British POWs

1. British POWs Done by: Gervasegoh& Ryan Sim

2. Why did the British POWs blow the bridge that link Malaysia and Singapore? • They blow the bridge that link Malaysia and Singapore because they wanted to slow the Japanese down in conquering Singapore. • They did it also to get prepared on defending Singapore when the Japanese build the Course way link and proceed to Singapore.

3. How did the British fall to the Japanese? • The British fall to the Japanese in 15 February 1942, The Japanese captured the northern and central parts of Singapore. • They had also captured the reservoirs and airfields in Singapore, the British held only a small area of the city in the south of Singapore.

4. How did the British fall to the Japanese? • The British had little petrol and few bullets left, the soldiers defending Singapore were tired and felt that more soldiers and civilians would be killed if they continued fighting. • Lieutenant-General Arthur Ernest Percival and his commanders agreed to surrender during a meeting.

5. What happened to the British POWs? • They were imprisoned in the Changi Prison camp, many of them fell ill and died in the prison due to poor health and hygiene. • They were often tortured and forced to work at construction sites and treatments are harsh.

6. Why did the Japanese conquered us for only 3 years 8 months? • It is because, the Americans had put two atomic bombs on Japan’s cities. One was called, “little boy” and it was put on Hiroshima and the was called, “fat man” and it was put on Nagasaki. • After the two atomic bombs was put on Japan, they surrendered and retreated. Then, the allied forces returned to Singapore.