Page 280
Page 280
252
Appendix No. 4.
SINGAPORE.
to be continued to Middle Island, Freshwater Island, and the Cyrene Shoal, to protect the establish- ments in the harbour from bombardment from the west.
Land Defences.
Page 280
Detailed scheme to bo
99. The task of designing and constructing the sea defences of Singapore was of such an onerous drawn up on the spot. character, that I had little or no opportunity of going into the question of the land defences, except in a general way. Whilst laying down, therefore, the broad scheme of defence, as seems most convenient for the situation, I would suggest that the Royal Engineer officer on the spot be instructed to draw up a detailed scheme for submission to the War Office.
Conditions of attack.
Roads of approach.
Posts of observation, and outposts.
Positions for outposts.
Opposition to enemy's landing.
Inundations.
Natural obstacles covering the town.
Division of the town.
Portion to be defended.
General description of eastern section.
Entrenchments on right flank.
100. The nature of the attack for which provision must be made would be one consisting of a small special expedition (see p. 243), or of a brigade landed from the enemy's squadron. The operation would necessarily be short and decisive, and not of a prolonged description, so that the project of defence for our consideration is to occupy a zone of country with previously prepared field-works and entrenchments, in the most convenient manner to beat off a field force, depending upon its immediate success or failure to advance or retreat.
101. Four main roads lead from the back of the island to the town, viz., Bukit Timah Road; the Selitar or Thomson Road; the Sirangun Road, and the Changi Road. The general character of the country on either side of these roads is that of patches of land under cultivation by squatters, alter- nating with belts of jungle and tracks of tall lalang grass growing on sites of abandoned gambier plantations. The roads are all in good condition, and will admit of the transport of field artillery.
102. Assuming that the fact of an enemy having landed has been conveyed by telegram or mounted orderly to the Commandant, it will be advisable to push forward posts of observation on the road by which the enemy will be advancing, whilst strong outposts take up a position in entrenchments strengthened by obstacles of approach. The posts of observation may consist of the native police of the particular district with their European officers, as they will be familiar with the jungle and country generally, and need not therefore keep to the road.
103. The best positions for the outpost entrenchments would be, in the case of the two easterly roads, where they cross the Kalang River, the bridges over which should be destroyed; in the case of the Selitar Road, where it crosses the Balestier River, which could be dammed up, and the sluices of the large reservoir in its upper part (and which supplies the town) opened on the project of an enemy's landing, so that the country could be inundated and the road broken up. In the case of the Bukit Timah Road a position could be taken up, to the east of Tanglin, or Cluny Hill, which commands the open flat ground through which the road here passes.
104. The torpedo launches of the Government steamer may be concealed in the mangrove creeks at the back of the island, ready to act against the enemy's ships, but it will be unadvisable to scatter the available forces with a view to opposing his landing, whilst the absence of lateral roads prevents the employment of a moveable column unless under circumstances of much difficulty.
105. I may remark that, in respect to the inundations which I have proposed here and elsewhere, that where the ground will admit of such a plan being adopted, the natives and Chinese have built their houses on mangrove and bamboo piling, as the heavy rains prevalent in Singapore often them- selves effect an inundation of the country. The outposts being forced to retire, we come to the consideration of what should be the main line of defence.
106. From a tracing attached,* showing in sienna the principal roads in the neighbourhood of the town, it will be seen that the natural obstacles which cover the town and harbour are Fort Canning Hill, the Singapore River, Pearl's Hill, Mount Farquhar, and Cemetery Hill; a mangrove swamp through which rims the road leading to the New Harbour inner wharves; Mount Faber and spurs to the westward extending to Belayer River; and the high ground on the other side of that river on which it is proposed to construct battery Passir Panjang.
107. As will be seen from the tracing,* the town is divided into two parts by the Singapore River. On the right bank stands the principal, or commercial, portion of the town, in which are the business premises of the Europeans, the Banks, and the Exchange; and on the other bank, beyond the Orchard Road, is a large Settlement of small native traders. In the open space between these two business centres are situated the Government Offices, the Courts of Justice, the Town Hall, the Cathedral, the Hotels, and many large Chinese shops and gambier godowns.
108. To attempt to defend the native Settlement would require greater forces than we would have available, as it is of large extent, quite flat, and very scattered. Neither is it really worth defending, and, being defenceless and of the character it is, an enemy would, no doubt, hesitate about firing it, as its destruction would have no moral effect, and be no great calamity to the Colony. I therefore recom- mend that the commercial town and space between that and the Orchard Road should alone be defended, and I have shown in red on the tracing* the general line of defence which should be taken up. This I will now describe more particularly, and, in the first instance, will consider that section of the line which covers with its left flank the valuable premises of the Tanjong Pagar Company, and extends across the river to the Orchard Road.
109. The main features of this section are the presence of Fort Canning on the right and two strong artillery redoubts on Pearl's Hill and Cemetery Hill, the three centres being connected by entrenchments and entrenched positions, preceded by abatis, entanglements and inundations. The redoubts should be of a permanent character, but the entrenchments, &c., may be improvised when required.
110. Commencing on the right, we find a small stream running along the Orchard Road between fairly high banks and controlled for flushing purposes by a sluice at its mouth. By shutting this sluice and removing the bridges, we will have a wet ditch some 8 feet deep to cover the right flank of our line. Parallel to the ditch, the walls and buildings will be put in a state of defence, whilst the main roads
* Not printed.
1
{
1
j
}
។
Page 280
Page 280Page 281
1-
12 24 A
a
.t
P
a
0
f
ng (1)
1
e
e
r
1
7
And he to m
T
T
f
f
;
1 Y AY
3