By Ng Yennzy, Pri 4, Tao Nan School
I thought it an admirable thing what artist Amanda Heng has done. The impact felt through actual recounts by the survivors of World War 2 would indeed hit the heart far greater than reading the same story off some print.
Although many of the survivors were relatively young at the time of the Japanese Occupation, the images of those tumultuous times still remain as much engraved in their minds, if not their souls. It just goes to show the emotional, mental and physical breakdown our people had to endure during those fallen times.
On the flipside of the coin, we do hear of the Japanese being mere humans too. But, why the sudden erratic behaviour by one such power culminating in their sweeping attempt to gain world dominance? These are questions we will need to ask ourselves to prevent history from repeating. My generation may not have gone through any war, but I definitely would not want my family or friends to experience the same living hell. Therefore, I choose to remember, I want to, I need to. We all do.
By Lim Li-Ang Liam, Pri 4, Tao Nan School
War has always irked and saddened me, having heard many horrible stories about World War 2, especially during the Japanese Occupation. The stories shared by Ms Amanda Heng confirm my sentiments.
Many suffered dearly during that trying period. Innocent people faced hunger, fear, torture, humiliation, death and worst of all, the agony of losing their loved ones. It really sends shivers up and down my spine. Fortunately, some survived to share these valuable stories, although almost all of them were traumatised mentally, physically, or both.
However, it was heartening to know that some survivors looked at the bright side of things during those trying times. For example, Margaret Philips and her mother made the best of the situation instead of complaining about it.
It also surprises me that not all Japanese soldiers were bad. Many of them were just ordinary people who missed their families back in Japan and wanted the war to end as soon as possible.
My maternal grandmother survived World War 2. Unfortunately, she passed on before I was born. Thus, I never had the chance to listen to her stories.
I think we can forgive but we can never forget all these memories.
By Celina Hitzel, Pri 5, Ngee Ann Primary School
After reading “Days of Despair”, I felt sad to know how much the people of Singapore had suffered during that period. It makes me wonder how often people think about this, as they take it for granted how safe and stable Singapore is today. The next time I am upset about things like being stuck on the train, I will remind myself that this is nothing compared to the hardships for Singaporeans during the time of the war and occupation.
Recently, my father asked me if I remembered our visit to the National Gallery. I had nearly forgotten that I went there. But when he mentioned the empty room where the Japanese signed the document of surrender, I immediately remembered how I felt standing there gazing at the table and chair, imagining how it must have been like to be in that room at that very moment when it happened.
So now, seventy-five years later, it is very easy to forget about the pain and horror during those dark times. We just have to open our eyes and see what is happening in Syria, to remind ourselves that peace and security need constant work.