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Veterans and dignitories honour war dead in Singapore

Veterans and dignitories in Singapore are honouring the memory of Allied soldiers killed or missing in the battle to defend Singapore.

Today marks the 60th anniversary of Singapore's surrender to the Japanese, as Geoff Thompson reports:

"The view from the Kranji Memorial to the missing, looks out over a cemetery where more than one-thousand Australians are buried. Beyond that, across a short stretch of ocean Malaysia can be seen. It was from there that allied troops retreated to fortress Singapore 60-years ago in the belief that it was impregnable to Japanese invasion. But, after 70-days of battle, the taking of Singapore took just a week, leading to the surrender of 130-thousand allied troops, 15-thousand of them Australians. It's on top of Kranji Cemetery's grassy hill that today wreaths of poppies are being laid and bagpipes are being played sounding over the dead and the island they fought to defend.

15/02/2002 20:15:17 | ABC Radio Australia News

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