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For a detailed description of Ft.Siloso see FORTRESS SINGAPORE, The Battlefield Guide, pp. 86-89, Maj. Yap Siang Yong, Romen Bose, Angeline Pang, Times Books International, Second Edition 1995. Available at most major book sellers in Singapore.
If you are a veteran or know someone who served at Fort Siloso during the Second World War, please write to:
The Curator (Fort Siloso)
33 Allanbrooke Road Sentosa
Singapore 099981
Fort Siloso is a significant historical site and high quality tourist attraction. The fort is historical, in addition it has been outfitted with interactive exhibits, audio/visual shows, games, museums and even an "assault course" (for the kids). Fort Siloso along with the Images of Singapore (also on Sentosa) and The Battlebox (Fort Canning) are probably the three best museums/historical sites in Singapore were one can get a real sense of Singapore history. If you only have limited time Fort Siloso and Images of Singapore are a must. If you go to Fort Siloso be prepared to hike! There are many ups and downs, including many steps.
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Fort Siloso was just one of several installations on Blakang Mati (the original name for Sentosa). The other forts (Ft. Serapong and Ft. Connaught) are long gone, but there are still are observer posts and machine gun pill boxes around some of the beaches. |
| Located at the western end of Sentosa is the once mighty Fort Siloso. Built in the 1880's by the British to protect the western approaches to Singapore harbour, it's the only remaining British coastal fortification in Singapore and is a significant historical landmark. Constructed on what was then Mt. Siloso, the British Royal Engineers and a work force of local laborers blasted and dug into the side of the hill to create a fort for guns. The first weapons placed at the fort were three 7-inch guns and two 64-pound guns, and they were manned by the British Royal Artillery. - © 1999 Sentosa Development Corporation |  © 1999 Sentosa Development Corporation |
Much of the fort you can see today has been modeled on various times in its past, starting with the munitions bunkers. The bunkers date from the 1880's.
The guard house (l) and the Barracks (r) "tell" of the routine that needed to be followed, or else as a new recruit you could fall sick and be buried in Bukit Timah hill!
There are three tunnel complexes. There are two locations that demonstrate how the powder (l) and the shells (r) were stored and transported up to the guns. A third tunnel has an observer post and several exhibits showing the Fall of Singapore A/V show, life in Changi POW camp and the Siam-Burma Death Railway (same railway as in the movie Bridge Over the River Kwai).
A "booming" 6-inch gun is pictured below. One of the many interactive exhibits. You can hear the gunnery officer barking out the commands, then the gun fires. This gun dates to 1942. There is another "booming" 7-inch gun circa 1885 on the tour.
The old Gunner's Shelter (l) has been turned into an artillery games area. Bring several dollar coins! There is also a Force 136 exhibition. Lim Bo Seng's and other's underground W.W.II exploits are shown here. Many of the people seen here are written about in Force 136, Story of a W.W.II Resistance Fighter (click here for book details).
Looking from a Mt. Faber cable car you can see the end of Sentosa (l) where Fort Siloso is located. In the background you can see Pulau Bukom. Guns from Fort Siloso were used to destroy the oil refineries on Pulau Bukom and Pulau Sebarok before the Japanese occupied Singapore. The 12-pounder gun and Fire Direction Tower (r) were probably used for some of the remote demolition.
Copyright © Glenn Griffin 1999 - 2003. All rights reserved