Page 101 - Stories from our Grandparents

She had seven siblings and she was a child during
Mdm Indrani Born 1949 M y grandmother’s name is Chew Kah Cheow.
the Japanese invasion of World War Two.
By Yoghavarman s/o Saravanan A
Millennia Institute
“She frequently had to hide in the house to avoid
being captured by the Japanese. She remembers the
or this story I am going to give a recount of my grandmother’s
life due to her being born as a Chinese in Singapore during many loud explosions of airstrikes and fearful shouting
World War II. During World War II, the Singapore Chinese of men and women civilians in Singapore warning each
Fgave a lot of money, arms and troops to both the KMT and other about the coming of the Japanese army.”
the Chinese Communists to fight the Japanese. A large percentage
of the resistance funds came from the Straits Chinese. It was a nightmare. Especially so when her father, one of the bosses of a
local company was captured by the Japanese soldiers as they feared that
“When the Japanese successfully took Singapore from the the bosses would rally their men and rebel against the Japanese. He was
British, they began a series of massacres against the local never to be found again. Her mother was left to care for my grandmother
Singaporean Chinese called the “Sook Ching” massacre.” and her seven siblings.

A few years after, the invasion ended and the Japanese
The other races fared a lot better as the Japanese were keen to try and left, peace reigned and everyone rejoiced. My
show that they were “liberators” of the local populace instead of aggressors. grandmother remembered that it was one of the most
Throughout the Japanese occupation, the Singaporean Chinese were enjoyable times of her life as she finally could play
more brutalized than any other race due to the support given to China in fireworks outside the house and visit the local frog pond.
the war against the Japanese. Some Chinese parents were fearful of their She was happy.
children’s lives and surrendered them to Indian and Malay families. My
great grandparents gave up my grandmother to an Indian family to attempt But the hardships that she faced had not stopped there. My grandmother
to safeguard her life. My grandmother was hence, brought up by an Indian had to leave school at Primary three as her mother could not afford
family and she did not grow up with her biological family. It was only in education. Her oldest sister went the furthest in education even though
later years that she managed to track her biological family and managed to she stopped schooling after graduating from primary school, the rest went
interact with them. to work. My grandmother went to work as a printer with her mother when
she was 13. After many years of hardship, she fondly remembers the times
When I heard her story and saw how emotional she had gotten, I realised when she attended Lee Kuan Yew’s rallies by herself via free government
the significance of World War II and how ‘real’ it was only when I heard her transport. She was 34 then. She remembers that the peacefulness of
personal recount due to the peaceful life I am living in at the moment, where everyday life was admittedly mundane but was cherished as she was able to
the thought of war in Singapore seems like a far-fetched reality. spend much time with her loved ones without living in fear of the Japanese.

The Japanese Occupation was a significant period in Singapore’s
history. More importantly, these experiences likely led to a
heightened awareness of nationalism in Southeast Asia, and
played a significant role in making the idea of nationalism and Mdm Chew Kah Cheow
independence attractive to many people after the war. Born 1943

By Tan Kuan Xuan, Dexter
42 Grandma Stories Millennia Institute Grandma Stories 43