| Place | Asia: Singapore, Changi |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | 116979 |
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white |
| Physical description | Black & white |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Singapore. 1945-09-09. The Changi aerodrome as seen from an approaching aircraft. This ...
Description
Singapore. 1945-09-09. The Changi aerodrome as seen from an approaching aircraft. This airfield was planned to help counter increasing numbers of Allied aircraft appearing over Singapore and anticipating an Allied attempt to re-take the island. The airfield was originally made for fighter aircraft and was constructed using thousands of mainly Australian Prisoners of War as slave labour on a 'levelling party' on the site of Birdwood Camp sports ground opposite Selarang Barracks.
The earth airstrip comprised a main runway, cross-runway and a dispersal road at its southern end. Construction took 22 months and was completed by 25 May 1945. The Memorial holds several 'trench art' items made by Australian POWs using parts of scrapped Imperial Japanese Army aircraft from Changi aerodrome.
The airfield was taken over the Royal Air Force (RAF) immediately at the end of the war with other British pre-war constructed airfields such as Kallang, Sembawang and Tengah. Since the war the airfield has been greatly extended through land reclaimation of the nearby seashore, resulting in the hugely successful and award winning Changi Airport.