Chronicles of Old Singapore

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. My new book, co-authored with Stephen Dobbs, recounts the little-known history of shopkeepers. As a varied group of small capitalists, they made Old Chinatown such a fabulously memorable place. Over the last 60 years, they struggled to cope as Chinatown was drastically redeveloped. I discuss two businesses that are trying to survive today – the effigy carver...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. I learned a lot from speaking to Yeo Hock Yew about little-known parts of our history. He grew up in a kampong house in Kampong Bahru near Singapore General Hospital (See Pai Poh) before moving into an SIT flat at Strathmore Avenue, Queenstown. Hock Yew loved art as a kid and studied at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, where he was taught by the Nanyang art...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Gary Koh recounts both the golden and dimmer years of women’s football in Singapore from the ‘80s but offers some hope – there has been a resurgence in recent years. The semangat (spirit) that drove the earlier Lionesses could be an inspiration for the current generation. Gary and I discuss the strengths of the women’s game (compared to the men, less playact...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Retired policeman Sukhdev Singh Gill recounts the threat posed by secret societies in the past and how they were brought to heel by the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act 1955. He also reflects on issues faced by security guards today, mostly seniors and unemployed young people, as well as problems of molestation, voyeurism and mobility devices. Part 1...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Uncle Ringo, the man behind the famous travelling carnivals, recounts growing up in the bustling, rowdy and expletive-filled Sembawang Strip. This was a street of bars and restaurants serving sailors from the Naval Base but also filled with the music of the ‘60s. Here, Uncle Ringo learned the guitar and played Beatles covers in bands like many of his Sembawa...

The British military withdrawal in the late 1960s caused much anxiety for Singapore’s leaders. But they had an ace in the pack – the bountiful real estate and facilities the British were leaving behind. Instead of a crisis, the pullout played out as a new buzz – a catalyst for Singapore’s growth into an industrial powerhouse in the ‘70s. Part 1 | https://youtu.be/sdnXHH92Ueo Part 2 | https://youtu...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Jeffrey Eng talks to me about the old Teochew areas in Chinatown and River Valley, the Ellenborough Market fire of 1968 during the Chinese New Year and the Teochew names of streets. We also reflect on the Speak Mandarin Campaign debate arising from the film Dear You, and how the campaign has prevented younger Teochews from knowing the language. Part 1 | http...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Thiyaga Raju is a historian of Singapore football and author of ROAR: Football Legends of Singapore. He recalls the match in 1974 that kindled his love for the sport. He talks about Singapore’s legendary players and coaches: Uncle Choo Seng Quee, Brian Richmond, T. Pathmanathan (Captain Marvel), and Fandi Ahmad, among others. Part 1 | https://youtu.be/DHm8s_...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. In 1983, Matthew Lui was a PSA office pilot in the cable car towers. On 29 June, upon finishing his watch, a series of unexpected events unfolded to cause one of the worst accidents in Singapore’s history – the cable car crash and the deaths of seven people. Matthew draws from the commission of inquiry’s report to recount the accident and the rescue operatio...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Sukhdev Singh Gill spent 32 years in the Singapore Police Force. He offers his honest views on questions arising from the evolution of the force – why were neighbourhood police posts so important (and do we really need police complexes), why do people call the police on all kinds of matters, and is the police force facing a manpower shortage today? Part 1 |...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Gary Koh, a historian of Singapore football, talks about the origins of the women’s game from the 1960s to the early 1980s. Our pioneer Lionesses were drawn from all walks of life – the university, public service and MNCs. Despite the lack of funding and support, they became a dominant force in the Puan Sharifah Rodziah Cup, the women’s version of the Malays...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. The 56 British military bases in 1960s Singapore were Little Britains – miniature townships filled with non-military facilities for the British servicemen and their families. They were also Hidden Asias, for it was the Asians who made the bases functional – from clerks and policemen to the amah and shopkeepers. The British bases were vital to Singapore’s def...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Jeffrey Eng remembers his family’s business at 15 Merchant Road in the heart of Teochew Chinatown, Eng Tiang Huat (named after his grandfather, the founder). This was a shop dealing in ‘Chinese cultural goods’, from traditional musical instruments to embroidery and martial weapons. Jeffrey took over the business after National Service instead of starting his...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Conservationist Tony O’Dempsey aka Uncle Tony talks about the history of the conservation movement in Singapore and how the Nature Society of Singapore adopted a moderate science-based approach – ‘wisdom and pleasant speech’ – to engage the government. Today, as new housing projects target our diminishing forests at the Gillman Barracks, Maju and Sunset Way,...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Winston Wong talks about the Gillman Barracks not as a standalone British base, but as part of the massive Pasir Panjang-Ayer Rajah Military Complex. It was a transit camp for the School of Combat Engineers, which moved out in a few years. As we discuss the likely environmental and historical impact of the HDB’s plan to redevelop Gillman around nature, Winst...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Sukhdev Singh Gill joined the Singapore Police Force in 1969. He remembers his father, who was a jaga (watchman) for various employers, and the formidable Sikh jagas in the old days. He talks about key Sikh temples in Singapore and how important they were for the Sikh groups. Part 1 | https://youtu.be/yrwMp7NRj0Y Part 2 | https://youtu.be/Vowo8sDLBmk Part 3...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Upon graduating from SJI in 1964, Matthew Lui joined the newly formed Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) as a harbour pilot. Close to the dawn of Singapore’s independence, he was among a pioneer group of local pilots being trained to take over from the departing British pilots. As a young cadet and later as a certified pilot, he sailed on Dutch and other ship...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. The qiaopi (remittance letters) came to light in the Teochew hit film Dear You. Local Teochew Jeffrey Eng shows us his large collection, except these were in finger-sized envelopes. Jeff talks about the messages and remittances that linked three generations of the Engs with their home village in Chaozhou. The letters capture major changes in the histories of...

欢迎来到旧新加坡记事录。德信药行于2025年获认定为传统的旧行业。周启仕医师回顾了新加坡中医与食疗的历史及发展历程，并探讨了在中医如何配合健康SG（Healthier SG）政策，助力民众养生保健及疾病预防。 Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Teck Soon Medical Hall was recognised as a heritage business in 2025. Physician Chow Khai Shui traces the history and development of TCM and food therapy in Singapore. H...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Conservationist Tony O’Dempsey aka Uncle Tony talks about the history of forests in Singapore through the 19th and 20th centuries. Through a number of self-made maps, he shows how they fared against successive plantation crops like gambier, tapioca and rubber and the impetus for creating forest reserves. In the mid-20th century, another wave of change and de...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Older Singaporeans are generally keen to share their nostalgia for the past, but less so on controversial topics. This was what I found when I started researching the great fire at Bukit Ho Swee. The memory of public housing there will always been tied hand in glove with the widespread rumours of arson. In this podcast, I talk about what the rumours say abou...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Winston Wong remembers Gillman Barracks in the early 1970s. Trained in bomb disposal, he moved with the School of Combat Engineers from Blakang Mati (which was becoming Sentosa) to the former British camp. Near the camp was the village of Heap Guan San, whose residents had worked as gardeners and cooks for the British forces. There was also the Bourne School...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Frederick Puah, owner of British Hainan Restaurant at Kallang Way, talks about his Hainanese roots. His father was a cook for a British family and later a sailor, while his mother was a strong woman who ran the household while he was away. Full episodes: Part 1 | https://youtu.be/RFOhmO4ZTQ8 Part 2 | https://youtu.be/V-qqatZ9eoI Part 3 | https://youtu.be/UVF...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. In Part 2 of the walkthrough, ChanPeew Wan takes us through the famous H.M. Terror and Beaulieu House, as well as the Asian School (which became Naval Base School) and the shops before Sembawang Gate. He remembers the drunken British servicemen falling into drains but also the massive change to the Asian community when they were relocated from the base to th...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Former naval architect Lee Kok Leong talks about his love for the twakows of his childhood along the Singapore River. These wooden boats, called lighters in English, were vital to Singapore’s trade, carrying cargo over the last mile of water. Kok Leong remembers the masters who built these remarkable boats, the tough men who worked on them, and how the indus...