YW BLOG

Lunch time talk with grandpa and War time lesson

Today after lunch I asked Grandpa " Why is Beach Road called 'Beach Road'?" The question was also posed to us at our kg glam trip on Wed. "Because its near the beach" says Grandpa. Of cos he knew as he had actually seen the place before it was reclaimed and it was truly a rocky beach.

Then he started sharing stories - some of which mummy also hasnt heard. Eg in Marine Parade at where Parkway Parade was, it used to be the sea. That one I know. But was surprising was that there were many old bungalows living by the sea there which had beach houses on stilts at the sea. What luxury! Imagine you can walk out from a huge garden and your own private beach and then to your own beach house where you can sit by the sea and dangle your legs out in the open !

But the beach houses were all bombed down during the World War II. The British (who ruled over us then) were afraid the Japanese will come by the sea and then popped up underneath the beach houses and sneakily come ashore. Hence these lovely beach houses didnt survive - even Grandpa didnt get to see them as what he did see was the concrete remains - after they were destroyed.

But alas ! This bombing was in vain as the Japanese didnt invade by the sea from the south. In stead they invaded Spore from the North via the Causeway from Malaysia. So all the preparations that Spore did in the south - at Sentosa, at Labrador Park with their war shelters and cannons were not put in use.

So we lost. Japanese conquered us. For a few years we were under their rule. Cruel rule as war turns everyone ugly.

Then the Americans bomb Hiroshima with the deadly atomic bomb. Some were hit directly. Those who did not but were in contact in the vicinity, suffered slowly as the flesh rots away a few days after. Ghastly too. And they had to purposely bomb the civilians too and not the soldiers. Its a deliberate act as if they bomb soldiers - there are so many of them spread all over and they are prepared to die. But if they bomb their family members and their loved ones, then they will feel the pain and victory becomes surer.

Yes this all sounds cruel. But war is cruel. IF they dont do it, how can the war end ? where would we be ? A difficult question indeed.

posted by CME @ 4:52 AM