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I scored only a miserable C5 for History in my General Cambridge "O" Level Examinations. By all accounts I should never have gone on to major in History at University.
At the Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada, my initial intention was to read Literature. However, when I failed my first course in American Literature, I dropped the plan instantly and switched to reading History as a major. It was a momentous decision that was easy to make and gratifying in its consequences.
(Left: the spectacular Burnaby Mountain, upon which the SFU campus is located. The view from it was equally stunning.)
I thoroughly enjoyed the study of History in university. I took the whole range of courses to equip myself with a working knowledge of the modern world (from the French Revolution 1789 onward) that included studies in general European history, Victorian England, the British Empire, Middle-Eastern history, African history (particularly East and South African), Indian history since the Mutiny of 1857. Among the more memorable subjects I ever had the privilege to delve into included: (Above: The university crest, as of 2007. The French inscription mean "We Are Ready")
The East African Railway in Kenya 1890s - 1910s The Red Cross in the Boer War c 1900
Songs the common Englishman sang in the 19th century
The Great Game in Central Asia 1850s - 1890s
The Founding of Penang 1786
Stamford Raffles and Singapore 1811 - 1819
I often wonder what history students at Simon Fraser University are reading today......
(Above right: the flag of the province of British Columbia. The original design had the Union flag beneath the setting sun but since that was found to conflict with the expression "the sun never sets on the British empire," it was soon changed)
The very name Simon Fraser (Left), I learnt, had very imperial connections. The university was named for the famous Scottish fur trader and explorer, employed by the North West Company, and who charted much of the Canadian pacific province of British Columbia.
My undergraduate days as a history major were lovely times indeed, especially when my lecturers were captivating. Several were not. But a good many were.
Three of my professors stand out from among the many. They were instrumental in nurturing both my love for the subject and my nascent skills as a earnest young historian.
I have taken some time to describe Edward Ingram, "Pip" Stigger and Ian Dyck right here.
Full professional profiles of these three most influential history professors are in the links below:
EDWARD INGRAM taught me the course on British India.
I was privileged to tutor for him the classes on British imperial expansion, among others.
He was a most effervescent, dramatic and thought provoking teacher.
PHILIP STIGGER had a very colourful and exciting life in colonial service before he entered teaching.
He taught me African history.
IAN DYCK was most charming, courteous and encouraging as a professor, always seeking to draw out the best from his students.
I owe him a great debt for a lovely testimonial after I tutored an undergraduate course for him.
I learnt about urban and peasant life in the Victorian era.
Here is the essay I wrote in my final undergraduate year. (A copy is at the bottom of the link)
It is entitled - "The Illusion and the Code" and was written for my British India course.
It is fair to say it changed the course of my life in that I received a highest possible grade available and encouraged me to pursue a Masters degree.
Following my undergraduate days, I was offered and accepted the invitation to pursue a Masters degree in History.
While doing that, I was privileged to now tutor the fresh Year 1 and 2 history students. I even had my own room overlooking the lovely campus quadrangle.
(Above: My personal staffroom as a graduate student / tutor.
Right: Professor Dyck's testimonial for me as a tutor) This is now a highly prized document for me.
It was a fairly simple decision to become a History teacher.
I teach Modern World History to students preparing for the GCE O and N Level examinations.
Occasionally I might teach Singapore History but sadly, this opportunity does not come by very often at all.
Over the last year, whie teaching local history in the thick of our nation's SG50 festivities, I have formulated some definite thoughts regarding the way we different people perceive Singapore history. Most definitely, I would like to remind us all that there was a Singapore before 1965!
My thoughts and observations have been published in book form. (Right) An online version is located here, on Stephen Luscombe's site, The British Empire.
Well, I suppose one really nice consequence about SG50 is the collective rediscovery of many things Singaporean. Heritage now has a good name.
And about time too. I have a small collection of postcards showing scenes of nineteenth century Singapore. Since I collected these, several good "coffee-table" books have appeared amassing an excellent array of these as well as old photographs. They are worth the price!
One of the things I have come to enjoy of late is sharing my insights on the teaching of history to the fraternity, particularly other History teachers. Below are the slides of one which I conducted in 2017 at a Cluster session. It was on the relevance of museum visits to our learning of history. You''ll find the notes here.
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