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Blakang Mati Artillery Barracks

Blakang Mati Artillery Barracks was named after its location on Pulau Blakang Mati. Also well known as the Blakang Mati Parade Square which was used by the British and later, by the Singapore Armed Forces Artillery Unit till 1972. This area comprised housing for the junior staff of the army, a church, medical complex, football field and also the main parade square which was often used for the army as well as for formal military occasions. 

History
Blakang Mati Artillery Barracks were built around 1904. Maps of the island show the British established forts and gunneries as early as 1860 and the army were stationed on the island in attap structures as early as 1878. 

The bulk of the soldiers stationed on Blakang Mati were artillerymen manning the coastal defence guns at Fort Siloso, Fort Connaught, Fort Serapong and Imbiah Battery.  Being that Blakang Mati was the southernmost point of Singapore's primary territories the soldiers were stationed at Blakang Mati particularly to address the government's security concerns in protecting the stockpiles of coal. At the time of the outbreak of WWII in the Pacific (December 1941), Singapore was prized as the most fortified secure British possession in the East. 

When Singapore was attacked in February 1942 Blakang Mati was a target and the guns of Blakang Mati were actively engaged in fighting off the Japanese attacks, even firing overland during the last three frenzied days of battle.  This was not enough to keep the Japanese at bay and the British surrendered on 15 February, 1942.  The gun batteries on Blakang Mati were later destroyed or deliberately broken up to prevent them from falling into Japanese hands. 

Once the Japanese took over Singapore, Blakang Mati was used as a prisoner-of-war (POW) camp during the Occupation. Following the Japanese surrender in 1945, these roles were reversed and the former captors of WWII became POWS on Blakang Mati and were housed in the same barracks.

The parade square on Blakang Mati was used for many purposes after WWII, from formal military receptions to use as a staging area where military units were given send-offs on their way to battle. These barracks were also used by the naval staff of HSM Sultan.The Royal Artillery returned after WWII with a new division of gunners to rectify the damage the Japanese had caused during the war and to salvage/repair the guns and forts that were left. These gunners formed the First Singapore Regiment Royal Artillery (1SRRA) in 1948, and trained locally enlisted men.  During the Malayan Emergency (1948-1960), the fortress of Blakang Mati was once again called upon to protect Singapore.

When Singapore gained independence in 1965, Britain pulled out its forces from Singapore around 1971. Existing military facilities like the Blakang Mati Artillery Unit were transferred to the government of Singapore and Blakang Mati became a training ground for the new Singapore Armed Forces.

In 1972, the island was renamed as Sentosa and the Singapore government implemented plans to make the island a tourist destination. The Blakang Mati Artillery Barracks were left abandoned for a long period while other spots of the island was redeveloped.  Through the years, there were retired army vehicles and planes housed outside the barracks for tourists to view.   In 2005, the Tourism Academy at Sentosa moved into these renovated buildings. The Parade Square still remains there today. 

Description
Blakang Mati was originally covered in dense tropical rainforests and coastal forests.  Later, the forests were replaced with pineapple plantations before they were removed to make way for the British barracks and Parade Square and the Main Barrack Square (known as Blakang Mati Artillery Barracks).

These facilities accommodated the British and Indian gunners from the British Indian Forces of the Royal Artillery. The gunners were housed in these buildings with 40-50 men sleeping in each of the Junior buildings around the square and there were larger style buildings further afield for the senior staff and married personnel. There was also a small church at the barracks for army officers, a medical complex and large football field for recreational use.

The four barrack blocks surrounding the Main Barrack Square were typical of the British barrack buildings found in the Far East with high ceilings and wide corridors, designed for tropical weather.

In Blocks 26 and 28, offices and lecture rooms occupied the ground floors while the bachelors' quarters were on the upper floors. The other two buildings (Blocks 16 and 17) housed the cookhouse and other ranks' mess.  There was also a grocery shop and a film room for entertainment. The soldiers also hired local servants such as the bearer who helped clean the soldiers' army kits, the dhobi at the laundry and the "kichieboy" (Chinese waiter in the dining room) for simple chores.  

Legend
In Malay, the name Pulau Blakan Mati means the "Island (pulau) of death (mati) from behind (blakang)".  As the name implies, anecdotal evidence suggests that the island is haunted and this was one of the main reasons that the name was changed to Sentosa.  This was seen as necessary to encourage tourists and locals to forget the legends and visit the island. 

Timeline
1860 : Discussions on fortifying Singapore and securing the island's coal.
1878 : Soldiers start living on Blakang Mati in attap housing.
1880 : Housing for soldiers starts being built.
1904 : Blakang Mati Artillery barracks are officially used.
1942 : Japanese attack Singapore and fight on Blakang Mati, the island becomes a POW camp.
1945 : WWII ends and the barracks are used to house the Japanese officers left in Singapore.
1948 : First Singapore Regiment Royal Artillery (1SRRA) start using the barracks.
1959 : Prince Phillip Duke of Edinburgh makes an official visit to the Blakang Mati Artillery barracks
1960 : Field Marshall Sir Gerald Templer (UK Prime Minister) makes a visit to the Blakang Mati Artillery Barracks.
1965 : Singapore becomes independent and the British start to move out over the coming years.
1972 : Singapore Armed Forces Artillery Unit stop using the premises and Blakang Mati is renamed Sentosa in hope of becoming a tourist resort island.
2005 : The Tourism Academy at Sentosa moves into the barracks after renovations.

Variant names
Blakang Mati, Pulau Blakang Mati, Blakan Mati, Island of St. George, The Barren Isle, Sentosa



Author
Katrina van Dinter



References
Makepeace, W., Brooke, G. E., & Braddell, R. St. J. (Eds.). (1991). One hundred years of Singapore (Vol. 1, pp. 69, 382, 477; Vol. 2, p. 546). Singapore: Oxford University Press.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 ONE)

Sentosa Development Corporation (Singapore). Main Barrack Square/Parade Square, Site for The Tourism Academy at Sentosa. [Fact Sheet], (p. 1)

Origin of name 'Blakang Mati' (1970, October 9). Singapore Herald, (p. 20).

Malcolm H. Murfett., et al. (2004). Between Two Oceans: A military history of Singapore, (Appendix 1). Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Academic
(Call no.: 355.0095957 BET)

Tourism Academy of Singapore. 2009. History of The Tourism Academy @ Sentosa retrieved May 25, 2009, from
http://www-bus.tp.edu.sg/tas_home/tas_dhtb/tas_studyinspore.htm

Further readings
Edwards, N., & Keys, P. (1988). Singapore: A guide to buildings, streets, places. Singapore: Times Books International.
(Call no.: RSING 915.957 EDW)

Buckley, C. B. (1984). An anecdotal history of old times in Singapore: 1819-1867 (pp. 229, 272, 240, 573). Singapore: Oxford University Press.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 BUC)

The Gunner: Magazine of the Royal Artillery Association. Editor's Post Bag. (1968) Blakang Mati. 50(1).

The Gunner: Magazine of the Royal Artillery Association. Singapore Gun. (1968) 50(6). 

Harfield, Alan. (1984). British & Indian Armies in the East Indies 1685-1935.  Picton Publishing, United Kingdom.



The information in this article is valid as at 2009 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.

Subject
Architecture and Landscape>>Building Types>>Military Sites
Barracks--Singapore
Arts>>Architecture>>Architectural structure
Law and government>>Security



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