CHIN Sin Chong 陈新昌
Japanese Occupation of Singapore,
Accession Number 000612
- Oral History Centre
Source
- 6
Total Reels
- Tan Beng Luan
Interviewer
- 02:56:10
Total Running Time
- English
Language
Copyright Notice
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Reel/Disc 1 of 6
Metadata
- 18 Nov 1985
Recording Date
- 00:29:48
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Family background. His education. His remembrance of night of first bombing. His father enlarged home to house refugees from town. Built L-shaped air-raid shelter. Involved in collecting funds for China Relief Fund. His view that Indians were more sympathetic than Straits-born Chinese. Staging anti-Japanese shows. Other anti-Japanese activities. Impressed by dedication of Chinese school teachers.
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Reel/Disc 2 of 6
Metadata
- 18 Nov 1985
Recording Date
- 00:29:23
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Japanese schools started in 1942. Three types of volunteers fighting with British to prevent Japanese from entering Singapore. His impression of Australian soldiers stationed at Serangoon English School. After 3 nights of bombardment, he saw Japanese soldiers marching in. Conditions they were in. Things Japanese soldiers took away while searching his house. Incident of his father directing Japanese soldiers to General Hospital.
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Reel/Disc 3 of 6
Metadata
- 18 Nov 1985
Recording Date
- 00:29:06
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Mass screening operations - how they were informed of it. Father not released because of his tattoo. Why he was released later. Father leased land for cultivation. He worked in shop dealing with vegetable supplies. Shop closed; then worked in shipyard. Problems he faced. Later joined 15848 Butai.
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Reel/Disc 4 of 6
Metadata
- 18 Nov 1985
Recording Date
- 00:29:03
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
His job of registering workers for labour. His visit to an Indonesian camp. Indonesians brought to Singapore on pretext of finding work. How these Indonesians lived. Japanese style of discipline. By 1945, B-29s started dropping incendiary bombs. Built air-raid shelters. Japanese fire-fighters. Dropping of leaflets from planes to announce Japanese surrender. Revenge killings.
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Reel/Disc 5 of 6
Metadata
- 18 Nov 1985
Recording Date
- 00:30:09
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Daily routine of morning exercise. How Japanese helped workers. Relationship with Japanese. Remembered paying respect to dead soldiers at Bukit Batok monument during student days. Study of Japanese language. Promoted to higher class every 3 months; completed study in one year. Old boys' association started. Lasted till end of war. Even published magazines. His daily diet. How his mother patched worn-out clothes.
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Reel/Disc 6 of 6
Metadata
- 18 Nov 1985
Recording Date
- 00:28:41
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Reaction of Japanese in Butai to Japanese surrender. Why Japanese had to be so brutal. His last day at work. How news of Japanese surrender was passed to workers. What he did after the war. His father died; elder sister supported family. How people ill treated Japanese prisoners of war (POWs). They were re-shipped from one country to another to prevent revenge killings.
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