Cell door number plate : Changi Gaol

Brass number plate attached to the door of a cell at Changi Gaol. The rectangular plate has a screw hole at each corner, with the numeral '3' impressed in the centre. The numeral is picked out in black paint, and the entire plate appears to have been coated with lacquer at some time.

Brass Number plate taken from the door of Cell 3 at Changi Gaol. Changi Gaol was the civilian prison of Singapore prior to the war, and after the Japanese invasion was primarily used to hold civilian internees (most military prisoners of war at ‘Changi’ were held in other sites on the Changi peninsula, such as Selarang Barracks.) Post-war, the gaol reverted to its original role, but was eventually closed and largely demolished in 2004 to allow for redevelopment.