Lecture 07

Colonial Singapore

Imperial Defence
Recap
Singapore: Small place in region with much larger
neighbours
Temasek: Some diplomacy but largely responsible for
own defence: Invaded and destroyed late 14
th
Century
4 Way Tussle: A forward position for defending the Johor
capital. Became a hotly contested battlefield
Dutch dominance: Sleepy fishing village and loss all
significance
* What does this additional data tell us about defending a
small, strategic place?
Lessons So Far?
Small places need external support to see off
regional powers (Temaseks fall, Melakas rise)
Military strategicness is not always a good
thing: Borrowing first-class power entails
borrowing its enemies (4-Way tussle)
The trouble with being a junior coalition partner
(17
th
Century Singapura)
* Does Singapore still need to borrow power? Is it
still militarily strategic? Is it still a junior coalition
partner?
The British Empire: Finally, a power that can and
will protect this place!
The nature of Imperial Defence: Cost-benefit
analysis
- Member of the largest empire in history +
- Empire with big enemies and big allies -/+
- Empire with many far-flung responsibilities -
Colonial Singapore shares interest, not priorities,
with London.
Colonial Singapore
1819-1963/1971
Periodization
Early- mid 19
th
Century: Britannia ruled the
waves! Minor internal disturbances
Early 20
th
Century to eve end of WW1
Reliance on superior global coalition/balance of
power: Credible ext threats, major int episode
WWI-WW2: Local defence increases, global
situation deteriorates. Singapore contemplates &
suffers invasion and conquest
Outcome: Did we win or lose?
Simplified Pattern
Local defences
Balance of Power
2010 1971 1944 1941
1819
Objectives
The importance, limits and dangers of
military strategicness: When is this good,
when is this bad?
Singapores history driven by cycles of
global conflict: Arguably more important
than cycles of trade

Britannia Rules the Waves!
Since the Battle of Trafalgar (1803), Royal Navy
(RN) ruled the waves. French and Spanish
Navies badly mauled in Main Fleet action
Why Raffles could take Java from the French 1811
Why Dutch dared not attack Singapore (1819-
1824)
Local defence was very weak, but power and
deterrence of RN was just too strong
Singapore protected by the power of the RN,
projected from halfway across the world
Imperial vs Local Defence I:
Fleet Dispersal
Imperial vs Local Defence 2:
Main Fleet Action
Imperial vs Local Defence:
Guerre de Course
Local Defence
Each colony is responsible for local
defence against minor raids, piracy, riots,
rebellions etc.
Aim is to hold on long enough for Main
Fleet to destroy enemy main fleet and
come to your rescue
The period before relief becomes
paramount
Raids, Piracy &
Internal Insecurity
Russians in Vladivostok (1859), French in Saigon (1861)
Pirates attacked shipping just beyond sight of shore!
Chinese secret society riots: 1851 anti-Catholic
(Chinese) riots, Hokkien-Teochew riots (1854). Needed
help from soldiers, sailors and the Johor Sultan to
suppress (@400- 500 dead per riot)
Smaller threats will not trigger RN main fleet. Local
traders clamour for more local defences BUT do not
want to raise taxes to pay for them (Free Trade)
Haphazard and inadequate defence measures
Increase in Local Defences
Steamship Diana (1837). Normally one patrol
vessel based in Singapore (often out on patrols)
from this time on
- Help from European and US ships, Malay rulers
Pickering and the Chinese Protectorate
- Secret Societies brought under control
European and Indian troops
- Permanent garrison
Fort Palmer, Fort Fullerton, Fort Faber, Fort
Canning
Fort Canning:
Internal Security
Too far inland
to defend harbour

Fort built after
Indian Mutiny of
1857 (Completed
1861)

European refuge
- Chinese Secret
Society riots

Artillery aimed
at Chinatown!

Magazines
flooded, wells dry

From Empire to
Coalition Partner
Empire kept expanding colonies and trade
- Administrative and political costs of empire
- Military resources spread too thin
Gradual demise of 2-power standard
- Russian threat contained by Anglo-Japanese
Alliance (1902)
- German High Seas Fleet (1890s-1918) built to
challenge RN supremacy
- US Navy parity with RN (1919 onwards)
19
th
Century Anglo-Russian Rivalry
1870s onwards: Russia replaces France as
main British rival in the world
- Eastern Mediterranean, Central Asia, East Asia
- Russian Far East fleet can hit-and-run
Coaling station at Tanjong Pagar an economic
asset but a military target
Triggered first serious effort to bring Singapores
defences up to standard
Forts and Coastal Artillery:
first Serious Local Defence
Rise of Imperial Germany
Russian threat ended by Russo-Japanese War (1904-5).
Formal settlement in Entente Treaty of 1907.
3 Lightning victorious wars in 7 years (1863-70): Prussia
beat Denmark, Austria and France
United Germany (1871) strongest and most dynamic
power on European Continent
Bismarcks Emperors League and Triple Alliance. Britain
had no firm major Western ally
Kaiser Wilhelm II and Weltpolitik
German colonialism look menacing. New Guinea &
Pacific islands, Shantung (China), SW and SE Africa
World War One
Britain withdrew all major forces to Europe
- German commerce raiding: The Emden attacked
Penang but bypassed Singapore
- The Indian Mutiny (Singapore 1915): Only regular army
unit in Singapore rampaged through town killing police
and white men. Europeans evacuated to ships
- British authorities helpless! S.O.S. allied ships, armed
Japanese community (and others). Johor sent help
Europe: France, Japan, Russia, China and US
supported Britain. Germany and allies defeated. Britain
and allies acquired many German colonies
Europe devastated, Britain exhausted, Singapore
prospered tremendously from war supply roles.
Empire expanded considerably but military reduced

Between the Wars
1921 Washington Naval Conference: US force British
and Japanese to limit navies
- US Navy equal with RN. 5:5:3 ratio
- British worst off: Anglo-Japanese Alliance terminated.
One-Ocean Navy with Two-Ocean responsibilities
Sembawang Naval Base (1923-?), Gibraltar of the East
- RN in Sembawang, RAF in Changi, Tengah and Seletar,
Army around Pasir Panjang
- Military spending = 20-25% of Singapores GDP
The Great Depression and rise of Fascism in Italy,
Germany and Japan
British, French and Dutch increasingly under pressure.
USA isolationist, USSRs position unclear

POINTER Malayan Campaign Monograph
Sembawang Naval Base
Base repeatedly reduced in size until it could not support
the RN Main Fleet even if it could come
- Japan unlikely to attack UNTIL the fleet cannot come
Air Force built Air Bases all over Malaya:
- Need 336 first-line aircraft. Got 100+ mostly obsolete
- Like ships, planes suppose to arrive when danger high
Army increased steadilly until there were 4 divisions
(under-strength) in Singapore
- No tanks, poorly trained, armed and led, spread out
London: Economic production outrank defence!
Churchill: In the worst case scenario, can depend on US
Pacific War Dec 1941
German success in Mediterranean: Australian
forces and RN trapped in Europe and Africa
US sanctions against Japan:
- Leave China or else
- June 1941: Japan decides on war
US Fleet devastated at Pearl Harbour
Singapore: Japans priority target in SE Asia
Britain sends scraps. Malaya and Singapore falls
in 70 days!
Singapores fate sealed by global trends. Local
weakness direct result of global trends
Lessons of WW2
(Revisionist)
3 years hell on earth for Singapore
Traditional story: Rise of national
consciousness- We must defend ourselves!
Suspicious minds
- There was no way Singapore could possibly
take on a world-class power on its own
- Singapore won the war!
- Not local effort but overwhelming force on our
side. Allies (USA, USSR, Br Empire, France,
China) far stronger than Axis (Germany, Italy,
Japan).
Conclusions
A 700 year military history. Teaches us so
much more
Complex relationship between economic
strategicness and military strategicness
Cycles of conflict always more
unforgiving than trade cycles?
How much is Singapores security today a
result of its own strength/ a result of its
membership on the stronger team?