Chronicles Research & Education

06/09/2026

The 56 British military bases in 1960s Singapore were Little Britains – miniature townships filled with non-military facilities for the British servicemen and their families.

They were also Hidden Asias, for it was the Asians who made the bases functional – from clerks and policemen to the amah and shopkeepers.

The British bases were vital to Singapore’s defence and economy. Together, they were a huge piece of real estate, comprising more than a tenth of the island’s land area and a fifth of its GNP.

Spotify | https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/loh-ks/episodes/Loh-Kah-Seng--The-British-Bases-Part-1-Little-Britains--Hidden-Asias--Chronicles-of-Old-Singapore-e3od9nh

YouTube | https://youtu.be/sdnXHH92Ueo

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. I am Dr Loh Kah Seng, the people’s historian, and I document people’s memories of Singapore before it became a global city.

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. The 56 British military bas...

04/09/2026

The Ceylon Tamils were few in number but historically important in our history. Indra Iswaran recounts why they migrated to Singapore and Malaya and their allegiance to the British Crown.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieeVa6FRF9c

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. I am Dr Loh Kah Seng, the people’s historian, and I document people’s memories of Singapore before it became a global city.

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Indra Iswaran recounts the ...

02/09/2026

Jeff Eng remembers his family’s business at 15 Merchant Road in the heart of Teochew Chinatown, Chinese Cultural Shop By ENG TIANG HUAT 翁展發 (named after his grandfather, the founder). This was a shop dealing in ‘Chinese cultural goods’, from traditional musical instruments to embroidery and martial weapons.

Jeffrey took over the business after National Service instead of starting his own career. He soon developed a love for the trade as well as the cultural goods. He talks about his elders’ advice: never take bank loans to expand the business, but invest in the family.

Spotify | https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/loh-ks/episodes/Jeffrey-Eng--Teochew-Qiaopi-of-Singapore--China-Part-2--Chronicles-of-Old-Singapore-e3o79aa

YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H95nfHI9yrM

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. I am Dr Loh Kah Seng, the people’s historian, and I document people’s memories of Singapore before it became a global city.

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Jeffrey Eng remembers his f...

01/09/2026

I heard about the Clementi 'barracks' from some of the folks from Pulau Brani who were resettled there in the early '70s. These were families of employees of the Marine Department, who had been staying in its staff quarters at the end of Arun Road. So unlike other islanders, they were not initially resettled in HDB flats; they moved into flats later on.

Does anyone remember the Clementi barracks? They were built in 1961 for Muslim servicemen of the British army (perhaps part of Pasir Panjang army complex?). The British forces were pulling out of Singapore at the time, but what happened to the Muslim occupants, and why were the Marine Department families resettled there and not HDB flats?

The barracks were located on Clementi Road below the mosque named after the army, the Masjid Tentara, which sat atop Clementi Hill. The Japanese school was nearby. These preceded the University of Singapore's Kent Ridge campus which was of course built on former British army land.

Below is a photo of the barracks. They look like early HDB housing (triangle roofs), which would be right as they were built in 1961.

Page of the Masjid Tentara Diraja:
https://www.tenteradiraja.sg/ourhistory

01/09/2026

Thanks to Soh Kwong Hwee for alerting me to this clip. Actually wifey saw a similar video by a local YouTuber some time ago. Both used my name and background as a former resident of Bukit Ho Swee and a historian to praise Lee Kuan Yew and our public housing programme.

First, both influencers have obviously not read my book or have any idea what social history is. Clue: the title of the book is Squatters into Citizens. The story is of the difficult journeys the fire victims took to become Singaporeans, through a devastating fire. Some never recovered fully from it.

Second, what is the position of a historian who is part of the community they are studying? It is always ambivalent. I wrote in the preface of my shame in primary school when my classmate came to my rental flat and said aloud, your house so small? This was a one roomer built after the fire. It took me years to deal with the shame and caused a rift with my family that still exists today.

History is hard and the past often difficult to deal with. It's not just about clicks and views on Tik Tok. The history of fires and emergency housing 60 years ago helps explain why we continue to struggle with BTOs and urban development today.

31/08/2026

Shopkeepers of Chinatown at Kinokuniya Singapore Webstore with other recent books on Singapore.

30/08/2026

Conservationist Tony O’Dempsey aka Uncle Tony talks about the history of the conservation movement in Singapore and how the Nature Society of Singapore adopted a moderate science-based approach – ‘wisdom and pleasant speech’ – to engage the government.

Today, as new housing projects target our diminishing forests at the Gillman Barracks, Maju and Sunset Way, this dialogue will be more relevant than ever.

Spotify | https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/loh-ks/episodes/Tony-ODempsey--Forests-of-Singapore-Part-2--Chronicles-of-Old-Singapore-e3o2o7k

YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klLBlvczE3M

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. I am Dr Loh Kah Seng, the people’s historian, and I document people’s memories of Singapore before it became a global city.

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Conservationist Tony O’Demp...

27/08/2026

Stephen Dobbs, the Singapore River man and my old ally, finally gets his co-author copies of Shopkeepers of Chinatown, in Perth. What are you waiting for? :)

https://kinokuniya.com.sg/products/9786297575698

https://shopee.sg/Shopkeepers-of-Chinatown-Loh-Kah-Seng-Stephen-Dobbs-(SIRD)-i.279887392.52914597553

27/08/2026

Winston Wong talks about the Gillman Barracks not as a standalone British base, but as part of the massive Pasir Panjang-Ayer Rajah Military Complex. It was a transit camp for the School of Combat Engineers, which moved out in a few years.

As we discuss the likely environmental and historical impact of the HDB’s plan to redevelop Gillman around nature, Winston is concerned that it would be difficult to strike a balance between heritage, nature and development.

Spotify | https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/loh-ks/episodes/Winston-Wong--Gillman-Barracks--Combat-Engineers--Heritage-Part-2--Chronicles-of-Old-Singapore-e3nuopi

YouTube | https://youtu.be/RtRWXt9orDY

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. I am Dr Loh Kah Seng, the people’s historian, and I document people’s memories of Singapore before it became a global city.

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Winston Wong talks about th...

25/08/2026

I have been speaking to the Brani boys every other Tuesday at this cafe in Jurong East. A makeshift board separates us from construction works for Toh Guan MRT station, which I think is due to be completed in 2 years.

Because I spend a lot of time training, busing and walking to people's homes for interviews, I often see a lot of construction works along the way - for MRT lines, BTOs, HDB upgrading etc.

It seems like a quarter of built-up Singapore is being demolished and rebuilt. Just last week, I had to walk onto the main road because the pedestrian walkway was blocked off for works for some reason.

These works are a multi-year investment in the future of Singapore. They will bring new homes, renewal and convenience at some point or other. They also make our city tremendously inconvenient, ugly and polluted now and for the next few years.

I remember Lee Kuan Yew saying (in the 2000s?) that in a few years' time, Singaporeans will have a beautiful city once the construction projects were completed. Yes, and now is another round of development which will be followed by an even more beautiful and efficient version of Singapore.

To return to the Brani boys at Jurong East cafe. It's a little oasis of human memory and feelings as they remember the island where they grew up. Pulau Brani is also going to be rebuilt - the container terminal will be removed (to Tuas), as will the Coast Guard. PM tells us there will be a resort for locals and foreigners on the new Brani. as well as 'entirely new attractions and experiences'.

The Brani boys, like other islanders I have interviewed, wish very much to go back to the island when it is finally accessible once more. But they are also pensive about what they will see there. The talk of integration with Sentosa does not assure them - they murmur about another Sentosa Cove and the fancy plans they see in the media.

Let's hope all the construction - on Brani, Toh Guan and elsewhere in Singapore - is worth it.