Changi Chapel and Museum: Remembering Singapore's Darkest Days
When people think of Changi, the first thing that comes to mind is our famous Changi Airport. But on 15 February 1942 , Singapore came under a new master: Japan. The city was renamed Syonan-To , meaning "Light of the South." Life on the island changed dramatically. Many people feared Japanese brutality and suffered from a lack of food and other supplies. Changi gained prominence during World War II when the Japanese used Changi Prison — originally built by the British in 1936 — as a prisoner-of-war (POW) camp. Thousands of Allied soldiers were detained under harsh conditions and interned as POWs . The Changi Chapel and Museum is a small but deeply moving museum in the eastern corner of Singapore that depicts the darkest days in Singapore's history. It is a tribute to those who fought for Singapore. Inside are remnants of Changi Gaol , photos, letters, and personal artefacts of the POWs — highlighting their imprisonment, suffering, and daily life, and how the human sp...