After exploring the Tiong Bahru Heritage Trail, we joined a tour of the air raid shelter at Blk 78 Moh Guan Terrace. The 1500 square metre air raid shelter was built in 1939 and can hold 1600 people. It is the only pre-war air raid civilian shelter still in existence today.
Tiong Bahru was not the main target of Japanese bombing during WWII so the shelter was hardly used. People would enter the shelter through a trap door in the ceiling. That entrance is now sealed and it is in what is currently PS Cafe Petit.
The short tour was an eye-opener; I had no idea that something like this exists in Singapore. The air was musty and I felt claustrophic inside even though I was there for only 20 minutes. Can’t imagine what it would be like to hide there for hours, or even days! I don’t think I’d do very well in a war and I can only hope that the peace we enjoy in Singapore will not be rudely interrupted.
entrance
No Dumping
a glimpse inside
looking towards one of the storage rooms
shelves for storage
reserved for wardens
original door
supposed to hold 50 people in one room
trap door
Life in the Wee Hours 