Kranji War Cemetery
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| Kranji War Cemetery | |
|---|---|
| Commonwealth War Graves Commission | |
 |
|
| Used for those deceased 1942-1945 | |
| Established | 1946 |
| Location | near Kranji, Singapore |
| Designed by | Colin St Clair Oakes |
| Total burials | 4461 |
| Unknown burials |
850 |
| Burials by nation | |
| Specific figures are not available | |
| Burials by war | |
| World War I: 64 World War II: 4394 |
|
| Statistics source: Commonwealth War Graves Commission | |
The Kanji War Cemetery is located in Kranji, Singapore, and is the final resting place for Allied soldiers who perished during the Battle of Singapore and the subsequent Japanese occupation of the island from 1942-1945 and in other parts of Southeast Asia during World War II.[1]
There are 4,461 World War II casualties buried or commemorated at this cemetery, of which more than 850 of these are unidentified. There are 64 World War I headstones, of which three commemorate casualties known to have been buried elsewhere but whose graves could not be found on concentration.[2]
Contents |
[edit] History
The Kranji area was previously a military camp. At the time of the Japanese invasion of Malaya, the area was in use as an ammunition magazine. After the fall of Singapore, the Japanese established a prisoner-of-war camp at Kranji and a hospital nearby at Woodlands. After the war, the small cemetery at Kranji was developed into a permanent war cemetery.[2]
The site was expanded by the concentration of graves from surrounding areas and from Saigon in then-French Indochina (now Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam).[3]
[edit] Special memorials
Special memorials exist to commemorate specific deaths or graves that could not be found. These memorials are mainly clustered around the main Singapore Memorial.[4]
[edit] Singapore Memorial
- See main article: Kranji War Memorial
The Singapore Memorial, known locally as the Kranji War Memorial,[5] stands over the war cemetery with the names of 24,346 Allied soldiers inscribed on its walls.[6]
[edit] Singapore (Unmaintainable Graves) Memorial
This memorial commemorates over 250 troops killed in action in British Malaya whose graves, whilst known, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission were unable to maintain and whose bodies could not be moved due to religious conviction.[2]
[edit] Singapore Cremation Memorial
This memorial is to almost 800 casualties, mostly from Undivided India, who were cremated as part of their religious beliefs.[2]
[edit] Singapore Civil Hospital Grave Memorial
At the end of the occupation of the island, wounded civilians and servicemen were brought to the hospital in large numbers. Many of these died and a mass grave was established for more than 400 of the bodies. After the war, rather than disturb the grave in a largely futile attempt to identify any single casualties, a cross was built over the grave and the site was consecrated by the Bishop of Singapore.[2]
[edit] Chinese Memorial
This memorial, located further from the Singapore Memorial, is a collective grave for 44 Chinese troops serving with the Commonwealth forces who were killed at the start of the occupation.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Pagenation.com. Retrieved on September 09, 2006.
- ^ a b c d e f Commonwealth War Graves Commission: KRANJI WAR CEMETERY. Retrieved on September 09, 2006.
- ^ Digger History. Retrieved on September 09, 2006.
- ^ Kranji Cemetery Plan. Retrieved on September 09, 2006.
- ^ Uniquely Singapore. Retrieved on September 09, 2006.
- ^ Lifestylewiki. Retrieved on September 09, 2006.
[edit] External links
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