Sandes Soldiers Home

The Sandes Soldiers Home in Singapore used to occupy the site where the Temasek Club presently stands. It was set up by the Christian churches in November 1949 in the tradition of Elise Sandes' homes for British soldiers in the pre-war years. After nearly thirty years of Christian service, the home was handed over to the government in 1975 when the British withdrew all its forces from the east of the Suez. The premises at Portsdown Road, Wessex Estate, were used by the Singapore Civil Service until 1982 when the Ministry of Defence established the Temasek Club.

History of the Sandes Home Organisation
The founder of soldiers' homes for British soldiers was Elise Sandes, an Irish noblewoman who was born in the1860s. Deeply concerned for small, illiterate drummer boys who led the British Army battalions, she transformed a drawing room into a coffee room in her home in Tralee Co Kerry, Ireland where these boys could come in for tea, cakes and singsongs. When she was given property from a retired officer at 19, she set up the first home for soldiers and from then on many joined her in setting up homes for British soldiers across the world including Singapore where many British troops were stationed. These homes were meant to provide a wholesome Christian retreat for British soldiers. The idea was to keep them from the vices at opium dens and brothels.

Sandes Soldiers Home in Singapore
In 1925, Miss K. Leslie Symes, the honorary superintendent of the Sandes Homes in India, visited Singapore to explore the possibility of starting a similar home here. However the proposed site was a huge rubber estate and was deemed unsuitable for its purposes. In 1947, the British began to withdraw from India, and Miss Symes visited Singapore again. This time, she found a suitable site earmarked in Pasir Panjang near to the Alexandra Military Hospital.

Progress on the construction initially stalled due to the lack of funds until the War Office presented an unconditional offer of £50,000 in March 1948. Together with the £50,000 raised from the sale of the Sandes assets in India, a sum of £100,000 was pooled for the building and furnishing of the home. The Sandes Home in Singapore was the 38th Sandes Home to be built, and the first in the Far East. Mr. P.O.G. Wakeham, of Palmer and Turner was appointed as architect.

The home was officially opened by the Commander in Chief of the Far Eastern Land Forces Lieutenant-General Sir John Harding in November 1949, and dedicated by the Assistant Chaplain-General of Singapore, Colonel (Reverend) J.W. J. Steele.

When completed, the facility consisted of several curved, terraced, tiled and brightly painted blocks situated on the top of a hill and nestled amidst lush greenery. Two of the blocks were sleeping quarters which could accommodate fifty men each. The outdoor amenities included a swimming pool, tennis courts, and a putting green, and the home also had a canteen, a lounge, a dining room, a billard room, a gift shop, and a huge reading and games room stocked with periodicals, jigsaws, chess, draughts, dominoes and ping pong tables. The bedrooms came with built-in wardrobes, drawers, a wash-basin with hot and cold water, and a writing-cum-dressing table with long mirror.

Four meals were served a day, starting with breakfast at 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., lunch at 12 to 2 p.m, tea at 4 p.m. and dinner from 4.45 to 9.30 p.m. At a cost of $4 a day, inclusive of meals, it was a convenient, cheap, clean and homely place for soldiers to stay in during their leave days in the 1950s.

The home had strict dormitory-like regulations. Guests had to keep to an 11 p.m. curfew and those who returned when the curfew was in force would be locked out. In the early morning quests would be served a cuppa, and at that time a headcount would be carried out. Anyone absent would have to give a good explanation. Despite the strict regulations, the home was a good place to stay in and was popular among soldiers.

Authors
Marsita Omar and Chan Fook Weng


References
Australia. Department of Veterans' Affairs. (2001). Australians at war: the Sandy Soldier's Home. Retrieved May 19, 2005 from http://www.australiansatwar.gov.au/throughmyeyes/mi_toh.asp.

Dream come true for Miss Symes [Microfilm: NL 2499] (1949, November 2). The Straits Times, p. 7.

Home for soldiers [Microfilm: NL 2498] (1949, October 5). The Straits Times, p. 8

Money lack stays home [Microfilm: NL 5227] (1948, February 15). The Straits Times, p. 7.

Sandes. (n.d.). History: one woman's God-given vision. Retrieved January 3, 2008, from http://www.sandes.org.uk/template.asp?pid=14&area=1&aName=

Soldiers home for Singapore [Microfilm: NL 5338] (1948, December 26). The Straits Times, p. 7.

Stout hearts and good housekeeping [Microfilm: NL 2632] (1952, September 19). The Straits Times, p. 14

Temasek Club. (2004). About Temasek Club: History. Retrieved December 19, 2007, from http://www.temasekclub.org.sg/abtus.html



The information in this article is valid as at 2008 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources.  It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject.  Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.