Kranji War Memorial

Our day started off in the early morning of Wednesday at seven. We took a MRT to Kranji Station and took a short walk to Kranji War Memorial.

Lo and behold, the first thing that caught our eyes was the well-maintained lawns. The second thing that caught our eye was this! The Cross of Sacrifice. It remembers those who gave their lives in war.


The Cross of Sacrifice


Moving on, we decided to explore the Kranji War Memorial. While exploring around it, we were amazed that Kranji War Memorial is made up of three cemeteries - Kranji War Cemetery, State Cemetery and Military Cemetery. We always had the perception that it was just one. Besides cemeteries, it also has the Memorial Wall. In the cemeteries were more than 4000 graves of honourable servicemen and about 24000 names of soldier and air force servicemen on the Memorial Wall. Seeing the intricate details of each alphabet of names on the Memorial Wall, reminded us to pay a tribute to the allied service personnel who lost their lives while defending Singapore. They were true heroes.


The Memorial Wall


The State Cemetery holds the graves of former presidents Yusof Ishak and Benjamin Sheares who died in 1970 and 1981 respectively.


The burial ground of Yusof Ishak



The burial ground of Benjamin Sheares


It was a very fresh experience for us whilst visiting the Kranji War Memorial because it was the first time for a few of us. The Kranji War Memorial holds Singapore’s heritage dearly – from all the way back in World War II. The allied servicemen fought bravely for freedom. Kranji War Memorial is a place to behold. It is immaculately looked after by us Singaporeans and maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The high regard that Singaporeans hold for the brave allied servicemen who defended our little island is of testament.

Last but not least before we left the place, we took a moment of silence to commemorate the brave men and women. "They Died For All Free Men"





Reference:
http://www.pbase.com/kepha/kranji
http://www.singaporevr.com/vrs/kranji_war_memorial/KranjiWarCemetery.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarah---jane/2514198882/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/snapsg/2570305448/