Total Defence Day - We remember. We Remember.

Written by Nadia Parajas Kathral Ali, Sec 3B and Tay Jia Lynn & Izzul Erfan Bin Iswardy, Sec 3F

We remember. We remember.

As a nation, we commemorate Total Defence Day on the 15^th February every year. Eighty years ago on this date, Singapore fell to the hands of the invading Japanese forces. However, this was not before the British and the Malay Regiment forces put up a fierce struggle to protect our nation.

The battle to end all battles in the fight to defend our freedom was the one at Bukit Chandu (or Opium Hill), at Kent Ridge Park. This was where the men of "C" Company of the 1^st Malay Brigade, led by the valorous Lt Adnan Saidi, fought a fierce battle down to the last man to ensure we remain a sovereign nation. Unfortunately, they lost due to the lack of reinforcement and supplies.

They were a band of 1,400 intrepid men fighting against 13, 000 soldiers of the enemy.

We make sure today that this dark moment in our history will not repeat itself.

Since 1984, Singapore has launched Total Defence designed to prepare our citizens against any untoward advances of hostile forces. The core message is that every one of us has a part to play.

Aligning ourselves with the theme “Together We Keep Singapore Strong”, the school came up with a slew of events designed to prepare our students to the Total Defence message.

Our students had this to say:

I think we could educate them by telling the stories about the WW1 and WW2 first and how Singapore gain independence and give them encouragement to give participation in lessons in school help younger generation to gain a deeper appreciation of Total Defence, put Total Defence into action, and be advocates for Total Defence as they earn the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Badges. I also think giving them a piece of game with all the information about Total Defence is useful because not only we have fun with our friends but learn more about Total Defence while playing the game. I also think that having them to experience Total Defence officers is a great opportunity because they could get to know how hard it is and not easy going their work life is.

Lastly, I think Total Defence helped us Singaporeans in many ways like having Singaporeans feeling safe and have a sense of belonging in Singapore. It also has become a fundamental aspect of what makes us Singaporeans and it is shown in the things that we do daily like whether it is by fulfilling National Service duties, volunteering in Civil Defence activities, working hard and contributing to a strong economy, strengthening community ties with one another regardless of race and religion, or staying committed to defending the country.

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