The Causeway was built to improve the transportation and communication links between Singapore and Malaya, across Johor Straits. It was also once a war site during the World War 2. Invading Singapore with a heavy bombardment was one of the preparations of the Japanese.
The Causeway then, being the crucial part of Singapore's northern defences as the Johor Straits was the narrowest, was required to be protected as Malaya was successfully brought down by the Japanese. To delay and hinder the Japanese from advancing and progressing towards Singapore, the Indian sappers who were positioned there launched an attack by exploding the Causeway, causing a gap of 21.336 metres.
However, on the night of 8 February 1942, the start of Japanese Invasion of Singapore, the Japanese managed to enter and cross here through defenseless sections. Blowing up part of the Causeway did not fully hinder the Japanese.
Since the second Japanese landing force fall upon the 4-km stretch of land between the Causeway and the mouth of the Kranji River, the Australian 27th Infantry Brigade (comprising of the 2/26th, 2/29th and 2/30th Battalions) defended the area.
Along the coast, where it could be considered a strong position, the 2/26th and 2/30th Battalions were able to watch and keep an eye on the Causeway. This allowed them to open fire using the anti-tank guns and machine guns. Whereas, the 2/29th Battalion was kept as reserve.
On the night of 9 February 1942, despite that the Japanese Imperial Guards Division had successfully crossed the Johor Straits and attacked the Causeway sector, the Australians fought their greatest effort. Thus, they successfully deter and resist the Japanese initial movement.
Although the soldiers fought and defended courageously, their commander, Brigadier Maxwell, initiated to draw back and retreat. His instruction for the 27th Infantry Brigade to withdraw compromised the defence of the Causeway and the northern coast irreversibly. This resulted in the weakened of the defence line by the Australians.
On the other hand, with the abandoned and defenceless Causeway, the Japanese were able to repair and fix the gap. This resulted to more deployment of Japanese soldiers and their equipment to enter Singapore such as their tanks.
By the morning of 10 February 1942, the Japanese headed in the northwestern Singapore and captured the area. This allowed the Japanese to advance and approach towards the crucial Bukit Timah area, where the reservoirs, food depots and ammunition stocks were stored.
Personal reflections on site:
In the past, few months ago, when I heard the word 'Causeway', the first thing that crossed my mind was going to Malaysia for a trip, filled with excitement. Now, after doing this assignment, it totally changed my perception of the place. Honestly, I was not aware of the existence of the marker and the historical interpretation of the place before, only up to now, that I realized this place offers more to it.
Honestly, it was saddened for me to see this. It is not justifiable that the defacement was due to wear and tear. Thus, I could not help but to wonder and question on the maintenance of this historical marker. Personally to me, it is a major concern as this could reflects on how well we preserve the past which could consolidate our emotions and thoughts pertaining to the Japanese Invasion of Singapore.
After researching on this war site, I could not help but to wonder and explore what might have happened if the Australian 27th Infantry Brigade continued defending the Causeway should their commander did not gave that specific instruction of withdrawal. A possibility that I could interpreted is perhaps the Japanese might took slightly a longer time to enter Singapore as they could not fix the gap due to the previous explosion easily.
In the past, few months ago, when I heard the word 'Causeway', the first thing that crossed my mind was going to Malaysia for a trip, filled with excitement. Now, after doing this assignment, it totally changed my perception of the place. Honestly, I was not aware of the existence of the marker and the historical interpretation of the place before, only up to now, that I realized this place offers more to it.
This realization kinds of affected me because I am afraid that I may take our past for granted. What I am trying to say is that there may be a tendency that we forget the past. However, this does not mean that we do not appreciate what our heroes had done, but it could lead to a serious issue should we not to remember it.
It was my first time visiting the Woodlands Waterfront. The first thing that caught my attention was the stench and unpleasant sight of the pile of rubbish found on the surface of the waters. It was extremely disturbing to see the pollution.
What perturbed me the most was the condition of the marker. As you can see in the photograph below, the state that it is in is totally unacceptable. I have no complete idea as to why and how there could be a noticeable tear when it is actually made of a hard material. On top of that, the information available were difficult to read as the words seem to be smudged and discoloured. What shocked me further was the next page that is missing in which the information had been ripped off.
Honestly, it was saddened for me to see this. It is not justifiable that the defacement was due to wear and tear. Thus, I could not help but to wonder and question on the maintenance of this historical marker. Personally to me, it is a major concern as this could reflects on how well we preserve the past which could consolidate our emotions and thoughts pertaining to the Japanese Invasion of Singapore.
After researching on this war site, I could not help but to wonder and explore what might have happened if the Australian 27th Infantry Brigade continued defending the Causeway should their commander did not gave that specific instruction of withdrawal. A possibility that I could interpreted is perhaps the Japanese might took slightly a longer time to enter Singapore as they could not fix the gap due to the previous explosion easily.
Sources:
National Heritage Board, Singapore in World War II, Singapore: National Heritage Board.
The Strait Times,. (1946). Heroic Australian Story of Singapore Defence. Retrieved from
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