War Memorial Series - 1

Located in the east of the Padang, the Civilian War Memorial is dedicated to all those who perished during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore between 15 February 1942 to 12 September 1945. Four identical vertical pillars rise to a pinnacle of 92.5 metres, symbolising the shared experiences of the four major races of Singapore - Chinese, Malay, Indian and other races. The remains of the unidentified war victims are buried beneath the monument.

The decision to erect a memorial in remembrance of the cruel occupation was made when the remains of those who fell victim to the Operation Sook Ching, which was carried out by the Japanese in 21 February 1942, were discovered in 1962. In this operation, Chinese Males between the age 18 to 50 were to report to Sook Ching centres to be screened. Many who were thought to be and "undesirable" threat to the Japanese were picked out and sent away to be mercilessly executed. The number of victims who were victims of the massacre was estimated to be between 25, 00 to 50, 000.