We Shall Remember: The Story of Singapore at War

Did you know that many resistance fighters in the Malayan jungles were just teenagers? That one of the first large-scale coded messages created in Changi Prison was inspired by girl guides? And that some university students returned to Singapore as commando-spies?

We Shall Remember: The Story of Singapore at War is a fascinating account of World War Two and the Japanese Occupation in Singapore. Aimed at children aged 9-12 years old, it traces the war from the Japanese invasion at Kota Bharu in 1941 and the fall of Singapore, through its ordeal during the Japanese Occupation, and finally to the Japanese surrender in 1945.

In addition to events that we are familiar with, this book also uncovers little-known but no less exciting stories of Singapore’s war experience, such as the secret school in Sime Road Prison, the courageous quilters in Changi Goal, the multi-racial volunteers of the Burma-Yunnan Road, the grandmother who became a fighter, and much more.

Based on more than two years of extensive research, this densely packed book focuses on the human experience and brings to light aspects of the war that has been forgotten in a narrative long dominated by the Western point of view. The people who march through its pages with their stories of courage and sacrifice are multi-racial and multi-national, which show the war as it truly played out here in Singapore. Hear from teenage resistance fighters, fearless commando-spies, the unbreakable war heroine, soldiers who chose death over dishonour, and much more.

We Shall Remember is written by Singaporean author Sim Ee Waun, who also co-wrote The Little Singapore Book, The House on Palmer Road, and its wartime sequel The House on Silat Road. The 132-page book is aimed at being engaging and easy-to-understand for young readers. The main narrative is grouped into twelve chapters and complemented by sidebars of vignettes, fun facts, eye-witness quotes, explanations and helpful glossaries. Twenty-four detailed illustrations and maps by artist Lim An-Ling make this book all the more riveting.

“We all need to remember when war came to Singapore and this book tells the story marvellously! It is a well-researched, gripping account aimed at children, but a good read for adults as well.”
—Chiang Ming Shun, military historian and co-author of Between Two Oceans: A Military History of Singapore from 1275 to 1971