History: 1943 to the Present
The Fort remained a POW Camp until the end of the war. On the Japanese surrender in 1945, Fort Siloso returned to British occupancy. In September that year, it was initially re-occupied by men of the Royal Navy.
In 1946, undamaged equipment from other gun batteries in Singapore was brought in to re-equip the Fort. This included two Mark VII 6-Inch Guns with Mark II CPM (Centre Pivot Mounting). These guns must have come from Labrador and Beting Kusah where the Japanese had repaired 6-Inch Guns. The Fort was still without essential equipment such as Range Finders and Gun Telescopes. In October 1947, the Training Wing of 1st Malay Coast Artillery RA came to Fort Siloso. under the command of Major G.L. Brewster. Additional equipment began arriving from elsewhere to continue in the re-equipping of the Fort.
Harold Dursley was in REME (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) attached to the Royal Artillery at Fort Siloso from 1947-48 during his National Service. His job was assisting an artillery Warrant Officer (WO) Armament Artificer to carry out special wear checks on the barrel of the then installed 6 Inch gun (This infers that one of the guns had been removed by then). He believes the WO condemned the barrel at that time. As he says, “not surprising as I recall it was made in Woolwich in1898”.The photo on the right was sent to me by Harold and shows him on the right, with the WO beside him at the gun.
In 1948 a Twin Six Pounder was emplaced at Siloso Point. This gun came from Ceylon (now called Sri Lanka). In 1950 two 6-Inch Guns with Mark V mountings were brought to Siloso from Haifa and emplaced. A third gun, also from Haifa was mounted behind ‘F’ Block near the Main Square, also for training purposes. The guns at Siloso were mounted in the emplacements which had originally been built for the Mark II Mounting. Some modification was carried out in the emplacements to allow a limited arc of traverse.
These photos, taken sometime during the 1950s, show a Mark 24 6-Inch BL Gun in the No.2 Gun emplacement. The Gunner’s Shelter is in the foreground on the right-hand photograph. An Observation Post is shown by the arrow. This and the concrete wall behind it were demolished and the ground levelled sometime after 1954 by the British. This is a pity as the visitor does not see the gun battery as it once was.
On the disbandment of the Coastal Artillery by the British Army in May 1956, The guns were sold to local scrap dealers. Gurkha detachments manned the Fort until its return to the Singapore authorities in 1967. In that year, with the withdrawal of the British from the island, Blakang Mati was occupied by the Maritime Command of the Singapore Armed Forces. In 1972 Fort Siloso became a historical site when the Government of Singapore decided to develop Blakang Mati which was renamed as Sentosa (Island of Tranquility) for recreational purposes.
Elsewhere on Sentosa, most of Fort Connaught was demolished with a Coralarium and later a golf course being built on the site. The Coralarium itself has vanished and the site has been extended by land reclamation which has taken in a nearby small island, the area now being called Sentosa Cove. Nearby is a Ground Satellite Station. The No. 3 Gun Emplacement, its Magazine and its Fire Control Tower still stand. The Magazines for the No.1 Gun is still accessible with a little difficulty. The No. 1 and No. 2 Gun Emplacements can still be seen as large mounds on the golf course with a rest area having been built on the No.1 Emplacement. The No. 3 Emplacement is hidden in trees.
Berhala Reping is now no longer an island and is attached to another golf course on reclaimed land. The Director Towers and the emplacements for the two Twin 6 Pounder Quick-firing Gun still stand there. In the days after the Japanese victory, many bodies of Chinese inhabitants of Singapore were washed up near here following some of the many ‘Sook Ching’ murders perpetrated by occupying forces. Substantial remains of the Mount Imbiah Battery, Serapong 8-Inch and 9.2-Inch and the Serapong Spur/ 6-Inch Battery can still be found on Mount Serapong.
Fort Siloso was opened to the public as the Singapore Gun Museum in 1975. A 7-Inch RML Gun Barrel is the Gate Guard. Some thirty-five guns are on display including a Carronade which was presented to the Museum in 1971 by Lt. General Peter Hunt, Commander of the British Far East Land Forces. This Carronade is now mounted at the entrance to the fort.
The buildings, tunnel complexes and gun emplacements both wartime and from the early days of Siloso are well preserved, although in some instances alterations, totally out of character with the Fort have been made to allow ease of access by tourists. This is a pity as it detracts from the historical experience. These alterations are pointed out in the relevant parts of this website. Exhibitions of the Fort’s and Singapore’s military history are spread throughout the Fort. The Fort has some acquired some ‘theme park’ like attractions which may not appeal to a serious historian. These in general do not spoil the Fort, and if they help to preserve Fort Siloso for future generations, they are a price well worth paying.