds meant for ships when they should be using HE (high explosive) rounds meant for ground troops.

A defunct 6-inch costal gun that was part of the Labrador Battery. Working together with the Siloso Battery on Sentosa Island, they destroyed a Japanese ship that was carrying ammunition on 12 February 1942. This gun had turned northwest to support the Malay troops who courageously fought the Japanese at Pasir Panjang, but very little was achieved due to improper type of munitions used.

A pillbox to deter beach landings at Labrador but it never happened.

It took just 55 days for the Japanese to conquer Malaya. After which, the British and Commonwealth Forces retreated to Singapore and blew up the causeway linking the island city to the Malaya hinterland in the hopes of slowing the invaders down, thus giving more time for the British to prepare for the Battle of Singapore. 

While preparing for the Battle of Singapore, Australian artillery men positioned along the northern sector of the island reported sightings of Lt. General Yamashita atop a tower at the Johore Palace, just over a kilometre across the Johore Strait. He was seen surveying Singapore with a large pair of binoculars. The soldiers then requested artillery fire on the Palace tower but the British High Command denied the request because they feared it may anger the Sultan of Johore, who at that time, was siding with the Japanese. This decision would come to haunt the British and Commonwealth soldiers later. Imagine how the war would have turned out if the British had fired a barrage of artillery rounds at that tower, killing General Yamashita and his senior command staff? This was an incident which I personally found most amusing during the Battle of Malaya and Singapore.

The Johore Palace. General Yamashita was right at the tallest tower.

So what was General Yamashita surveying in Singapore with his large pair of binoculars? The Tiger of Malaya, as he was nicknamed, was observing the British and Commonwealth troop positions. He saw that the north-western sector of Singapore was lightly defended by only two Australian brigades and a small detachment of DALFORCE, an outfit that consist mainly of Chinese volunteers. General Yamashita then decided that’s where he would begin to stage his landings. Meanwhile, the British held the notion that the Japanese would come from the northern and north-eastern sectors because the Seletar Airfield and the Sambawang Naval Base were both nearby. The British and Indian divisions were positioned to defend the northern and north-western sides of Singapore. General Yamashita knew where the bulk of British and Imperial forces were and he wanted them to continue believing that the attack would come from the north-east.

A ruse was then devised to solidify that believe. For a few nights prior to the invasion of Singapore, General Yamashita ordered empty truck convoys to drive back and forth to the eastern part of Johore, with headlights switched on during the eastern part of the journey and then switched off when returning back to the start point in the west. This gave the British an impression that the Japanese were indeed amassing troops in the east and was preparing an attack from there. 

The trick worked and on the morning of 8 February 1942, Japanese divisions landed on the north-western coast of Singapore at Lim Chu Kang and Kranji areas and they encountered little resistance. The Australian brigades were in shock and had to retreat further inland to setup new defensive positions.

Map of the Battle of Singapore.
Source: Anzac Portal 

The British and Commonwealth Forces took a last stand in Singapore and resisted the Japanese but with the lack of ammunition, water and food supplies, the city capitulated after 8 days of fighting and the British surrendered Singapore to the Japanese on 15 February 1942. 

On 16 February 1942, just one day after Singapore had surrendered, The Ministry of Communications in Japan issued two surcharged stamps with an overprint “陥落シンガポール” inscribed, which roughly translates to “Fall of Singapore”. The capture of Singapore was a really great deal for the people back in Japan. The 2+1 sen surcharged stamp features the portrait of Admiral Togo Heihachiro and the 4+2 sen stamp features the portrait of General Nogi Maresuke, both prominent heroes of Japan from the Russo-Japanese War in 1904.

Singapore, touted as the “Impregnable Fortress” and “Gibraltar of the East” by the British, has finally fallen. Malaya was now called “Malai” by the Japanese and Singapore was renamed as Syonan-To (pronounced as Sho-nan-Toh) on 17 February 1942, meaning “Light of The South”, and the lives of many were about to change.

A Japanese postcard depicting the British surrender at Fort Factory, Singapore.

The Old Fort Factory where motor cars were once assembled. It became The Commander of The Malayan Campaign, Lt. General Tomoyuki Yamashita’s HQ during the early onset of the Battle of Singapore. Lt. General Arthur Percival came here to surrender Singapore on 15th February 1942. The facade of the Old Fort Factory is preserved as a national heritage site and made into a museum today.

Japanese Type-95 Ha-Go light tanks driving pass the Municipal Building in Singapore. Today, it is known as The National Gallery at City Hall.

Japanese soldiers parading in front of Singapore General Post Office, today’s Fullerton Hotel.
Source: Singapore Press Holdings

The Fullerton Hotel, Singapore
Source:Trip Advisor

A 1942 Japanese magazine dedicated an entire publication to the Fall of Singapore. The Japanese portrayed Singapore as a fortress that was hard to conquer. The map is shown top side down. You can see the Sembawang Naval Base, the aerodromes, and even the costal guns sticking out at the edge of the island being illustrated on the cover. All that was to serve as propaganda back home of how much the Imperial Japanese Army had sacrificed for Japan. In actual fact, it was a walk in the park for the Japanese when they took Singapore.

The mastermind of the Malayan campaign, Lt. General Yamashita, featured in the magazine.

The magazine also has some interesting maps portrayed such as this one, it shows locations and types of Allied ships sunk in The Pacific.

Life in Syonan was fraught with difficulties. People had to quickly adjust to life under the new masters. Instead of buying food freely, people were now issued with ration cards. School children were taught to bow in the north-east direction where Japan is situated and sang the Japanese national anthem every morning. People had to learn and be familiarised with Nippon-go, the Japanese language. Movement was restricted as Syonan was segregated into zones and checkpoints were setup at each of these zones. 

An excerpt from a newspaper in 1942 teaching its readers to learn the Japanese language. When The Straits Times was renamed The Syonan Times (later Syonan Shimbun), news columns like these to “encourage” people to learn Japanese were common.

A pocket dictionary for tele-communication engineers.

The pocket dictionary contains Japanese translations from English and Malay for workers to communicate with their new employers.

Whenever we talk about The Japanese Occupation, one subject is often brought up and that’s the subject of Japanese atrocities. The Japanese had committed many atrocities throughout the entirety of the occupation. Getting slapped or punched when one has forgotten to bow or didn’t bow low enough to Japanese soldiers at a checkpoint was just a normal day in Syonan. Sexually enslaved girls were transported from Korea, Indonesia and China to “comfort stations” in Singapore where they were forced to serve as “comfort women” and were raped on a daily basis, and severed heads placed along bridges were a common sight to serve as a startling reminder to the people not to mess with the Japanese. This is really hard for me to say, I have seen it in pictures before, they even threw newborn babies up in the air and bayonetted them as they fell back down. I am not going to post pictures of that here, it’s really gruesome.

Prisoners-of-War were badly mistreated and abused. Many of the P.o.W.s captured in the Malaya and Singapore campaigns found themselves transported to Burma and were given the arduous labour of constructing the notorious “Death Railway”, many of these men lost their lives there.

A mock-up of a cell at Changi Chapel & Museum where P.o.W.s were once imprisoned. Up to eight internees were crammed into this small space when it was originally built for one. The living conditions were abysmal and many P.o.W.s were afflicted with diseases such as dysentery and malaria due to poor hygiene. Malnutrition was also a huge problem in these camps which led to many P.o.W.s suffering from diseases such as scurvy and beriberi.

An original cell door that is preserved at Changi Chapel & Museum.

A 1943 Japanese publication showing an Allied P.o.W. working on the Syonan Jinja at MacRitchie Reservoir. It was a Shinto Shrine built to honour the Japanese soldiers who died fighting in Malaya and Singapore.

Allied P.o.W.s forced to work on the Syonan Jinja.

During the Battle of Singapore, Japanese soldiers stormed the Alexandria Hospital and ruthlessly murdered hundreds of British and Commonwealth soldiers who were already injured and recuperating at the hospital. Doctors and nurses were not spared either.

A plaque of remembrance of the atrocity that happened at Alexandra Hospital.

The infamous “Double Tenth Incident”, where people were wrongly arrested and tortured by the Japanese for being saboteurs. I have written an entry about it earlier in this blog, you can read more about it at this link: https://stampedephilately.blogspot.com/2021/12/pow-mail.html

Another infamous atrocity committed by the Japanese was one that happened shortly after the Fall of Singapore. On 21 February 1942 to 4 March 1942, the local Chinese were ordered to report to inspection centres, one such centre was situated at the crossroads of Upper Cross Street and South Bridge Road at Chinatown. The people were clueless at that time about what these inspection centres were truly for. They only knew that it was against Japanese regulation if one does not show up for the inspection. Fearing the punishment that entails if they had ignored the summon, people started streaming to report at these centres. It was the beginning of what is known as “Operation Sook Ching”. The transliteration of the Chinese words “Sook Ching” means “purification by purging”. It was an order of systemic genocide by the Japanese as an act of vengeance and a way to strike fear into the Chinese community to quash any ideas of resistance. 

Operation Sook Ching was coordinated by the much feared Japanese Military Police known as the “Kempeitai”, and approved by General Tomoyuki Yamashita. The Japanese wanted to weed out all anti-Japanese elements within the community. All Chinese males between the military age of 18 to 50 were their prime suspects. The Japanese officers were told to look out for people who fell under these categories:

• People with tattoos and are part of a secret society a.k.a. gang members.

• People who supported the war effort in China.

• Communists.

• Immigrants who have recently fled the war in China and moved to Singapore.

• People who were known to have joined the Dalforce, an overseas Chinese resistance group.

• Civil servants who worked for the British Administration.

Truth be told, the selection criteria was just a guideline. There was no sure way to determine who was who and for most of the time, the screening process was random and indiscriminate. You could very well be selected if you looked at a Japanese officer the wrong way. There were informers stationed at the centre and they wore a hood with two see-through holes over their heads to maintain anonymity. Many of these informers were locals who collaborated with the Japanese. They got to decide the fate of many people who reported at these centres. Once someone has passed the inspection, they were stamped with the Kanji character “Examined” on their arms, faces, or shirts to indicate that they were clear to leave the area. Those who have failed the inspection were forcefully ushered up onto trucks. They were then driven to secluded beaches and executed by machine gun fire. The Sook Ching Massacre, as the locals would later call it, took place at several beaches, mostly along the Eastern Coast of Singapore - Punggol Beach, Changi Beach, Katong Beach, Tanah Merah Beach and Sentosa Beach. Many husbands, fathers, sons and brothers did not return home to their families after the screenings. Although there was no documentation or official records of these genocides, mass graves were found and remains were exhumed later after the war to prove that the Japanese did carry out this horrendous operation and it was estimated that 50,000 people were brutally murdered during the Sook Ching Massacre. The Japanese, however, claimed that it was about 5,000 people.

Source: The Straits Times

People waiting to be screened at the Inspection Centre at Chinatown. This photograph was taken by the Kempeitai.

A diorama of the screening process. You can see trucks taking men to the beaches to be shot on the left side of the picture.

Source: National Museum Singapore

A marker stands at where Operation Sook Ching once took place.

Personal items dug up from a Sook Ching Massacre site at Jalan Puay Poon. There are many watches, wedding rings, spectacles and house keys. Many people didn’t return home after the inspection. 

Manual Overprints

Gunsei-Bu Double-Frame

Many services were disrupted after the British surrendered, including the postal service. One of the top priorities of the new Japanese occupiers, was to restart the postal service as quickly as possible. Within a month on 16 March 1942, postal services in Singapore resumed. The Japanese took whatever existing stamps that they found and overprinted them with seal chops, thereby defacing the portrait of the English monarch.

A 3c Straits Settlements stamp with the portrait of King George VI, used before the war (left) and one with a seal overprint during The Japanese Occupation (right).

The Gunsei-Bu (military government) double-frame chop was first used on 16 March 1942 when postal services resumed on the island. The nine Kanji characters, read from top to bottom and right to left, means “Malaya Military Government Division Postal Services Bureau Seal”. All stamps had to be manually overprinted by hand. The double-frame seals were used for less than a month before they replaced them with single-frame seals.

The three types of double-frame seals. Using an example of the Japanese 3c overprint from the previous illustration, we can see that it belongs to the no. 3 chop.

There were three seals created for the double-frame chop, all of which were handcrafted by wood carvings. As with all handcrafted things, no two are exactly identical. There are slight variations in each of them. Collectors should always use such well-documented references as a guide to avoid forgeries, which are very common when it comes to Japanese Occupation era stamps.

Gunsei-Bu Single-Frame

The Gunsei-Bu single-frame seal, which is far more prolific than its double-frame cousin, was introduced on 3 April 1942.

A pair of stamps with the single-frame overprint. Referring to the table below, can you guess which type of chop was this pair of stamps overprinted with?

The nine different chops of the single-frame seal.
Credit: Edward B. Proud, The Brighton Philatelic Company

With a high demand for postal services, nine seals were made for the single-frame type. Similar to the double-frame seals, the single-frame seals were hand-carved on wood and thus have different variations from one another. Chops no. 1 and 2 were used to overprint stamps in Singapore while the rest were used at Kuala Lumpur in the state of Selangor. There are 4 different ink colours in existence - red, black, violet and brown. 

Red Gunsei-Bu single-frame overprint on postage due stamps, cancelled at Paya Lebar Post Office, Syonan. Do not be mistaken that this is the same Paya Lebar G.P.O. of today, the G.P.O. was situated at Fullerton Building at the time of the Japanese Occupation.

A single-frame overprint with black ink using what seems like chop no. 2 on a Trengganu 6c stamp.

An overprint with violet ink on 5c Negri Sembilan stamp.

A block of 4 Negri Sembilan stamps with brown overprints.

A macro photo of the top right stamp. It seems that the black ink has overlapped the red ink, causing a brownish overprint.

There was no actual brown ink used to apply overprints in those days. How the brown colour came about was when postal workers used a same hand stamp and cross-inked it on both a red ink pad and a black ink pad, which created a brownish look on the overprints. A closer look at the macro photograph of the top right stamp shows a more dramatic illustration of black and red inks in a mix.

Other seals used in Malaya

The Malacca Seal.
Credit: Edward B. Proud, The Brighton Philatelic Company

Red Malacca overprint on a block of 4.

Pink Malacca overprint found on individual pieces. Missing a piece to complete the jigsaw puzzle.

A special type of seal was introduced on 23 April 1942 to overprint stamps for use in Malacca. Unlike the Gunsei-Bu seals which only took up space on a single stamp, this huge Malacca seal covers a block of 4! It uses a combination of Kanji characters to describe the authority of the seal bearer and Katakana characters for the state name “Malacca”. Read from top to bottom and right to left, it means “Military Government of Malacca State Seal”. Two colours of ink can be found used on these overprints, red ink and my personal favourite, pink ink. Stamps overprinted with the Malacca seal are a rarity these days as early collectors readily threw them away because they thought it looked ugly. It’s getting increasingly difficult to find one these days. A decent overprint on a block of 4 can cost five times or more than the broken up overprint found on individual pieces. Similar to the Gunsei-Bu overprints, the Malacca overprint is a favourite target for forgers to counterfeit. Be warned, there are many fakes out there! 

The Okugawa Seals.
Credit: Edward B. Proud, The Brighton Philatelic Company

The Okugawa seals were used exclusively in Penang and were introduced on 30 March 1942. There are three variations of the hand stamp in existence as seen in the illustration above. Ogukawa was a civilian administrative staff and he was appointed as Chief Finance Officer to Penang. 

A black & white photograph of an enlarged image of the rare Akira Ogukawa seal.

There is an even rarer seal which bears the CFO’s full name, Akira Ogukawa. Sadly, I can’t show you the real thing here because I didn’t get the opportunity of acquiring a stamp with said overprint.

The Uchibori Seal.
Credit: Edward B. Proud, The Brighton Philatelic Company

Another type of seal was pressed into service when the Ogukawa seals couldn’t catch up with demand. This seal is known as the Uchibori Seal and was used exclusively in Penang, too. Uchibori Nobuhara was working under Ogukawa as a cashier in the Penang Finance Department. Both the Ogukawa and Uchibori seals were later superseded by machine overprints.

Machine Overprints

Romaji

An 8c Straits Settlements stamp with Romaji overprint.

The Gunsei-Bu hand stamps were a temporary solution as it was a time-consuming and tedious process, each stamp had to be manually chopped by hand. Subsequent overprints were done by machines which made life relatively easier. It was quite efficient as a sheet of 100 stamps can be overprinted at one go. This is known as the Romaji overprint, a romanized transliteration of Japanese Kanji and Katakana characters to English letters. The words “Dai Nippon” means “Great Japan” and 2602 means 1942, the year of issue. The Japanese used their own imperial calendar when it comes to time keeping, the year officially starts when their first Emperor, Emperor Jimmu, ascended to the throne in 660 BC. The Romaji overprint was first seen in May 1942 but nobody knows for certain the exact date on which these stamps were issued as they were not issued uniformly across all Malaya. 

A receipt from a designing studio in Singapore affixed with Romaji overprint stamp duty. Note the year that this receipt was issued on the left, it says “昭和十七年”, meaning “Showa Year 17”, it was Emperor Hirohito’s 17th year of reign. He ascended to the throne in 1926. Therefore, this receipt was issued in 1942.

Four Malayan stamps from Perak and Negri Sembilan with inverted Dai Nippon overprints, cancelled at Kuala Lumpur on 11/9/1942. This cover was done for philatelic purposes by a collector, not used for normal mailing.

After the Okugawa and Uchiburi seals were discontinued from use in Penang, stamps were then specially overprinted with the state’s name. It was later discontinued and they started using overprints with the word “Malaya” like the rest of the states to streamline the overprinting process. 

As 1942 was coming to a close, the Japanese decided to remove “2602” from the next batch of overprints for 1943 and just replaced it with “DAI NIPPON YUBIN”, meaning “Great Japan Post”. However, I have only seen such overprints on Perak stamps and not on stamps from the other Malayan states. Regardless, overprints with “2602” was produced in astronomical quantities, hence they can be found used throughout the occupation years.

Kanji

The machine-applied Kanji overprints.

In an effort to eradicate the use of English, the Japanese decided to overprint stamps with Kanji characters. It was issued in 1943 and was used till the end of the war. The characters “大日本郵便” means “Great Japan Postal Service”. Note both the grey 8c stamps, one with a black overprint and the other with a red overprint. It’s harder to distinguish black ink on a grey stamp, that was the reason why they overprinted the 8c grey stamp with red ink instead.

Malayan postage due stamps overprinted with Kanji characters.

Selangor 5c stamps featuring the Klang Mosque and Palace, overprinted with Kanji characters and a 6c surcharge.

Strangely enough, despite using machines to apply overprint on stamps, there were still a few quirks and oddities we see on these stamps. Looking at the above picture, did you notice that the second character “日” has a slightly thicker font size on the top stamp and a thinner font size on the bottom stamp? The thinner font is the less common one. In a sheet of 100 stamps, you could find about 6 to 10 of such stamps with a thin second character, making them slightly more valuable.

An oddity found on this stripe of three stamps, the second character on the middle stamp has been flipped to its side.

Yet another quirk that’s found, occurring again on the second character on this grey 8c stamp. The middle stroke in the “日” character is missing.

Japanese Pictorials 

Japanese pictorial stamps issued in Singapore.

Two CTO sheets of the 1c Japanese pictorial stamps featuring a man tapping a rubber tree.

A philatelic cover with pictorial stamps cancelled at Geylang Post Office, Syonan.

The Japanese tried to remove all overprinted Straits Settlements stamps bearing the portrait of King George VI by replacing them with Japanese pictorial definitives in 1943 and they were used right until the end of the war. They were printed by a Dutch printing company called Koiff & Company in Batavia, which was also Japanese occupied territory in present day Jakarta, Indonesia,. The stamps mainly featured  vital resources and cultural places in Malaya. This was the first time pictorial definitive stamps appeared in Singapore.

• 1c & 3c: Rubber tapping.

• 2c (printed matter rate): Tropical fruits of Malaya.

• 4c (postcard rate): Tin drudging ship. 

• 8c (standard letter rate): The Syonan Chureito, a war memorial at Bukit Batok, Singapore. It was built by the Japanese to honour their fallen comrades during the Battle of Malaya and Singapore. It was destroyed after the war. 

• 10c: Fishing village.

• 15c (registered mail rate): Japanese Shinto Shrine, popularly known as the Syonan Jinja, located at MacRitchie Reservoir but was destroyed after the war.

• 30c (parcel rate up to 3 pounds): Sago Palms.

• 50c (parcel rate up to 7 pounds): The Straits of Johor.

• 70c (parcel rate up to 11 pounds): The Jamek Mosque in Kuala Lumpur.

Some collectors may be mistaken and think that this set was issued as a whole on the same date, on the contrary, they were issued on three different dates. The 4c and 8c stamps were issued on 29 April 1943, which coincided with Emperor Hirohito’s birthday.

A cover issued on Emperor Hirohito’s birthday, affixed with 4c and 8c stamps. Unfortunately, the cover is in an abysmal condition and some details are lost to time. You can actually see a very faded rectangular Japanese Military Police inspection mark next to the addressee.

What the rectangular Military Police inspection mark looks like. It was common for written correspondence to go through the censors. Note the 4c tin drudging ship stamp that is printed onto the postcard, this makes it a pre-paid postcard.

The 2c was issued on 1 June 1943.

The 15c, 30c, 50c, and 70c were issued on 1 October 1943. The 70c denomination had the least number of stamps printed as it wasn’t common to send parcels up to 11 pounds at that time. 

An interesting fact is that the designs of the 1c, 2c, 3c, 4c, and 8c stamps were chosen from a stamp designing contest that was opened to the public. The rest were designed by the postal administration.

The 2c and 4c stamps were later printed in Singapore towards the end of the war. There are several iterations such as the rouletted perforation and the imperforated version.

Rouletted perforation.

 

Imperforated.

Special Stamps Issued In Singapore

This pair of stamps was issued on 1 September 1943 to commemorate the milestone of reaching over $1 million Malayan dollars in savings accounts after the Japanese took over. There was widespread panic prior to the outbreak of the war in Malaya and Singapore and people withdrew money en-mass to purchase essential goods such as food. The total savings amount from prewar years was about $400 million but fell to about $30 million after Singapore surrendered. This has caused a massive inflation and goods became 100 - 300 times more expensive than it would usually cost. I may be wandering into unfamiliar territory  here but in simple layman terms, inflation happens when too much money is in circulation but there is a lack of goods to spend on, making money less valuable than it was. 

The Japanese were worried that the inflation rate could worsen and launched savings campaigns to encourage people to deposit their money in banks. However, people were still fearful and uncertain of how their money would be used and where it could end up. At first, the Japanese used soft approaches such as propaganda news. They would announce, in newspapers and on radio, that keeping money at home was unsafe because you could be in danger of being robbed. 

A Japanese postal savings booklet used in Penang, Malaya.

What the inside of a postal savings booklet looks like. Total amount in this savings account is $217.

A Post Office Savings Bank deposit receipt from Penang, Malaya.

Concurrently, the Japanese Military Administration came up with other ways to raise more money by holding government lotteries that offered lucrative prizes which no one seemed to have ever won. The Chinese and Indians were imposed with a huge quota to sell majority of these lottery tickets as a form of punishment. Private Chinese banks were forced to sell these tickets, too. The Malays were excused from this exercise as it was religiously offensive for them to gamble.

A Syonan lottery ticket.

Back of the lottery ticket stating the cash prizes and terms.

A deposit receipt from OCBC, note the “lottery number” at the bottom.

Other unfair taxes were implemented on businesses and families to rake in the funds, it wasn’t uncommon to pay property tax twice a year and all businesses, big and small, had to either register or reapply for a new license in order to continue running their businesses.

Business registration certificate issued on 7 August 1944.

The soft approaches didn’t go quite as planned. So, the Japanese tried a harder stance. They introduced a forced savings campaign by mandatorily requiring everyone to contribute towards their savings accounts each month. From Japanese military officers to local civil servants, a percentage of their wages would go into these savings accounts. Even those not employed by the Japanese government, were told to make a token sum deposit for each bag of rice they were allowed to buy on their ration cards. In an effort to further stabilize commodity prices, locals were also encouraged to plant their own crops such as sweet potatoes, rice, yam, tapioca etc. Many city dwellers were forcefully relocated to agricultural areas to help with farming.

A philatelic cover with overprinted stamps and commemorative cancellations to commemorate the “Selangor Agriculture and Horticulture Exhibition” that was held at Kuala Lumpur on the 1st and 2nd of November 1942. It was an event to teach the locals on the techniques of farming.

All that didn’t help with the ever increasing inflation as the Japanese later printed more and more currency commonly known as “Banana Notes” because of the banana motif (only the 10 dollars had the famous banana motif). This had led to hyperinflation in Malaya and Singapore. People who lived through the war recounted that they had to bring huge bags of money just to buy a single item. Many people, including Japanese soldiers, would rather fall back on barter trade, the act of exchanging one commodity for another, than use what seemed to be useless pieces of paper. Black market activities were at an all time high and the British Straits Dollar was often the preferred currency for transaction. Although the Straits Dollar wasn’t officially demonetised by the Japanese Military Administration, it was banned from being used. People who secretly kept Straits Dollars were able to use it to buy goods once the British returned after the war. On the other hand, people who only had Japanese banana notes found themselves bankrupt overnight as the currency was not considered legal tender by the British.

Useless banana notes. Initially, these notes came with serial numbers, but when the Japanese started going bonkers with printing more money, they didn’t even bother to include serial numbers on later prints, this is one such note with only the prefix “MP”.

I seem to have digress quite a bit, now let’s get back to the topic of “special stamps issued in Singapore”.

This pair of stamps was issued on 15 February 1944 to commemorate The Second Anniversary of the Rebirth of Malaya.

These stamps were overprinted and issued on 16 December 1944 to raise money for the Singapore Red Cross. But for unknown reasons, they were withdrawn from the post office after only one day of issue. There is also a stamp that was prepared but was never released, an overprint 6c surcharge on 5c brown stamp. Personally, I found it strange that since the Japanese wanted to get rid of any signs of British influence, then why did they overprint on the Straits Settlements stamps? Maybe that was why they were withdrawn after the first day?

Censorship 

Correspondence going through the mail system during the Japanese Occupation often came under close scrutiny by the watchful eyes of the censorship bureau to sniff out rebel activities. Letters and postcards that pass the censorship were given a “Reviewed” hand stamp.

Here we can see a rectangular hand stamp on a postcard to signify that this article has been reviewed. There is nothing written on the back of this postcard. The three kanji characters on the bottom left column “檢閱濟”, pronounced as “Jiǎnyuè jì”, meaning that this article has been reviewed. The two kanji characters on the top right column means “Syonan”, which Singapore was renamed into. The single kanji character at the bottom right column means “bureau”.

Here is another example of a First Day Cover with the same hand stamp but in red ink. On the right column, we can see a mix of katakana and kanji characters, the katakana characters means “ Seremban”, which this letter was sent from as indicated below the header of Overseas-Chinese Banking Corporation. The kanji characters below “郵便局”, pronounced as “Yūbinkyoku”, means “post office”.

This is an oval-shaped censorship hand stamp with kanji characters “檢閱”, pronounced as “Jiǎn yuè”, meaning that this article has been reviewed.

Fiscal/Revenue Stamps Used in Malaya

Fiscal or revenue stamps were mainly used for tax-collecting purposes, that’s how the words “stamp duty” came about. In 1942 to mid-1943, many of the revenue stamps found used in Singapore were overprints of the Straits Settlements stamps or stamps from other Malayan states that were also used for postage. Later, the Japanese pictorial stamps were used as revenue stamps. In other parts of Malaya, there were specially designed duty stamps printed or overprints made to mark stamps for revenue use. 

A receipt from a rubber stamp maker with 6c paid as duties in 1942. Besides being revenue stamps, these stamps could also be used for postage purpose.

A receipt from a car repair workshop with 6c paid as duties in 1945. Affixed on the receipt are Japanese pictorial stamps

The is a specially designed 6c stamp issued in 1945 solely meant for revenue purposes in the state of Perak. The inscription above “ ペラ州政庁” means “Perak State Government Offices” and the bottom inscription “収入印紙” means “Stamp Duty”. There is a rarer issue that comes in red rouletted perforation issued in 1943 but it was withdrawn and was never issued.

A set of four North Borneo revenue stamps with three-character inscription flanked by two verticals bars on either side. The denominations are 2c, 4c, 6c and 8c. I find this set of revenue stamps interesting as the inscription reads something like “letter sealing paper”. It was used mainly to seal envelopes with postal money orders. However, some catalogues such as the John Barefoot Catalogue, have categorised this set as revenue stamps.

Revenue stamp issued for Sarawak use. An oval seal overprint can be seen on the portrait of Sir James Brooke, also famously known as “The White Rajah”, who governed Sarawak from 1842 to 1868. The seal doesn’t appear to belong to an official, a quick google translation finds that the inscription means “income” in Japanese, which means that this is a revenue seal.

Commemorative Cancellations/Cachets

Commemorative cancellations or cachets were offered at post offices during special events. They have elaborate designs and are one of my favourite areas of collecting. The hand stamps used to make these cancellations was mainly rubber material. I will feature not only those used in Singapore but some from other countries occupied by the Japanese as well. The exhibits in the following are non-exhaustive, there are many more commemorative cancellations out there.

This cancellation was applied on 8/12/1942 in Singapore to commemorate “The First Anniversary of the Outbreak of the Great East Asia War”. The stamps on this philatelic cover are Japanese stamps that were authorised for use in Malaya. This is also considered a First Day Cover as these four stamps were issued on the day this commemorative cancellation was applied.

A cover from The Philippines with a cachet and a stamp applied on 8/12/1942 to commemorate “The First Anniversary of the Great East Asia War”.

Side note: Came across this article when I was doing some research at The National Library. It seems to me that the “special stamps” mentioned in this news article dated 13 February 1943, are the ones affixed on the cover above. The commemorative cancellation is not the right one though.

This cancellation was used from 15 - 21 of February 1943 in Ipoh, Perak to commemorate the “The First Anniversary of the Fall of Singapore”. 

A Japanese postcard with cancellations applied in Singapore from 1/5/1944 to 7/5/1944 to commemorate the “Savings Champaign Reaching $5,000,000”.

A postcard with cancellations applied in Singapore on 12/2/1943 to commemorate “The First Anniversary of the Rebirth of Malaya”.

A cover with cancellations applied in Singapore from 1/9/1943 to 7/9/1943 to commemorate the “Savings Campaign Reaching $1,000,000”.

A Japanese postcard bearing the same commemorative cancellation “Savings Campaign Reaching $1,000,000” used in Singapore on the left but this time, it is accompanied by its Penang equivalent of the cancellation on the right.

An Indonesian cover with a cancellation applied in Sumatra on 18/3/1943 to commemorate “The First Anniversary of Occupation in Sumatra”. This is the first time I am seeing this cancellation with red ink, I have only seen them in blue.

A First Day Cover from The Philippines with a cancellation applied on 7/5/1943 to commemorate “The First Anniversary of the Fall of Bataan and Corregidor”.

A cover from The Philippines with a commemorative cachet applied on 7/5/1944 to commemorate “The Second Anniversary of the Fall of Bataan and Corregidor”.

A Japanese postcard with cancellations applied in Singapore from 8/12/1943 to 14/12/1943 to commemorate “The Second Anniversary of the Great East Asia War”. The stamps, however, were not authorised for issue in Singapore, it was meant for use in Japan. How they found their way here was  either through Japanese soldiers or merchants who brought them along from Japan and then sell them to local collectors for money. Postal workers would still cancel these stamps regardless, if a stamp was good for use in Japan, then it was good for use in occupied territories.

Postcard with cancellations applied in Singapore from 15/2/1945 to 21/2/1945 to commemorate “The Third Anniversary of the Rebirth of Malaya”.

A cover from The Philippines with surcharged stamps overprinted with the word “Baha”, which means “flood” in Tagalog. The proceeds from the surcharged stamps were meant to help victims of The Great Manila Flood of November 1943. The cancellation was applied on 22/12/1943. 

Japanese issued definitives for The Philippines.
Source: Stampworld.com

A cover from The Philippines with a cachet that says in Tagalog, “UNANG ARAW NG PAGBIBIRI”, which means “First Day of Sale” in English. It was to commemorate the first day of sale of a new series of stamps issued for Philippines Post on 1 April 1943, they range from different values from 1 centavo to 5 pesos. The stamps on the cover are a block of four with a face value of 2 centavos featuring rice planting and a block of four with a face value of 5 centavos featuring two mountains - Mount Fuji in Japan on the left and Mount Mayon in The Philippines on the right. I find it strange that they didn’t use the dynastic calendar year (2603) in The Philippines but instead, they used the Gregorian calendar year (1943).

This cancellation was applied in Singapore from 16/7/1945 to 22/7/1945 to commemorate “Malaya Reaching Over 500,000 Postal Savings Depositors”. A month later, Japan surrendered shortly after two atomic bombs were dropped on her.

This cancellation on a piece of cutout was used in Penang, Malaya on 12/8/1942 to commemorate “The First Anniversary of the Great East Asia War”.

Japanese stamps issued for use in Sumatra. A different set of stamps was issued for Java.

Japanese stamps issued for use in Java.

A Japanese postcard for Dutch East Indies with cancellations applied in Sumatra on 27/3/1944 to commemorate “The Third Anniversary of Occupation in Sumatra”.

A Japanese postcard with a cancellation applied in Singapore from 16/2/1944 to 21/2/1944 to commemorate “The Second Anniversary of the Rebirth of Malaya”. Note that the bottom text of the commemorative cancel has different variations, the first illustration says “Syonan” in Kanji, while the second illustration is in Katakana which says “Penang”.

A cover from The Philippines with a commemorative cachet applied on 8/12/1943. “ITDLMSA” are abbreviated words in Tagalog for “Ikalawang Taong ng Digmann sa Lalong Malaking Silangang Asya”, which means “Second Anniversary of the Great East Asia War” in English. 

A postcard with cancellations applied in Singapore from 8/12/1944 to 14/12/1944 to commemorate “The Third Anniversary of the Great East Asia War”.

A postcard with cancellations applied in Malacca from 10/10/1944 to 16/10/1944 to commemorate the “Savings Campaign Reaching $10,000,000”. Note that the bottom text of the commemorative cancel are different on both illustrations, the first illustration says “Malacca” in Katakana, while the second illustration says “Syonan” in Kanji.

The Aftermath

Following the devastating atomic weapons that were dropped by the Americans over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan announced its surrender on 15 August 1945. The official signing of the surrender onboard the American battleship USS Missouri took place on 2 September 1945. Ten days later, in the morning of 12 September 1945, a formal surrender ceremony was held in Singapore at the Municipal Building. Crowds formed along the roads leading to the Municipal Building to witness the unconditional surrender. They jeered at the Japanese as they were entering the building, hurling all sorts of expletives and shouting “Ba Ke-ro!”, which means “Idiot!” in Japanese. After Lord Louis Mountbatten, the Supreme Allied Commander of South-East Asia, gave a victory speech on the steps of the Municipal Building, the crowds at the Padang cheered in celebration. The Union Jack fluttered over Singapore once again and the bitter occupation finally came to an end. 

Japanese officers escorted by British and Commonwealth officers to the surrender ceremony.

Signing of the surrender document.
Source: Imperial War Museum

Lord Louis Mountbatten giving a speech to soldiers and to the people of Singapore.
Source: Imperial War Museum

A replica copy of the surrender document courtesy of The Battle Box, Singapore.

The Japanese Field Marshal named in the document, Count Hisaichi Terauchi, was supposed to be present at the signing ceremony but didn't attend because he had suffered a stroke for the second time and was recuperating at a hospital in Saigon, Vietnam. Signing on his behalf was General Seishirō Itagaki. The Allies had cause for concern because the signatory wasn't the person listed in the document. As such, the document wouldn't be legal and Japan could resume the war in South East-Asia. However, the red seal belonged to Count Hisaichi Terauchi and the Allies took that as his official signature. Count Hisaichi Terauchi suffered a third stroke when he was a P.O.W. and died at Johor Bahru, Malaya.

After Japan Surrendered

A British government mail using a Japanese cover and cancelled at Kuala Lumpur. I can’t really read what the exact year on the date stamp is, but there is a very faint “4” after the month of SEP. The only true hint here is the circular postal marking at the bottom left that reads “CONTROLLER OF SUPPLIES, FEDERATION OF MALAYA”. The Federation of Malaya was first formed after the war on 1 February 1948, so the date stamp was applied either in 48’ or 49’, three or four years after the war. I found it rather fascinating that Japanese postal stationery was still in use by then.

A cover made by a collector for philatelic purpose, was cancelled in British North Borneo after the Japanese had surrendered and before the return of the British.

British Arrival and Free Post

A free postage cover used in Klang, cancelled on 22 September 1945. Note that no stamp was used on the cover.

After the Japanese formally surrendered Malaya on 2 September 1945, the British returned and established an interim military government known as the British Military Administration, in place of a civilian government. While awaiting for new postage stamps to be printed and delivered to post offices, people were granted free postage for a month from 17 September 1945 to 18 October 1945. 

A free postage cover cancelled in Singapore on 17 September 1945.

A little interesting story about the maker of this cover, the late Mr. Tay Tian Song, who came from a wealthy family that owned an import-export business during the war. It was rumoured that his stepmother was a Japanese national and that gave him connections and special access to move around freely in Singapore and in Malaya. He went to different post offices around Singapore and Malaya to make philatelic covers as he was a collector himself. He had also made philatelic covers to sell to other hobbyists in exchange for some money during and after the occupation. Very few collectors dared to partake in such endeavours during the occupation for fear that the Japanese may wrongfully arrest them. Those who did, usually had some sort of influence among the Japanese. There are some collectors today who think that Mr. T.S. Tay has made too many philatelic covers and have flooded the market with them, making such covers meaningless and less ideal to collect. I have a different opinion though, if not for him, many collectors today would not have the chance to get their hands on philatelic materials from that period of time. When you come across a philatelic cover today that was purposely done during the Japanese Occupation, it most likely has something to do with Mr. T.S. Tay.

British Military Administration (B.M.A.)

When the stamps were finally produced, the initials of “BMA MALAYA” was overprinted on Straits Settlements stamps with the portrait of King George VI, this design was already in used prior to the Japanese Occupation. The British Military Administration temporarily governed Malaya from 12 September 1945 to 1 April 1946, after when, the civilian government took over control.

The above cover was cancelled twice in April 1947, nearly 2 years after the war. Paper products were getting more expensive as demand grew. So, to save money, it wasn’t uncommon to find envelopes being reused multiple times during that period. This cover was reused by sticking on a 10 cents BMA stamp over the red prepaid value indicator of 3 cents. A red postmark to the left states that this cover was first cancelled on 11 April 1947 while the newer postmark in black was applied on 17 April 1947. The original address was also cancelled and a new one written on. 

Another cover affixed with B.M.A. stamps sent to Penang from at Ipoh East, Malaya. It was cancelled on 23 June 1947. Although power was transferred from the British Military Administration to a civilian government by 1 April 1946, stamps with “B.M.A.” overprint were still valid for postage up until 1948 when the overprint was no longer applied.

Conclusion 

After the fervour of anti-colonialism had swept Singapore, she gained independence from Britain in 1959, after 137 years of being a colony (not counting the 3.5 years of Japanese Occupation). It was a bloodless event as both Britain and Singapore held the same sentiment, the upkeep of colonies was something which Britain can no longer afford after the war and people living in Singapore no longer wanted to be subjects of the British Empire but citizens of a country instead. The myth of British superiority was shattered and people started having doubts and wondered if Great Britain could adequately defend them in the event of a future war, the British had done quite poorly at that, as was seen in the Battle of Malaya and Battle of Singapore. Singapore was then briefly merged with the newly formed Federation of Malaysia in 1963 but things did not work out between the both and they went on their separate ways in 1965. Singapore is now, a truly independent nation.

The skyline of modern Singapore issued in 2020. It’s the longest stamp that SingPost has issued.

The Japan of today is very different from the Japan of the imperial past. Its citizens have come a long way to rebuild their economy and turn themselves into an Asian economic powerhouse. The two countries have a better bilateral relationship now. Singapore and Japan are trading partners, Singaporean and Japanese tourists like travelling to each other’s country for holidays and from what I understand, the young Singaporeans of today love Japanese culture and consume much of their entertainment scene such as anime, manga and Japanese television shows. Old wounds are starting to heal.

Singapore-Japan joint issue souvenir sheet issued in 2006.

Singapore-Japan joint issue souvenir sheet issued in 2016.

I am a staunch believer of the notion that a father’s sins should never be bore by his children, in that similar principle, I am not angry of this current generation of Japanese for what their predecessors did in the past. That being said, we should never forget our history or downplay the sufferings of victims of World War 2. History should be revisited by the younger generation once in awhile and lessons learnt from it to prevent such a tragic incident from ever happening again. We have built monuments to commemorate our heroes and to remember the innocent civilians who have lost their lives in the war.

The Kranji War Memorial was built to honour the fallen Allied soldiers who fought in the Battle of Singapore.

Inside Kranji War Memorial where British, Malay, Australian and Indian soldiers rest in eternal peace. Lt. Adnan from the 1st Malay Regiment is among the soldiers buried here.

Lieutenant Adnan bin Saidi 1915-1942

The Civilian War Memorial located at the Central Business District of Singapore.

An urn at the Civilian War Memorial that contains the remains of civilians who died during the Japanese Occupation.

The Cenotaph located at Esplanade Park to honour all those who have fallen in World War 1 and 2. The other side of The Cenotaph has the years of 1914 - 1918 inscribed.

A close-up of The Cenotaph.

A plaque at The Cenotaph that reads “They Died That We Might Live” in four languages.

The Lim Bo Seng Memorial, located near The Cenotaph at the Esplanade Park. Mr. Lim Bo Seng was an influential Hokkien businessman who later joined an underground resistance group called “Force 136” in Malaya during the Japanese Occupation and led anti-Japanese operations. He was captured and tortured to death at the hands of the Kempeitei in 1944. He is now hailed as a national hero by Singaporeans and this pagoda was built to honour him.

Lim Bo Seng 27/4/1909 - 29/6/1944

The Changi Chapel was originally built by prisoners-of-war who were interned at Changi Camp. After the war, the P.o.Ws who have survived and relatives of P.o.W.s who have died in these camps would come to Singapore every year from Australia and the U.K. to offer their prayers at this chapel.

Another person I would like to mention is Elizabeth Choy, a national heroine. During the occupation, she and her husband, Choy Khun Heng, secretly smuggled food, medicine and even radio parts to the P.o.W.s interned at Changi Camp. She was later caught and was badly tortured by the Kempeitai but survived the ordeal. After the war, she was awarded the Order of the British Empire and was nominated by the British to be part of the Legislative Council in Singapore between 1951 and 1955. She died from pancreatic cancer in 2006.

We are a generation that have enjoyed relative peace in our time and we tend to take that for granted sometimes, clean and portable water is available at a twist of a faucet, the convenience of a supermarket to buy groceries anytime of the day, enjoying modern creature comforts such as air-conditioning etc. We have never experienced hiding in a bomb shelter before, nor have we experienced extreme hunger from food shortages. That is why commemorative stamp issues can remind us of our roots and the things people of a bygone era had to endure to get us here. Here are some stamps that SingPost has issued in the past to remind us of the perils of the Japanese Occupation:

This is part of a commemorative set of 6 stamps called “150th Anniversary of Founding of Singapore” issued in 1969. This stamp features a the tail wing of a Japanese bomber plane flying over Singapore with searchlights in the background.

This set of 4 stamps called “50th Anniversary of the End of World War II” was issued in 1995. They depict scenes from after the war and the period of British Military Administration.

This is part of a commemorative set of 10 stamps called “20th Century Singapore” issued in 1999 to usher in the new millennium. In this stamp, an old lady can be seen weeping helplessly after her relative died from the Japanese bombing of Singapore. In the middle, a picture of General Yamashita demanding the British to surrender at the Fort Factory. Finally, the return of the British with Lord Louis Mountbatten on the stamp.

This is part of a commemorative set of 5 stamps called “The Centennial of Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry” issued in 2006. The Civilian War Memorial is featured in the foreground with the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall in the background. Sun Yat Sen had led a revolution to overthrow the imperialistic Qing Dynasty in the hopes of turning China into a Republic. The Nanyang Memorial Hall in Singapore once served as a base for him and his compatriots where they regularly came and held Nationalist meetings.

This is part of a commemorative set of 9 stamps called “Singapore Bicentennial” issued in 2019. It features the Malay Regiment fighting the Japanese at Bukit Chandu during the Battle of Pasir Panjang.

This set of 5 stamps called “75th Anniversary of the End of WWII” was issued in 2020 featuring Singapore’s surrender and liberation.

Before this blog entry comes to a close, I would like to share a personal story that my late maternal great grandmother had shared with me. I count myself as one of those lucky few who have spoken to their great grandparents before. She stayed in Penang for her entire life and my family and I often visited her at her hometown at Nibong Tebal when she was still alive. I could remember that we were on a family holiday onboard a leisure cruise ship when I casually asked about her experience during the Japanese Occupation, since my school teacher was talking about it during class. she was quite reluctant to talk about it at first, it didn’t really dawn on me then, that I was being rather insensitive. I was about 12 years old at that time and had difficulty grasping what she had told me until my later years as a young adult - the concept of atrocities and carnage were totally foreign to me, all I knew was that many people died during the war. At first, she started telling me about her life during the British colonial times, how she met my great grandfather and all, as if she was trying to brush off the subject. Then, she slowly shifted the conversation towards the Japanese Occupation. 

She recounts that when the Japanese army came and conquered Malaya, they would go around these village houses searching for young girls to rape. Many nights, they would go from house to house and bang on doors while shouting, “Gu niang! Gu niang!”, which means “Lady! Lady!” in Mandarin. Since the Japanese couldn’t really speak Mandarin or any Chinese dialects or Bahasa Malayu, they would resort to vulgar hand gestures to convey their sexual urges. There were some brave locals who would often inform the village before a Japanese patrol came, how they acquired that information is not known. My great grandmother always took precaution and carried my grandmother on her back, who was then only a few months old, and sought refuge deep in the jungle whenever she heard that night patrols will be  conducted at the area. One night, she and a few neighbours hurriedly ran into the jungle. Women with infants in-tow were told to run in a separate direction, away from unwed girls and childless women, in case of crying babies dragging the entire group to their doom. My great grandmother’s group ran into a cave. That cave was known to belong to a tiger as it roamed around those parts but luckily for them, it wasn’t around that night. This gives you an idea of how scary the Japanese soldiers were when the locals would rather take their chances with a tiger than face the Japanese. I wouldn’t be here writing this stuff today had my great grandmother not taken the initiative and effort to keep my grandma and herself safe.

My grandmother came to Singapore in the late 50s after the war had long ended in search for employment opportunities and stayed here as a citizen since, while my great grandmother stayed on in Penang, Malaysia. My great grandmother passed away peacefully at a hospital in Penang in 2012, she was 97 years old. Before Covid-19 struck, my family would go back every year to visit my great grandparents’ graves. I am really glad that she shared this personal story with me, it’s something that I remember her by.

My late great grandmother, Goh Kah Hiang (left) and my grandmother, Lim Saw Yean (right).

On a holiday cruise ship with my family many years ago. My great grandmother, grandmother and brother seated behind me. I am the one in red shirt with that dumb floofy hair, beside me is my mom.

Acknowledgments

This entry has come to an end and of course, knowledge doesn’t just fall from the sky and into my head. There are a few institutions, authors and friends I would like to thank for my research into this vastly complicated topic.

Friends

I would like to specially thank Mr. Eddie Yong and Mr. Tan Chun Lim for sharing some pictures of their collection with me in order for this blog post to materialise. Your collective knowledge and experiences in philately have cast a brilliant light on my ignorance.

Museums

A heartfelt thanks to the National Archives of Singapore, the National Heritage Board and the following museums where I visited the exhibits and did my research. The artefacts on display are well-preserved and their accompanying descriptions are vivid. The flow of the exhibits is very systematic and orderly. Some of them do offer free guided tours which are simply captivating. The curators did a splendid job by bringing history to live and I had a wonderful time at all of them!

National Museum of Singapore

Changi Chapel & Museum

Reflections at Bukit Chandu

Memories at Old Ford Factory

The Battle Box

Fort Siloso

National Library Board

Next, I would like to thank the National Library Board for storing archives of microfilms where old newspapers are preserved and letting the public have access to them. I did my research by reading some articles on the Syonan Times/Syonan Shimbun thanks to the library.

Authors

A huge thanks to these authors who have provided much insight to the Japanese Occupation and the world of philately during the Japanese Occupation years. Without them, much would still be in the dark. 

Patrick N. Kearney, author of “Japanese Occupation Postmarks of Malaya” [ISBN 0-85397-436-5]

Edward B. Proud, author of “Japanese & Siamese Occupation Stamps of Malaya”

Tan Wee Kiat, author of “Philatelic Rambling in Singapore History: The Japanese Occupation 1942-1945” [ISBN 978-981-07-4667-4]

Paul H. Kratoska, author of “The Japanese Occupation of Malaya and Singapore, 1942-1945 A Social and Economic History” [ISBN 978-9971-69-638-2]

Lin Yangchen, blog author of https://www.linyangchen.com/Philately

Publications by the Malaya Study Group https://www.malayastudygroup.com/