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Cenotaph

The Cenotaph located along Connaught Drive at the Esplanade, facing the old Courthouse, is a war memorial, which commemorates the sacrifice of the men who perished during World War I and World War II. It was unveiled on 31 March 1922 by his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, Edward VIII.

History
The Cenotaph was erected as a memorial in honour of the 124 Singapore men who died in action during World War I (1914-1918). Recognition for those who died during World War II (1939-1945) were later added on the reverse side.

It was designed by Architect Denis Santry of Messrs Swan & McLaren and was modelled after the Sir Edwin Lutyens Whitehall Cenotaph of 1920. The foundation stone was laid on 15 November 1920 by His Excellency the then-Governor of the Straits Settlements, Sir Lawrence Nunns Guillemard, K.C.B., in the presence of M. Georges Clemenceau, Premier of France and Minister of War as well as the General Officer commanding the troops, Major-General Sir D.H. Ridout.

It was unveiled on 31 March 1922 in a solemn ceremony by his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales (later Duke of Windsor and King Edward VIII) during his tour of Malaya, India, Australia and New Zealand.

Description
The Cenotaph is a made of local granite and is nearly sixty feet high. Bronze tablets on both sides of the Cenotaph bears the names of the men from the Straits Settlement who perished in the war. Five steps lead up to the monument bearing the dates 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917 and 1918, marking the war years of World War I. Crowning the structure is a sarcophagus with a bronze lion beneath a bronze medallion consisting of a laurel wreath of victory enclosing a crown. It symbolises the crown to which these men had rallied and is also a reflection of the Crown Colony. Lower down is the inscription "The Glorious Dead" and below the inscription are the dates 1914-1918. On the reverse side, though no names are listed to commemorate the World War II heroes, the stark phrase "They died so we might live" is inscribed in the four main languages: English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil. There are 14 pylons on both sides of the stone structure bearing the names of famous battles with each battle surmounted by a laurel wreath. Overall it is a simple granite structure wrought with just a hammer and a chisel.



Author
Zubaidah Mohamed



References 
Edwards, N., & Keys, P. (1996). Singapore: A guide to buildings, streets, places. (p. 374). Singapore: Times Books International.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 EDW)

Samuel, D. S. (1991). Singapore's heritage: Through places of historical interest. (p. 310). Singapore: Elixir Consultancy Service.
(Call no.: SING 959. 57 SAM)

 Arrival of the Prince: Singapore's loyal welcome. (1922, March 31). The Straits Times, p. 9.





Subject
Architecture and Landscape>>Building Types>>Monuments
War memorials--Singapore
Monuments--Singapore
Singapore--History--1867-1942
Arts>>Architecture>>Architectural structure



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