[45] The remnants are hidden by a tall fence and barely visible from the road. Allied civilian prisoners, men, women and children were kept inside the Changi Prison, while the PoWs were kept in the surrounding barracks. They occupied Selarang Barracks, which remained the AIF Camp at Changi until June 1944. Most of the Australians captured in Singapore were moved into Changi on 17 February 1942. Commemorate the fight of brave men and women during World War II in Malaya and Singapore, and the trials and tribulations of their subsequent internment. He was a prisoner of war in Changi Prison for the remainder of WW2. In February 1942 there were around 15,000 Australians in Changi; by mid-1943 less than 2,500 remained. Extensive gardens were established, concert parties mounted regular productions, and a reasonably well-equipped camp hospital operated in Roberts Barracks. The following suggestion was forwarded by the eminent British researcher, historian, and author, Jonathan Moffett. Thus the 1931 report presented by the newly appointed Inspector of Prisons for the Straits Settlements, and the S… [2] By 1930s, the Singapore Prison was overcrowded and deemed dangerous. The first sick prisoners leave Changi Prison, Singapore, by ambulance bound for a hospital ship. Creator Venables, Max, 1922-2009 Title Diary kept in Changi prison camp Date 1942-1945 Description. After the war, the chapel was dismantled and shipped to Australia, while the cross was sent to the UK. The project included a museum. Prisoners of war at Changi, photographed by George Aspinall. The prison had a holding capacity of 600. Arranged alphabetically and by service number. [43][44] The entrance gate was moved from the adjacent boundary wall and fitted into the retained wall. For a time even a university operated inside the AIF camp. ", This page was last edited on 28 November 2020, at 01:44. [37], Towards the end of 2003, Australian authorities lobbied the Singapore government to preserve the old Changi Prison after knowing that the old Changi Prison would be demolished by April 2004 to redevelop the land for Cluster B,[38][39] on the basis of its historical significance where 15,000 Australians were imprisoned after Singapore fell to imperial Japan in 1942. They occupied Selarang Barracks, which remained the AIF Camp at Changi until June 1944 when they were moved to Changi Gaol. [13] Additional, quarters were provided for prison staff adjacent to the prison:[12], Along with additional contracts for water supply and sewage disposal, the total estimated costs of this new establishment worked out to be 2,050,000 Straits Dollars. [25], In 1994, Changi Women's Prison and Drug Rehabilitation Centre was opened. In 1988 one of the original prisoner-of-war chapels was transported to Australia, re-erected in the grounds of the Royal Military College, Duntroon, and dedicated as the national memorial to Australian prisoners of war. [31] Cluster B would eventually become the start and the end of most prisoners' journey within the complex, with the admissions and pre-release procedures carried out in the buildings of this cluster. [21]:245–252, The prison also contained the headquarters of the Kempeitai, the Japanese military police. We hold: 1. some records of those held captive by German, Italian or Japanese forces 2. some questionnaires which may reveal personal information as well as details of experiences in the prisoner of war camps 3. some individual reports which may reveal details about capture or escape attempts from prisoners of war camps in central Europe 4. selected records of Merchant Navy prisoners of war 5. documents which reveal information about some prisoner of war camps 6. records of enquiries into mis… [28], The plan was carried out in phases, with each phase forming a cluster of prison institutions in the complex. Security was further tightened following the arrival of dedicated Japanese POW staff at the end of August 1942. Some 30,000 of them joined the INA. The second 'Changi' was the prison a short distance from Selerang barracks. After the fall of Singapore on February 15, 1942, 40,000 men of the Indian Army became prisoners of war (PoWs). Before they were doing maybe 60 on Tuesdays and Fridays, now they're doing a hundred". The memorial was originally the Roman Catholic Our Lady of Christians Chapel in Changi prisoner of war camp, Singapore. the release of allied prisoners of war from changi prison, 1945 Photographs NAVAL PRISONERS OF WAR RELEASED FROM JAPANESE CAMPS IN JAVA. In this area 11,700 prisoners were crammed into less than a quarter of a square kilometre: this period established Changi's place in popular memory. [12] Completed in 1936,[13] within the 24 feet high, 3,000 feet long prison walls that were made of reinforced concrete, and occupying 13 acres of land, there would be:[12], Within the prison walls, there was an inner wall, 14 feet high, exercise yards, and sufficient vacant land to double the accommodations in the future. Nevertheless, in the UK, Australia, The Netherlands and elsewhere, the name "Changi" became synonymous with the infamous POW camp nearby, since most of the Japanese prisons were in the Changi area. [12] However, due to this planned development, a subsidiary settlement was developed to support an enterprise of small Chinese traders who would provide necessities to the staff and the prison. [32], On 2012, work on building the SPS headquarters on the Complex's grounds began with the $118.5 million contract awarded to Sembawang Engineers and Constructors (SEC). World War II was a catastrophic event that affected lives of millions of people around the world. Turn back the clock in Changi, once the site of many prisoner-of-war camps during the Japanese Occupation, the nexus of much pain and suffering, where life lay on a knife’s edge. Lionel De Rosario: Changi is and was much more that a prison. [10][11] Chop Woh Hup had 20 months to complete the construction of the prison blocks. Also supplementary roll. [14], When it was officially operational in June the following year, it was declared as one of, if not the best, prisons throughout the vast British Empire. The new Japanese commandant requested that all prisoners sign a statement declaring that they would not attempt escape. The camp was also provided with amenities, such as electric lights and piped water, which contributed to our cleanliness and good healthy conditions." Although food was rationed, it was provided every day. [31] The inmates were moved in five separate, single day operations between July and August 2009, making it the largest transfer of prisoners in Singapore history. British soldiers were stationed there as prison guards. All four were sentenced to death by shooting for their ill-treatment of prisoners during the war. This is ironic, since for most of the war in the Pacific Changi was, in reality, one of the most benign of the Japanese prisoner-of-war camps; its privations were relatively minor compared to those of others, particularly those on the Burma–Thailand railway. The name Changi is synonymous with the suffering of Australian prisoners of the Japanese during the Second World War. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/changi_pow_camp.htm, http://www.abc.net.au/changi/life/default.htm, http://www.mansell.com/pow_resources/changi_research.html, https://world-war-2.wikia.org/wiki/Changi_Prisoner_of_War_Camp?oldid=35906. [30], Cluster B was officially launched on 20 January 2010. Singapore's civilian prison, Changi Gaol, was also on the peninsula. Allied prisoners of war after the liberation of Changi Prison, Singapore, c.1945 - Wikipedia At Changi, prisoners enjoyed relative autonomy, whereas at Outram Road prisoners were frequently subjected to beatings - Wikipedia Burma railway workers laying the railway, one died for each wooden sleeper - Wikipedia Changi Prison camp, Singapore, 1945. Allied POWs, mainly Australians, built a chapel at the prison in 1944 using simple tools and found materials. AIF casualties: Malaya, Java, Timor, as known by 2nd Echelon AIF Malaya. Affidavits and sworn statements. [19] However, many more prisoners died after being transferred from Changi to various labour camps outside Singapore, including those on the Burma Railway and at Sandakan airfield. The main contact with the Japanese was at senior-officer level, or on work parties outside the camps. [5] Thus the 1931 report presented by the newly appointed Inspector of Prisons for the Straits Settlements, and the Superintendent of Singapore Prisons, Captain Otho Lewis Hancock,[6] recommended providing additional accommodations. Henk Brouwer Prisoner of War in Changi. Ethel Mulvany: Changi Prisoner of War Cookbook. Surviving examples of the prison handiwork are in the archives of the British Red Cross, Imperial War Museum, London or held at the Australian War Memorial. All four were sentenced to death by shooting for their ill-treatment of prisoners during the war. The treatment of POW’s at Changi was harsh but fitted in with the belief held by the Japanese Imperial Army that those who had surrendered to it were guilty of dishonouring their country and family and, as such, deserved to be treated in no other way. Records of the Internatio… Another British POW, Sgt. Roberts Barracks remains in use but the original buildings at Selarang were demolished in the 1980s. Official records held by the Memorial include: 1. Harry Stodgen, built a Christian cross out of a used artillery shell. Throughout the war, the prisoners in Changi remained largely responsible for their own day-to-day administration. Before Changi Prison was constructed, the only penal facility in Singapore was located at Pearl's Hill, beside the barracks of Sepoy Lines, and was known as the Singapore Prison. Changi. [45], Presently, the new Changi Prison houses the most serious criminal offenders in the country, including criminal offenders who are serving long sentences and those who have been sentenced to death. A museum and replica of one of the chapels built by Allied prisoners in the Changi area have been opened on the road between Changi Gaol and Selarang Barracks. [23], The original open air chapel, built by the POWs in 1944, was later relocated to Duntroon, Canberra. They risked severe punishments by sewing depicting their prison environment and adding dozens, or even over 400 names, in one case onto the cloths. The Singapore Prison had a capacity of 1,080, however in the early 1920s the average daily number of convicts was 1,043 and reached 1,311 by 1931. He recorded the names of many of the fellow POW's he portrayed, and sometimes even their addresses. ", "A New Era for the Singapore Prison Service", "Highrise cells in Changi Prison's new $1b complex", "Features - Operationalisation of Cluster B", "Home Team at Midnight: Behind the walls of a Singapore Prison", "Sembawang engineers bags $118.5m contract for prison HQ", "New Prison HQ to be powered by clean energy: Tender called for fuel cell plant to supply $118.5m complex in Changi", "SPS | [NOTICE] RELOCATION OF CHANGI WOMEN PRISON", "SPS | Admiralty West Prison Relocated To TM2", "A prison that both chills and fascinates", "Breathing space for Changi prison as Singapore reviews demolition: [Late Edition]", "* Prison camp wall saved; [FOREIGN Minister Alexander Downer yesterday welcomed an announcement that part of the notorious Changi prisoner-of-war camp will be preserved]: [1 State Edition]", "ParlInfo - Singapore: redevelopment of Changi Prison", "NHB gazettes Changi Prison entrance gate, wall, turrets as National Monument", "Making Changi Prison monument more visible", "Kho Jabing executed at 3.30pm, first execution in Singapore not carried out at dawn of Friday", "Sheila Bruhn | Australians at War Film Archive", "News Science Medical research Hugh de Wardener obituary", "Portrait of Mr. Ezekiel Manasseh, before 1945 – BookSG – National Library Board, Singapore", "Biography – Rohan Deakin Rivett – Australian Dictionary of Biography", "Death-row mates sing for Nguyen at the end", "ABC journalist faces 20 years' jail on trafficking charge", Voices of civilian internment: WWII Singapore, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Changi_Prison&oldid=991061548, Japanese prisoner of war and internment camps, World War II prisoner of war camps in Singapore, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, An Administration Block and General Store, One European Block of Cells and Workshops, Two Asiatic Blocks of Cells and Workshops, Two Deputy Gaolers and 26 European Warders' Quarters, Nine Blocks of 12 quarters for Asiatic Warders and Attendants, John Coast British, (30 October 1916 – 1989), writer and, John Hayter, Anglican priest who later wrote of his experiences in, The Reverend James Donald (Donald) Smith, British 18th Division, author of, Adrian Lim, Catherine Tan Mui Choo and Hoe Kah Hong, hanged on 25 November 1988 for the 1981, Sek Kim Wah, hanged on 9 December 1988 for killing three people in the 1983, Mohammed Ali bin Johari, hanged on 19 December 2008 for murdering his stepdaughter, Micheal Anak Garing, one of the main perpetrators of the, Iskandar bin Rahmat, former police officer and convicted murderer of the 2013, Fong, Tanya. During World War II , following the Fall of Singapore in February 1942, the Japanese military detained about 3,000 civilians in Changi Prison, which was built to house only 600 prisoners. [3][4] The Singapore Prison had a capacity of 1,080, however in the early 1920s the average daily number of convicts was 1,043 and reached 1,311 by 1931. In Singapore, this tragedy was particularly painful for Prisoners-of-War (POWs) and civilians who were interned at the infamous Changi Prison during the Japanese Occupation. Executions were conducted in the inner yard where three gallows were erected. "New Changi Prison goes high-tech. [20], After the war, the prison was used by the returning British to hold former Japanese staff officers, Kempeitai, police and guards from concentration camps. The Changi Murals are a set of five paintings of biblical theme painted by Stanley Warren, a British bombardier and prisoner-of-war (POW) interned at the Changi Prison, during the Japanese occupation of Singapore in World War II (WWII). [33] The building would contain a hydrogen integrated proton-exchange membrane fuel cell power plant to generate clean energy to be supplied to the complex. [46], Changi Prison is also one of the main places (though not the only one) where judicial corporal punishment by caning is carried out. Changi Prison was constructed by the British administration of the Straits Settlements as a civilian prison, in 1936.During World War II, following the Fall of Singapore in February 1942, the Japanese military detained about 3,000 civilians in Changi Prison, which was built to house only 600 prisoners. There are other references to River Valley Road and Sime Road camps etc). In 1942 Changi Gaol was a civilian prison on the Changi Peninsular, the British Army’s military base in Singapore, part of which included a collection of military barracks. (Nominal roll). Before Changi Prison was constructed, the only penal facility in Singapore was located at Pearl's Hill, beside the barracks of Sepoy Lines, and was known as the Singapore Prison. Two Australian military policemen guard Japanese prisoners outside the court on Labuan Island, Borneo, December 1945. The Sandakan camp, was a prisoner-of-war camp established during World War II by the Japanese in Sandakan in the Malaysian state of … The diary was carried throughout his imprisonment along with a leather wallet containing family photos, … The Kempeitai tortured and (rarely) executed prisoners there, who they suspected were spies, such as during the Double Tenth incident. Changi Prison was constructed by the British administration of the Straits Settlements as a civilian prison, in 1936. The search for the portraits started with the discovery of Brouwer's little notebook. [40] On 8 March 2004, a decision was arrived to preserve the old prison's iconic front walls, front gates and two guard-towers at either end of the wall, which was welcomed by Australian's Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Downer . to Changi), or 'Died' with a date and - usually - 'Thai' [land]. In The Straits Settlements", "Journal of the Australian War Memorial | Australian War Memorial", "Backgrounder: Memorial unveils one-of-a-kind Changi manuscript", "Changi Museum & Chapel was originally within Changi Prison", "Changi Women's Prison: Not a place you want to return to", "Super-utilitarian High-rise Prison Living Singapore Prison Service, Changi Prison Complex Cluster B. Relatives of British POWs who were in Changi POW Camp, Singapore may like to know that the Public Records Office in Kew, London - a short distance from the Gardens and tube station - hold some 58,000 POW index cards in 50 or so boxes. This is ironic, since for most of the war in the Pacific Changi was, in reality, one of the most benign of the Japanese prisoner-of-war camps; its privations were relatively minor compared to those of others, particularly those on the Burma–Thailand railway. Once the Japanese took control these barracks were used as prisoner-of-war (POW) camps and eventually any references to anyone of these camps just became ‘Changi’. The Changi prison was it was seen during the war was demolished in 2000; a new prison complex bearing the same name was established at a neighboring site. [11] The new prison would be 11.5 miles away from the Singapore settlement along the Changi Road and provided accommodations for 568 prisoners. [16] POWs were in fact rarely, if ever, held in the civilian prison at Changi. (Supplied: Tim Bowden)Australians survived the best. The Taste of Longing demonstrates how living in our imaginations can get us through tough times. This is ironic, since for most of the war in the Pacific Changi was, in reality, one of the most benign of the Japanese prisoner-of-war camps; its privations were relatively minor compared to those of others, particularly those on the Burma–Thailand railway. ", Choo, Johnson. [34] Due by 2014, it was delayed due to financial troubles faced by SEC. The name Changi is synonymous with the suffering of Australian prisoners of the Japanese during the Second World War. A handmade ukulele that was used to serenade Australian prisoners of war as they died in the infamous Changi prison camp has been gifted to the North Queensland Army Museum in Townsville. A former employee of the prison has been quoted in 1995 as saying: "They are flogging more and more these days. Changi was liberated by troops of the 5th Indian Division on 5 September 1945 and within a week troops were being repatriated. THE RELEASE OF ALLIED PRISONERS OF WAR FROM CHANGI PRISON, 1945 | Imperial War Museums For many, Selarang was just a transit stop as working parties were soon being dispatched to other camps in Singapore and Malaya. The chapel was reconstructed in 1988, and is now located at the Royal Military College, Duntroon, Canberra. Changi was used to imprison Malayan civilians and Allied soldiers. AWM54 171/11/2 2. [5] Deliberations in the Legislative Council saw opposition to the subsequent plans of constructing a new penal facility at Changi due to uncertainties in the numbers planned for the accommodations (ranging between 650 and 2,500), costs (moving from 2 million Straits dollars to 10 million Straits dollars and back), area to be used (250 acres to 1,500 acres), and the possibility of the new prison grounds turning into a white elephant. [3] With the additional accommodations, authorities would be able to segregate long-term prisoners, who were likely be of special danger to the community, away from short-term prisoners while relieving the congestion faced in the present facility. The design of the prison was based on a "T"-shaped structure, with two cell-block wings stretching out from a central main block (for administration areas and warden-offices), to allow for quick and easy access to either cell-block wing for the wardens whenever necessary (from up above, the prison buildings formed the shape of the top of a telegram/telephone pole). Changi Prison also boasted the use of an advanced and extensive alarm system and had electrical lighting in its cells along with flush-toilets in each. During World War II, following the Fall of Singapore in February 1942, the Japanese military detained about 3,000 civilians in Changi Prison, which was built to house only one-fifth of that number. Extensive gardens were established, concert parties mounted regular productions, and a reasonably well-equipped camp hospital operated in Roberts Barracks. The prisoners of war also established an education program nicknamed the Changi University. After the war Changi Gaol once again became a civilian prison, while the Changi military area was repaired and redeveloped for use by the British garrison. On 26 June 1946, all German soldiers and a few civilians were notified they would be shipped back to England on a passenger liner, the Empress of Australia, before their eventual return to Germany. Arthur Hollingsworth was a Corporal in the AIF 8th Division Signals at the fall of Singapore in February 1942. As a result the site boasted an extensive and well-constructed military infrastructure, including three major barracks – Selarang, Roberts and Kitchener – as well as many other smaller camps. "New technology at Changi Prison Complex allows focus on rehabilitation. He was repatriated home in January 1946. Around 500 detainees were women who had been separated with their children and marched to the cramped prison camp from their homes. WWII POW Two Australian military policemen guard Japanese prisoners outside the court on Labuan Island, Borneo, December 1945. One depicted the Changi Stroll, the forced march of the captive women and children over 9 miles to the prison under the occupation by the Japanese on 8 March 1942, coincidentally now International Women's Day commemorating women and the defiance of the suffragettes. Long-term prisoners would be transferred from the existing Singapore Prison.[15]. The prisoners refused en masse and, on 2 September, all 15,400 British and Australian prisoners were confined in the Selarang Barracks area. [45] In 2016, SPS would consider redeveloping the area in front of the remnants to make them more visible to the public. [26], In 2000, a plan was revealed to consolidate the 14 prisons and drug rehabilitation centres (DRCs) that were scattered across the country into one mega complex at Changi Prison location. [7][8], The tenders to construct the grounds of the new prison at Changi was put out in 1933, with the tender for erection and completion of the quarters first awarded to Hup Thye and Co for 16,900 Straits dollars on 26 June 1933,[9] and a 2 September 1933 tender for the prison blocks was reportedly awarded to Chop Woh Hup, a local Chinese construction firm for 1,278,000 Straits dollars on 8 March 1934. Australian prisoners of war inside Changi Prison, Singapore, in 1945, during the Second World War. In August all officers above the rank of colonel were moved to Formosa (present-day Taiwan), leaving the Australians in Changi under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Frederick "Black Jack" Galleghan. Changi Prison Complex. ww2dbase The name Changi was often mistakenly used to refer to both the Changi civilian prison and the Selarang military prisoners of war camp, given their close proximity. Damaged infrastructure was … The main contact with the Japanese was at senior-officer level or on work parties outside the camps. [17] About 850 POWs died during their internment in Changi during the Japanese occupation of Singapore,[18] a relatively low rate compared to the overall death rate of 27% for POWs in Japanese camps. [47], The Prison Link Centre of the Changi Prison Complex in. Changi was one of the more notorious Japanese prisoner of war camps. On 1 April 2018, the museum was closed and is scheduled to reopen in 2020. When Changi Prison was expanded in 2001, the chapel and museum were relocated to a new site 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) away, officially reopening on 15 February 2001. Giving the soldiers a face. On 17 October 1945, all 260 German seamen of former U-Boats based in Southeast Asia (in joint operations with the Imperial Japanese Navy during the war) were moved from Pasir Panjang to the prison. The Japanese used the British Army's Selarang Barracks, near the prison, as a prisoner of war camp, holding some 50,000 Allied soldiers, predominantly British and Australian, and from 1943, Dutch civilians brought over by the Japanese from the islands in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). After the capture of Singapore by the Japanese during World War 2, all allied prisoners of war (PoWs) were sent to Changi Prison which for the PoWs included part of the adjacent military Selerang Barracks. [F.G. Galleghan]. RAMC/438 Boer War diary and photographs of Staff Sergeant J.R. Gibbons, RAMC Digitised copy available RAMC/439 Papers of Brigadier Julian Taylor, consulting surgeon, Malaya Command (in Changi Prisoner of War camp, Singapore, 1942-45) RAMC/440 The Medical Times and Gazette Digitised copy available They are given a warm send-off by those who will soon follow them. Prisoners of War of the Japanese 1939-1945 During World War II, the Japanese Armed Forces captured nearly 140,000 Allied military personnel (from Australia, Canada, Great Britain, India, Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United States) in the Southeast Asia and Pacific areas. [41][42] In 2016, the historical remnants of the old prison – the entrance gate, wall and turrets – was gazetted as the 72nd National Monument of Singapore. War crimes and trials. [35] On 15 October 2017, Changi Women's Prison was effectively moved into Cluster B. The Japan… [27] Cluster B would house 5,600 inmates from standalone prisons: Tanah Merah Prison, Queenstown Remand Prison, Sembawang DRC, Khalsa Crescent Prison, and Selarang Park DRC. [13] Outside the wall, 88 acres of land was set aside for gardening activities by the prisoners. Frank Kermode, 'Scholar-poet of Romantics', Who's Who in Australia (Crown Content Melb, 2007) pp 1444: Millner, James Sinclair (1919–2007), Lieutenant Colonel Sir Ernest Edward "Weary" Dunlop, "Possibilities Of Penang Hill Development", "Mr. Denis Santry Leaves After Fifteen Years", "Work Of The P.W.D. By 1930s, the Singapore Prison was overcrowded and deemed dangerous. [27] The complex would occupy on the lands of existing Changi Prison, Moon Crescent Prison and Jalan Awan Prison. After three days a compromise was reached: the Japanese ordered the declaration be signed, thus making it clear that the prisoners were acting under duress, and the prisoners were returned to their original areas. For much of its existence Changi was not one camp but rather a collection of up to seven prisoner-of-war (POW) and internee camps, occupying an area of approximately 25 square kilometres. Diary kept by Maxwell (Max) Roy Venables, 8 Division A.I.F., whilst a prisoner of war in the Changi prison camp in Singapore during World War II. In his drawings, Griffin recorded the gradual decline in the physical condition of the prisoners of war in Changi, but the extreme emaciation of the returning survivors of ‘F’ Force from the Burma–Thailand railway at the end of 1943 shocked the Changi POWs, and Griffin made several immediate sketches. [28][29] Cluster A was officially launch on 16 August 2004. The British Army Barracks nearby became a prisoner of war camp, housing around 50,000 allied British and Australian troops. 73 years later and a world away in Auckland, one survivor tells me his story. AWM54 554/11/4 PART 1A &1B 3. The National Prisoner of War Memorial is dedicated to all Australian prisoners of war. [22] Most were civilians, although a small number were Allied POWs. Damaged infrastructure was progressively restored and both running water and electric lighting were common throughout the Changi area by mid-1943. POWs at Changi Changi Prisoner of War Camp contained most of the Australians captured in Singapore on 17 February 1942. The title of this work suggests the subject had been working in Burma, but the return of ‘F’ Force from … AWM54 1010/4/56 4. Caning sessions at Changi are held twice per week. These women and also girls sewed quilts for the prison hospital, daringly embroidering their own secret symbols and stories into the squares, including forget-me-nots, butterflies, angels, scenery of trees and sheep, other symbolic flowers and even a domestic sitting room, ships, birds and a map of Scotland, and one of Australia. In May 1944 all the Allied prisoners in Changi, now including 5,000 Australians, were concentrated in the immediate environs of Changi Gaol, which up until this time had been used to detain civilian internees. Seventy years ago this week, on September 6, 1945, the prisoners of war at Changi were finally liberated by Allied soldiers returning to Singapore, bringing 3½ years of captivity to an end. Changi Gaol was scheduled for demolition in the second half of 2004, although the original entrance gate and a section of the outer wall were preserved as a memorial. Stanley Warren of the 15th Regiment, Royal Regiment of Artillery painted a series of murals at the chapel. Initially prisoners at Changi were free to roam throughout the area but, in early March 1942, fences were constructed around the individual camps and movement between them was restricted. 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