As the narrator says, that is the Cenotaph. It is dedicated to British soldiers who died in WWI (when WWI broke out, a group of mostly British young men left Singapore to fight in the war). A dedication to those who died in WWII was later added to the reverse side of the Cenotaph. The Lim Bo Seng memorial looks like a little Pagoda, very different from the Cenotaph.
Unfortunately it did not show the kampong side of Singapore, mainly how well it thrives and the nice "ah ma's" that care for caucasian children or the coolies at boat quay. But a good insight into how Singapore was like in 1938... Thanks for putting this up!
this is great! Being a Singaporean and a video editor, its great to see some of the buildings still standing at its original place, and funny to see how the video was edited in the pass.
at the end of the video the voice over says "a mighty guardian of the east" how much time did it take to be captured by the japanese? with a much smaller force too! its great that they saved these old videos. they are a joy to watch!
wonder if there are any 80 or 90 year old you-tubers out there who saw this video...it must bring back so much memories. even for me, the sights of workers walking on planks with loads of goods on their shoulders brought back many fond memories of my childhood living next to boat quay
That was when "Bak Kut Teh" (pork bone soup/tea)) was born. Imagine having "Bak Kut Teh" without meat. That those bones came without meat were discarded bones sourced from the butcher and cost little. The enterprising Teochew hawkers added a lot of pepper and garlic and boiled it for hours into a broth that's heavenly. The main customers are the "coolies' (bare bodied men with strength of an ox) and it all started at River Valley Road which parallels Boat Quay docks side. The teh(tea) to counter the greasiness of the soup. The filler is of course is the big bowl of rice that comes with the soup. Eaten by the side of the road in squat position. What a life.
@sheeming The reference to the World War is the First World War (1914-1919). The Cenotaph was completed in 1922. The "stately Municipal Building, one of Singapore's newest constructions", was completed in 1929.
Singapore has changed soooo much! But the life in the past always appear better !! Those lucky souls who must have enjoyed the grand old peaceful times !!!
great footage!!!! priceless!! one lorry didn't give way to the poor rickshaw man charge him (posthumously)) with failing to give way to major road rickshaw traffic!!!just look at those clean green electric trams..electric vehicles were more popular in those days, we have moved away from clean and green vehicles since then, are we going backwards in modernity now? wished the video lasted more than 11 mins!
This film was not shot in the 30s for sure. WWII and Japanese occupation was in early 40s. It's better for the uploader to edit the year of the film or it tarnishes the facts of such well-preserved video - smdragon Jan 14 2012 (Singapore)
I am sad with all angry comments written. So much anger and bitterness!! It is easy to sit in your chair and look back or condemn the government of Singapore - whether British or PAP. Have you heard of "armchair generals"?? I love Singapore and my heritage and am glad That I speak English thanks to the British and my Chinese thanks so my heritage.
"..the cheapest shopping centre in the world.." how times have changed since then.. as of 2020.. Singapore ranked as the most EXPENSIVE city to live in.
Me too! And I remember you and Peter. I worked at Jackson Wain with Rick Davis in the Chinese Chamber of Commerce building. A great time to be there wasn't it?
Ahhh... My mistake. My history is very very bad. As you would know, the effect on Singapore during WWI is almost none existence and so, that slipped my mind. There was only the 1915 mutiny by the British Indian troops garrisoned in Singapore that was recorded. I apologise to whoever is involved with the film.
The praised fortifications that made this the so-called "Gibraltar of the East" were ultimately useless when the Japanese attacked in 1941, and the comfortable life of "devoted" Chinese amahs for British residents would be ended with the surrender in 1942. When this movie was made, however, people believed such things could never happen.
It must be a mistake. That is definitely St Andrew's Cathedral. St George's Church is also Anglican and also existed back then but it was and still is located in the Tanglin Village area.
Not Fullerton hotel, it is Fullerton building not far from AIA building, Shellhouse near Finlayson Green, Clifford Pier, sometimes was call Johnson's pier too, if you were there, could see quite nice from the eastern morning cool breeze and evening western sunset view at that time, my late grand - pa have told me some story about the best of Singapore in the late 50's, before ended, I would like to congratulate and say thank's a lot to the PM Lee Shean Loong and all the cabinet ministers of Singapore, and also thank you to all my Singaporean friends, from me a Malay Muslim man 33, in Malaysia.
im really proud of singapore for what they said about singaporei saw this 15 people in the newpapers i think its last week paper sunday 1.jet li 2.kobe bryant 3.dani alves 4.zinedine zidane 5.beckham 6.will smith 7.c.ronaldo 8.lucas leiva 9.jackie chan 10carragher 11.manny pacquiao 12.wayne rooney 13.michael owen 14.lewis hamilton 15.tiger woods
old singapore is way more charming than the modern city it is today.. too bad they tear down all the beautiful colonial buildings as depicted in the clip
Do you wish to live in "old Singapore" or the present Singapore? Do you like to take rickshaws and trishaws or even bullock carts to work as labourers and Ah Mahs or driver Ahmads to the European families?
I'm a foreigner, who currently staying in Singapore. Well, my opinion is Singapore is too Americanized, it's unlike other places such as Tokyo, where there are many foreigner too living there, but they still have the strong culture, or Bangkok / Bali, where many foreigners keep coming but it will never change the way of life. Btw, this video's great, it's like my hometown NOWADAYS, in Indonesia! hahaha :D
Temasek(Singapore) was a fishing village....undeveloped... Owned by Sultan of Johore....who sold the island to Sir Stamford Raffles for trade!!!!...no sorcery!..... Just opportunities!.... $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Back then it's already a business centre but a smaller scale. Look deeper in history. Don't be fooled by uninformed history. Read the Malay Annals. There are more to that.
@@irwanazmi204 Yeah but 'tiny' - British Empire set-up massive worldwide trading links and transport and ports such as S'pore. British East India Company has its OWN Navy force because it generated so much revenue. It was Amazon of its day. World trade revolution. S'pore has taken over its own destiny - as it should when empires start to fall away. Egypt/Rome/British etc all passed.
Tone of discussion or rather the direction of change need to explore more in depth. Singaporean are other to others for a very long times. Malay, Chinese, Indian and others have settled down and enjoy each other present and share food. But the new migrants are culturally different, some speak their native mother tongue that the 3 races do not understand. Coke is call coke for a long time, now new migrant call Ke Lur. Most will feel alienated by the institution policy, quality of life drop.
Akbar Great you one? how did you know? he fought for the postmen in the 50s and won. They got several months pay. Not much as they earned about 100 dollars or less...a mth. But they got it..! He didnt have time to be a lawyer. HIs life was politics. But his law background did do him good as a politician.
what setting up a country and then not being able to defend it has to do with anything is this - you can't expect that same sort of trust/reverence that colonial Singaporeans had for their British masters for setting us up when a generation of people were almost massacred through genocide and rape as a result of their surrendering. All S'poreans readily acknowledge the Brits set us up anway - Raffles is considered a luminary there. Just don't expect utter & eternal gratitude... it's 2009 man...
Its same as your job: you do the hard work, your boss makes presentation to Board and get credit :D But Raffles was one with overall vision to direct his city planners
It's clear that Singapore's success is due to the intelligence and leadership of the CHINESE that govern Singapore. Singapore was poor as shit before the 1960s. Singapore is one of many evidences that colonized country can become successful and Rich if only the right people are governing it (in this case, the Chinese)
Britain - a small country - unfortunately was fighting Nazi's/Japan on so many fronts (Africa, Europe Middle-East and Asia) and was spread too thin in Asia. Unfortunately UK Politicians had hard decisions to make and underestimated Japan's capacity, so Singapore suffered. British people love S'pore and its people, cultures, work attitude etc.
@@garydrew9970 the British also kept fighting and inflicted some of the worst defeats on the Japanese army at Kohima and Imphal to retake Singapore. People often overlook this fact to try and put down the British
"..England has built this great city and established for the trade for all nations..." HEAR! HEAR! HEAR!....to all Singaporeans out there.Its not shrewd Lee Kuan Yew or cunning PAP..
A number of colonies started out on the path of independence almost on the same footing as Singapore and have gone downhill. Jamaica is but one example. In some African countries the Brits left them with budget surpluses and the local politicians ate it off in a matter of years.
ianz rubix, yeah. You might as well add that the British built the entire Singapore we know today. FYI - What British built was only the town area and some areas which are of economic value to them. The Ang Mo Kio, Toa Payoh, Jurong, Sembawang Woodlands etc that we know today - built by the British?
+Ang Teck I think the point Ianz was making - is that the country wasn't a "3rd world country" when singapore became independent as certain political parties, or well known individuals would have the citizens believe. Such contentions are made to try and brain was people into thinking they simply need a certain political party in power.
Awesome video! Singapore looked surprisingly modern, good to see some familiar buildings like St. Andrew's church, the Raffles hotel. My grandmother was a teenager at the time!
Noteworthy, SG’s Lee Kuan Yew made it Policy to Marginalise & Oppress SG’s Muslims… It is Only AFTER LKY was caught red handed in 2010 & Paraded like a Common Street Criminal at SG’s Sikh Police Temple that SG Government Now Covertly taking steps to correct LKY’s Predatory Bad Habits & Racist Policies against Minorities….
I beg to defer. I know some Singaporeans are proud and some like to list out the achievements of Singapore. But most of Singapore's achievements are there because Singaporeans, in general, are a very hard working lot. It's not fair to disregard the whole population as 'arrogant' because of a few boastful mouths.
+John Ong The migrants came to Singapore because the country the British founded was much better/safer and could offer a much better life than the countries they originated from (mainly china). The country and its infrastructure were very much developed by the time Singapore became independent. The notion that Singapore was a third world country under the british is nonsense and is mooted for political gain. It is important for a people to remember where they have come from and to celebrate that.
+John Ong There were plenty of wealthy Chinese living in beautiful houses. Plenty of Europeans living in slums in their own countries. By definition the Europeans in the colonies were wealthier.
@@johnong75 The vast majority of our ancestors came to Singapore after the arrival of the EIC and Raffles, not before. We need not to conjure up a "victim" mentality where none exists. Our forefathers were not brought in chains or press-ganged to come over here. They came willingly, often due to torrid conditions in their original homelands. Many ended up living mundane, dreary common lives. Is it not the same in any era? Many Asians made it very rich too! All in all, better the British colonial administration, with its relative benevolence and policy of non-interference, compared with contemporary empires such as the German Nazi Reich and the Japanese (Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere) empire.
The cathedral is st Andrew's cathedral, not st George's as is suggested. I think this was a deliberate error, to steal Scotland's credit with regards to Singapore's early scottish pioneers. The cathedral was named st Andrew's ro recognise their contribution. I think what the director of this video has done is shocking,truly shocking.
I may be wrong but the sound track and music appear as though they have been recently substituted and made to appear original. The narration accent is 'not quite right'.
Thanks to this video,we can see that Singapore was a thriving cosmopolitan country already before the LKY govt came into power and was not a sleepy fishing village as described in the govt's narrative.
Sleepy fishing village is true. But it's in another era. It is like in ancient times before Sriwijaya came to power. Before the Trade Route from China to Middle East through sea in that region exist.
Saya 33, dari Malaysia, yang masih ramai rakyat kaum Melayu Malaysia tidak mengetahui tentang hal ini, cuma saya saorang sahaja yang tahu sebab arwah atuk saya orang Singapura yang lahir pada tahun 1915 dahulu dan membesar di kawasan Geylang pada masa itu, saya warga Malaysia buat masa ini saya tinggal di Tmn Pelangi, Johor Bahru dan selama ini bekerja kat Singapura, tapi buat pada masa sekarang dah tersekat oleh covid19, saya terpaksa berihat kat rumah sebab pkp sampai bila pun belum tahu lagi, kalau tidak saya suka berjalan kat Singapura walau tidak bekerja atau bercuti kadang pergi ziarah kubur arwah atuk saya di perkuburan Islam Pusara Aman, Choa Chu Kang, Singapura, semasa kat Singapura saya bekerja di banyak tempat saperti di Woodlands, NTU, Science Park, Jurong / Tuas Industrial, East Coast Park, Pasir Panjang Distripark, Geylang Serai dan banyak tempat lagi, sekian sahaja, terima kasih!
HaHa...rickshaws. They still existed when I was there 1955 - 1957, also in Hong Kong during that period. I can still remember the foul smell from the river in Singapore...my favourite city these days however.
I was a school boy when I visited the Singapore River area in the early 60s. The river was filthy,it stank and I saw the Police retrieve a dead body! There were hawkers selling street food all around. Totally unhygienic. But few fell ill from food poisoning!
That's as good as telling the White men in the USA, Australia and New Zealand that they don't belong there. Most of us Chinese and Indian Singaporeans have been living here for generations. We DO belong here and noone can tell us any different.
i like this video clip. i've seen most of the things shown except the rickshaws and the vintage cars, having grown up in the fifties. its unfortunate we do not have more such videos posted. singapore was such a relaxed city, its unfortunate this video did not show changi beach, one of my favourites. thats where the locals who are not club members go for a picnic and swim. how i miss the singapore of old................
Singapore is the cheapest city in the world....now it is very damn expensive!and from half a million population to a 5 million(maybe)is insane.BTW KEEP THIS VIDEO don't let it die,this video has rich moments and history
At 5:09 one can see Sri Mariamman temple with the statue of two British Soldiers at the first roof tier. It seems now they have been replaced by Sepoys. Does any of you know the full story?
As the narrator says, that is the Cenotaph. It is dedicated to British soldiers who died in WWI (when WWI broke out, a group of mostly British young men left Singapore to fight in the war). A dedication to those who died in WWII was later added to the reverse side of the Cenotaph. The Lim Bo Seng memorial looks like a little Pagoda, very different from the Cenotaph.
Unfortunately it did not show the kampong side of Singapore, mainly how well it thrives and the nice "ah ma's" that care for caucasian children or the coolies at boat quay. But a good insight into how Singapore was like in 1938... Thanks for putting this up!
The less said about kampong the better....
Truly fine quality short documentary. Excellent quality documentary photography. Thank you for a great look back. I just subscribed to your channel.
this is great!
Being a Singaporean and a video editor, its great to see some of the buildings still standing at its original place, and funny to see how the video was edited in the pass.
at the end of the video the voice over says "a mighty guardian of the east" how much time did it take to be captured by the japanese? with a much smaller force too! its great that they saved these old videos. they are a joy to watch!
This is a wonderful glimpse into the past. I've visited Singapore 3 times and one day hope to live there.
THANK YOU for posting this!
I just saw my Tamil/Indian soldier appa marching !!!wow!😍😍😍
wonder if there are any 80 or 90 year old you-tubers out there who saw this video...it must bring back so much memories. even for me, the sights of workers walking on planks with loads of goods on their shoulders brought back many fond memories of my childhood living next to boat quay
That was when "Bak Kut Teh" (pork bone soup/tea)) was born. Imagine having "Bak Kut Teh" without meat. That those bones came without meat were discarded bones sourced from the butcher and cost little. The enterprising Teochew hawkers added a lot of pepper and garlic and boiled it for hours into a broth that's heavenly. The main customers are the "coolies' (bare bodied men with strength of an ox) and it all started at River Valley Road which parallels Boat Quay docks side. The teh(tea) to counter the greasiness of the soup. The filler is of course is the big bowl of rice that comes with the soup. Eaten by the side of the road in squat position. What a life.
@sheeming The reference to the World War is the First World War (1914-1919). The Cenotaph was completed in 1922. The "stately Municipal Building, one of Singapore's newest constructions", was completed in 1929.
Singapore has changed soooo much! But the life in the past always appear better !!
Those lucky souls who must have enjoyed the grand old peaceful times !!!
Yes, those were the days......
Such evocative and beautiful images. Thank you so much for this video.
great footage!!!! priceless!! one lorry didn't give way to the poor rickshaw man charge him (posthumously)) with failing to give way to major road rickshaw traffic!!!just look at those clean green electric trams..electric vehicles were more popular in those days, we have moved away from clean and green vehicles since then, are we going backwards in modernity now? wished the video lasted more than 11 mins!
this video clip is awesome !!!!
thank you so much
Thanks for the nostalgic moments.
This film was not shot in the 30s for sure. WWII and Japanese occupation was in early 40s. It's better for the uploader to edit the year of the film or it tarnishes the facts of such well-preserved video - smdragon Jan 14 2012 (Singapore)
You can check up on André de la Varre the creator of the series.
I am sad with all angry comments written. So much anger and bitterness!!
It is easy to sit in your chair and look back or condemn the government of Singapore - whether British or PAP. Have you heard of "armchair generals"??
I love Singapore and my heritage and am glad That I speak English thanks to the
British and my Chinese thanks so my heritage.
That is a very interesting video about Singapore and someday i want to go there
its been 10 years. did you?
My great grandmother was already an adult in thsi video
"..the cheapest shopping centre in the world.." how times have changed since then.. as of 2020.. Singapore ranked as the most EXPENSIVE city to live in.
We have to thank the british for establishing Singapore as a trading hub, as that has been our bread and butter for life.
God bless you and all of the men of the Crown Colony of Singapore who died fighting Nazi Germany and fascist Japan.
Beautiful video. Love it !
enjoyed the vid a lot, thanks for posting
crackin' footage. Thanks for sharing
Me too! And I remember you and Peter. I worked at Jackson Wain with Rick Davis in the Chinese Chamber of Commerce building. A great time to be there wasn't it?
This is great thanks for posting.
I noticed at 00:11, it does show the year 1938 at the bottom but the time-frame for the end of the war is wrong.
Ahhh... My mistake. My history is very very bad. As you would know, the effect on Singapore during WWI is almost none existence and so, that slipped my mind. There was only the 1915 mutiny by the British Indian troops garrisoned in Singapore that was recorded.
I apologise to whoever is involved with the film.
I stand corrected. Just shows that how much I need to pay attention in those history lectures.
The praised fortifications that made this the so-called "Gibraltar of the East" were ultimately useless when the Japanese attacked in 1941, and the comfortable life of "devoted" Chinese amahs for British residents would be ended with the surrender in 1942. When this movie was made, however, people believed such things could never happen.
It must be a mistake. That is definitely St Andrew's Cathedral. St George's Church is also Anglican and also existed back then but it was and still is located in the Tanglin Village area.
It's colder those days, the rickshaw men can walk barefooted. Try to do it today and see what happens to your feet. Grilled.
is there possible to make a old video from black and white to color?
At 8:39...that is St Andrews Catheral, not St George.
Good thing he managed to escape. Appreciate his service during the war. =)
シンガポールにとっては、屈辱の時代!!
Many thanks for our ancestor.
what's with the world war one or two that you guys are discussing abt ?
can anyone tells me what's wrong ?
cause i dun understand.
It is amazing!
Thats the clifford pier and Fullerton hotel!
Not Fullerton hotel, it is Fullerton building not far from AIA building, Shellhouse near Finlayson Green, Clifford Pier, sometimes was call Johnson's pier too, if you were there, could see quite nice from the eastern morning cool breeze and evening western sunset view at that time, my late grand - pa have told me some story about the best of Singapore in the late 50's, before ended, I would like to congratulate and say thank's a lot to the PM Lee Shean Loong and all the cabinet ministers of Singapore, and also thank you to all my Singaporean friends, from me a Malay Muslim man 33, in Malaysia.
im really proud of singapore for what they said about singaporei saw this 15 people in the newpapers i think its last week paper sunday
1.jet li
2.kobe bryant
3.dani alves
4.zinedine zidane
5.beckham
6.will smith
7.c.ronaldo
8.lucas leiva
9.jackie chan
10carragher
11.manny pacquiao
12.wayne rooney
13.michael owen
14.lewis hamilton
15.tiger woods
old singapore is way more charming than the modern city it is today.. too bad they tear down all the beautiful colonial buildings as depicted in the clip
Do you wish to live in "old Singapore" or the present Singapore? Do you like to take rickshaws and trishaws or even bullock carts to work as labourers and Ah Mahs or driver Ahmads to the European families?
Greetings to Singapore 2009 , 2010 :-D
man it would be something to be a tourist of the world in the 30s!
I'm a foreigner, who currently staying in Singapore.
Well, my opinion is Singapore is too Americanized, it's unlike other places such as Tokyo, where there are many foreigner too living there, but they still have the strong culture, or Bangkok / Bali, where many foreigners keep coming but it will never change the way of life.
Btw, this video's great, it's like my hometown NOWADAYS, in Indonesia! hahaha :D
Then why dont you fuck off back to your shithole country? If you need help, Singaporeans would be more than happy to kick your ass and help you.
scene 3:03 showed old singaporean more polite in road compare today segh!
what i like about singapore is its multi-racialism and we live in harmony which is hardly found in other country. may singapore prosper more
i had to agree, i can't stand the heat. Even my hometown is cooler compare to Singapore. My Aunt stayed in Singapore for more than 30 years.
Temasek(Singapore) was a fishing village....undeveloped... Owned by Sultan of Johore....who sold the island to Sir Stamford Raffles for trade!!!!...no sorcery!..... Just opportunities!.... $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Back then it's already a business centre but a smaller scale. Look deeper in history. Don't be fooled by uninformed history. Read the Malay Annals. There are more to that.
Before british colonised temasik. It’s already a business centre bro. a crossroad from china and india.
@@irwanazmi204 Yeah but 'tiny' - British Empire set-up massive worldwide trading links and transport and ports such as S'pore. British East India Company has its OWN Navy force because it generated so much revenue. It was Amazon of its day. World trade revolution. S'pore has taken over its own destiny - as it should when empires start to fall away. Egypt/Rome/British etc all passed.
Tone of discussion or rather the direction of change need to explore more in depth. Singaporean are other to others for a very long times. Malay, Chinese, Indian and others have settled down and enjoy each other present and share food. But the new migrants are culturally different, some speak their native mother tongue that the 3 races do not understand. Coke is call coke for a long time, now new migrant call Ke Lur. Most will feel alienated by the institution policy, quality of life drop.
did you whatch manila yet?
I wonder if 15 year old LKY was walking the streets in this video :)
+mo O he was still studying under candlelight to become a great lawyer!
+fidel catsro he was rich. he didnt have to study by candlelight
let me correct it, he was a rich man son reading under high tech led lights with solar panels back then.
+fidel catsro he sucked as a lawyer tho!
Akbar Great you one? how did you know? he fought for the postmen in the 50s and won. They got several months pay. Not much as they earned about 100 dollars or less...a mth. But they got it..! He didnt have time to be a lawyer. HIs life was politics. But his law background did do him good as a politician.
Why is "Malay" pronounced as "melee"?
Fortunately Raffles managed to buy & not lease this 'useless piece of rock' from the Johor Sultan in 1819. Otherwise history will be very different
what setting up a country and then not being able to defend it has to do with anything is this - you can't expect that same sort of trust/reverence that colonial Singaporeans had for their British masters for setting us up when a generation of people were almost massacred through genocide and rape as a result of their surrendering.
All S'poreans readily acknowledge the Brits set us up anway - Raffles is considered a luminary there. Just don't expect utter & eternal gratitude... it's 2009 man...
It was Lieutenant Jackson who 'planned' Singapore, not Raffles.
Its same as your job: you do the hard work, your boss makes presentation to Board and get credit :D But Raffles was one with overall vision to direct his city planners
why not a crossroads to the northpole and antarctica?
'cos trade, simples!
i doubt so.
It's clear that Singapore's success is due to the intelligence and leadership of the CHINESE that govern Singapore.
Singapore was poor as shit before the 1960s. Singapore is one of many evidences that colonized country can become successful and Rich if only the right people are governing it (in this case, the Chinese)
That's because Mr. Lee still in secondary school at that time...lol
The UK should never have surrendered all this to the Japanese. Any Soviet troop who surrendered to the Axis was sent to the Gulag after the war.
Britain - a small country - unfortunately was fighting Nazi's/Japan on so many fronts (Africa, Europe Middle-East and Asia) and was spread too thin in Asia. Unfortunately UK Politicians had hard decisions to make and underestimated Japan's capacity, so Singapore suffered. British people love S'pore and its people, cultures, work attitude etc.
@@garydrew9970 the British also kept fighting and inflicted some of the worst defeats on the Japanese army at Kohima and Imphal to retake Singapore. People often overlook this fact to try and put down the British
BGMの作曲者が気になります
"..England has built this great city and established for the trade for all nations..." HEAR! HEAR! HEAR!....to all Singaporeans out there.Its not shrewd Lee Kuan Yew or cunning PAP..
A number of colonies started out on the path of independence almost on the same footing as Singapore and have gone downhill. Jamaica is but one example. In some African countries the Brits left them with budget surpluses and the local politicians ate it off in a matter of years.
ianz rubix, yeah. You might as well add that the British built the entire Singapore we know today.
FYI - What British built was only the town area and some areas which are of economic value to them. The Ang Mo Kio, Toa Payoh, Jurong, Sembawang Woodlands etc that we know today - built by the British?
+Ang Teck I think the point Ianz was making - is that the country wasn't a "3rd world country" when singapore became independent as certain political parties, or well known individuals would have the citizens believe. Such contentions are made to try and brain was people into thinking they simply need a certain political party in power.
+kenneth robertson Quite so. The concept of history is notoriously difficult to grasp for the modern young.
Especially when they have been taught a politically convenient fantasy in its stead.
see how happy life were in the past & another prove that police wear shorts
the memorial of world war is meant for the death of world war 1, therefore no mistake!
@stussyboys The British are most unwelcomed to continue their rule of Singapore by me.
8:20 "silent memorial for singapore's world war ONE dead"
*BANAZAI INTENSIFIES*
Awesome video! Singapore looked surprisingly modern, good to see some familiar buildings like St. Andrew's church, the Raffles hotel. My grandmother was a teenager at the time!
Film is good reminder that Singapore has always been a magnet for immigrants.
Noteworthy, SG’s Lee Kuan Yew made it Policy to Marginalise & Oppress SG’s Muslims… It is Only AFTER LKY was caught red handed in 2010 & Paraded like a Common Street Criminal at SG’s Sikh Police Temple that SG Government Now Covertly taking steps to correct LKY’s Predatory Bad Habits & Racist Policies against Minorities….
Love those beautiful buildings, too bad most are gone with the wind!
Thank goodness GPO Clifford Pier and Raffles Hotel are standing tall 😆
Wait, we had BUILDINGS. And a thriving PORT? I thought we were a fishing village! What sorcery is this?
Watching this for my history class
I beg to defer. I know some Singaporeans are proud and some like to list out the achievements of Singapore. But most of Singapore's achievements are there because Singaporeans, in general, are a very hard working lot. It's not fair to disregard the whole population as 'arrogant' because of a few boastful mouths.
Compare Singapore 1938 with Singapore 2009. You will see the big difference between these 71 years from then to now.
Singapore was already developed before Lee Kuan Yew I guess...lol
+Akbar Great Did you see those Victorian buildings, those are for the foreign masters Europeans. Asian lived in slums!
+John Ong The migrants came to Singapore because the country the British founded was much better/safer and could offer a much better life than the countries they originated from (mainly china). The country and its infrastructure were very much developed by the time Singapore became independent. The notion that Singapore was a third world country under the british is nonsense and is mooted for political gain. It is important for a people to remember where they have come from and to celebrate that.
+John Ong There were plenty of wealthy Chinese living in beautiful houses. Plenty of Europeans living in slums in their own countries. By definition the Europeans in the colonies were wealthier.
@@johnong75 The vast majority of our ancestors came to Singapore after the arrival of the EIC and Raffles, not before. We need not to conjure up a "victim" mentality where none exists. Our forefathers were not brought in chains or press-ganged to come over here. They came willingly, often due to torrid conditions in their original homelands. Many ended up living mundane, dreary common lives. Is it not the same in any era? Many Asians made it very rich too! All in all, better the British colonial administration, with its relative benevolence and policy of non-interference, compared with contemporary empires such as the German Nazi Reich and the Japanese (Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere) empire.
Actually was a Malay village of Johor Temenggung Abdul Rahman at Teluk Belanga.
Now it's Filipino and Indonesian 'ah ma's' caring for Singaporean children.
🤣🤣
The cathedral is st Andrew's cathedral, not st George's as is suggested. I think this was a deliberate error, to steal Scotland's credit with regards to Singapore's early scottish pioneers. The cathedral was named st Andrew's ro recognise their contribution. I think what the director of this video has done is shocking,truly shocking.
good quality for a 1938 film !
Like with the UAE is interesting to see the origins of this two economic miracles. Greetings from Italy 🇮🇹
The building next to the Municipal Hall is NOT St George's but St Andrew's Cathedral.
Yes, you are right. The Municipal Hall is now known as City Hall.
watched the entire vid with mouth open. wow, we have really really come a long way.
Ang Cheng Ann I wish they didn’t destroy the architecture
Sultan of Johore sold the island to Sir Stamford Raffles!!!! For trade settlement!?!!!😒😒😒😒😒
I may be wrong but the sound track and music appear as though they have been recently substituted and made to appear original. The narration accent is 'not quite right'.
Singapore before WW II
Impressive Film.. learned so much! Thank you!
Thanks to this video,we can see that Singapore was a thriving cosmopolitan country already before the LKY govt came into power and was not a sleepy fishing village as described in the govt's narrative.
Sleepy fishing village is true. But it's in another era. It is like in ancient times before Sriwijaya came to power. Before the Trade Route from China to Middle East through sea in that region exist.
Ah Ha, I think that you have to bear in mind the time frame reference. Was this movie made in 1819?
It's almost a given that the comments section is going to have british laments of how wonderful the colonies use to be...for them.
my place of birth.. my island....MY INSPIRATION. Hugh Oliveiro artist. 2017 Australia.
No Chinese troops!!!wow!...seasoned European, Indian and Malay armed forces!!! Lol!!!!!😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
MALAYA(NOW MALAYSIA N SINGAPORE)...so nostalgic☹😌✌🇲🇾🇸🇬
Saya 33, dari Malaysia, yang masih ramai rakyat kaum Melayu Malaysia tidak mengetahui tentang hal ini, cuma saya saorang sahaja yang tahu sebab arwah atuk saya orang Singapura yang lahir pada tahun 1915 dahulu dan membesar di kawasan Geylang pada masa itu, saya warga Malaysia buat masa ini saya tinggal di Tmn Pelangi, Johor Bahru dan selama ini bekerja kat Singapura, tapi buat pada masa sekarang dah tersekat oleh covid19, saya terpaksa berihat kat rumah sebab pkp sampai bila pun belum tahu lagi, kalau tidak saya suka berjalan kat Singapura walau tidak bekerja atau bercuti kadang pergi ziarah kubur arwah atuk saya di perkuburan Islam Pusara Aman, Choa Chu Kang, Singapura, semasa kat Singapura saya bekerja di banyak tempat saperti di Woodlands, NTU, Science Park, Jurong / Tuas Industrial, East Coast Park, Pasir Panjang Distripark, Geylang Serai dan banyak tempat lagi, sekian sahaja, terima kasih!
@@azizismail4612 ✌✊🇲🇾🇸🇬😐
Interesting and educational.
juznikon, go check the meaning of "colony" and "being colonized"
HaHa...rickshaws. They still existed when I was there 1955 - 1957, also in Hong Kong during that period.
I can still remember the foul smell from the river in Singapore...my favourite city these days however.
I was a school boy when I visited the Singapore River area in the early 60s. The river was filthy,it stank and I saw the Police retrieve a dead body! There were hawkers selling street food all around. Totally unhygienic. But few fell ill from food poisoning!
That's as good as telling the White men in the USA, Australia and New Zealand that they don't belong there. Most of us Chinese and Indian Singaporeans have been living here for generations. We DO belong here and noone can tell us any different.
i like this video clip. i've seen most of the things shown except the rickshaws and the vintage cars, having grown up in the fifties.
its unfortunate we do not have more such videos posted. singapore was such a relaxed city, its unfortunate this video did not show changi beach, one of my favourites. thats where the locals who are not club members go for a picnic and swim.
how i miss the singapore of old................
Singapore is the cheapest city in the world....now it is very damn expensive!and from half a million population to a 5 million(maybe)is insane.BTW KEEP THIS VIDEO don't let it die,this video has rich moments and history
Kuli and amah. Basically slaves and maids. Haha
@seamonkee
Don't have to go to the time of the Japanese .... just look today.
NO ONE smiling and HAPPY while walking the streets.
At 5:09 one can see Sri Mariamman temple with the statue of two British Soldiers at the first roof tier. It seems now they have been replaced by Sepoys. Does any of you know the full story?
I visited this temple also but I didn't notice these soldiers
dat's the WWI (1914-1918) memorial
Dig your ears deeper with no 'wax' obstructions for a cleaner clearer auditorial canals...Johore Sultan name was mentioned!