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Local hero who rallied to the Chinese cause when Sino-Japan wars broke out

Led Force 136, a Malayan spy group for the British during the war

Did not escape capture while he could because he wanted to warn his comrades

Subjected to three months torture and extremely harsh living conditions, but did not betray secrets or comrades or his principles of non-cooperation with the enemy

His death supposedly provided impetus to the Japanese wardens to improve their imprisonment conditions

Colonel Richard Broome's eulogy on Lim: "he died so that Singapore and Malaya might be the home of free people who could once again enjoy peace, prosperity and happiness."

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Text A: Yap, S. Y., Bose, R., Pang, A., Singh, K., Lim, L, & Foo, G. (2011) Fortress Singapore –the Battlefield Guide. 4th Edition. Singapore: Marhsall Cavendish Eds. pp.110‐111.

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Text A: Yap, S. Y., Bose, R., Pang, A., Singh, K., Lim, L, & Foo, G. (2011) Fortress Singapore –the Battlefield Guide. 4th Edition. Singapore: Marhsall Cavendish Eds. pp.110‐111.

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Information on Lim Bo Seng Memorial from Fortress Singapore: The Battlefield Guide (2011), p. 110-111

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Texts B-D: Show, Clara. (2004). Lim Bo Seng ‐ Singapore's Best‐Known War Hero. (5th edition.)Singapore: Asiapac.

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Texts B-D: Show, Clara. (2004). Lim Bo Seng ‐ Singapore's Best‐Known War Hero. (5th edition.)Singapore: Asiapac.

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Comic version of his biography: Lim Bo Seng -- Singapore's Best-Known War Hero (2004) by Clara Show.

'Test of True Courage' (p. 75-94) (Refer to SLS Course)

Text B: Show, Clara. (2004). Lim Bo Seng ‐ Singapore's Best‐Known War Hero. (5th edition.) Singapore: Asiapac. pp.75‐94

'Bittersweet Victory' (p. 96-110)

Text D: Show, Clara. (2004). Lim Bo Seng ‐ Singapore's Best‐Known War Hero. (5th edition.).
Singapore: Asiapac. pp.96‐110

His eulogy and memorial (p. 114-117)

Text C: Show, Clara. (2004). Lim Bo Seng ‐ Singapore's Best‐Known War Hero. (5th edition.).
Singapore: Asiapac. pp.114‐117.

Note: The information mentions explicit torture methods

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Local war heroine, who as a canteen operator in a hospital passed parcels to prisoners of war because she believed in helping others

Known for surviving imprisonment and torture by the Kempetai for over 200 days

Refused to give names to implicate other innocents

Sustained by her strong faith; demonstrated a strong sense of empathy for those around her

She was released as the Japanese were impressed by her courage and reputation for altruism.

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Text E: Obituary from Telegraph newspaper

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Text E: Obituary from Telegraph newspaper

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Use trial to access article

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Elizabeth Choy, who died on September 14 aged 95, risked her life supplying medicine, money and messages to British civilians interned in Singapore's Changi Jail during the Second World War.

She and her husband, Choy Khun Heng, who were running a canteen, incurred further risk by sending in radio parts for hidden receivers on a daily ambulance run until the Japanese instituted a crackdown after a British-Australian commando raid sank seven Japanese ships outside the harbour in September 1943.

The Kempeitai, the Japanese military police, suspected that the raiders had acted on information sent out from Changi by a transmitter, and seized 57 internees on October 10, setting in motion what became known as "The Massacre of the Double Tenth". Fifteen subsequently died from torture and maltreatment, but no transmitter was ever found.

Elizabeth Choy's husband was arrested first, and when she was lured to the YMCA in the hope of seeing him, she found herself placed with 20 men in a cramped, bug-infested cage that had a single commode, which also had to be used for drinking.

Slapped, kicked, spat at and subjected to electric shock treatment, which left her reluctant to touch a light switch ever after, she refused to confess.

Although unable to suppress her screams or stop the tears rolling down her face, she insisted that she was merely helping those in need and always walked back to her cell with resolution. Eventually her courage and reputation for altruism impressed the Kempeitai, who released her after 193 days - though her husband, who was sentenced to 12 years, did not come out until the Japanese surrendered.

When they did, in 1945, Elizabeth Choy was invited by Lady Mountbatten to witness the official ceremony, where she was escorted by the governor, Sir Shenton Thomas, and his wife, to whom she had sent medicine in Changi. The Choys were invited to England to recuperate, and appointed OBE.

While her husband returned to his job and did not accompany her, Elizabeth Choy made the journey. She met Queen Elizabeth and Princess Elizabeth. Lady Baden-Powell awarded her the Girl Guides' highest honour, the Bronze Cross, and the Rajah of Sarawak presented her with the Order of Sarawak.

The daughter of a Christian district officer, Yong Su-Moi was born on October 29 1910 at Kudat, British North Borneo. She became an Anglican at boarding school, where she took the name Elizabeth, and went to complete her education at Raffles College in Singapore; but her family could not afford the fees, so she started to teach, first at St Margaret's School and then at St Andrew's. Her lifelong interest in social work was stimulated by the learning difficulties she found among pupils from difficult home backgrounds.

In August 1941 she married Choy Khun Heng, a book-keeper employed by the Borneo Company. The couple set up house in Mackenzie Road, where she was to live for the rest of her life. She became a volunteer nurse with the Medical Auxiliary Service as the Japanese invaded Malaya; and when the attack on the island began in February 1942, the couple found their home looted after its back had been blown off.

Singapore's citizens were ordered to report to police stations, where they were subjected to the sook ching, a clean-up operation to screen out anti-Japanese elements. Her teenage brother was one of those secretly massacred.

Since the Choys had lost their jobs, they set up their canteen at the Miyako hospital, a former mental institution, where they soon started a regular ambulance run for British civilian internees.

On returning to Singapore after her visit to Britain in 1945 Elizabeth Choy resumed teaching, and became involved in the political developments preceding independence.

From 1951 to 1955 she was nominated by the Governor to the Legislative Council, where she spoke frequently on behalf of the poor and needy, and campaigned for the development of social services and family planning. Her war-time experiences had inculcated in her the belief that civil development required effective protection from aggressors. She served as a second lieutenant in the women's auxiliary of the Singapore Volunteer Corps, where she acquired the nickname "Gunner Choy".

In 1953 she represented Singapore at the Coronation, and undertook for the Foreign Office a North American lecture tour to explain the aspirations of the people of Singapore and Malaya. To brief herself she insisted on travelling to the trouble spots of Malaya, which were grappling with Communist insurgents. Both her audiences and the press were captivated by her charm, eloquence and beauty as she affirmed the key values which the West shared with South East Asia.

Her teaching career at St Andrew's continued until 1973, except for a four-year spell as principal of Singapore's School for the Blind. After her retirement she improved her languages and travelled. She continued with social work and school visits into her nineties, impressing young Singaporeans with the need to maintain strong national defence.

Elizabeth Choy's husband died in 1973; she is survived by three adopted daughters.

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Elizabeth Choy, who died on September 14 aged 95, risked her life supplying medicine, money and messages to British civilians interned in Singapore's Changi Jail during the Second World War.

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An ex-police officer who posed as a vegetable seller to access POW territory to smuggle out papers

In his memoir, he describes what he witnessed (the conditions in which Indian soldiers were humiliated and imprisoned to break their spirit, because they would not join the Japanese-sponsored Indian National Army (INA)), and the anger against the Japanese, the empathy he felt for the men and desire to obtain justice on their behalf.

In his own words, for 'duty, righteousness and humanity'.

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Chief Inspector Halford Boudewyn receiving the Colonial ...

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HALFORD BOUDEWYN RECEIVING THE COLONIAL POLICE MEDAL (SILVER) FROM GOVERNOR OF SINGAPORE, SIR FRANKLIN CHARLES GIMSON Chief Inspector Halford Boudewyn receiving ...

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Texts F-J: From Duty Bound -- A Singapore War Hero Remembered by David Miller (2014).

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Texts F-J: From Duty Bound -- A Singapore War Hero Remembered by David Miller (2014).

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Assisted memoir from his notes, written as a first-person narrative. His voice comes through strongly and conveys his passion against injustice, and the sense of duty which compelled him.

Text F: Miller, David. (2014) Duty Bound ‐ A Singapore War Hero Remembered. Singapore: DMBooks. pp.143‐145  (Refer to SLS Course)

Text G: Miller, David. (2014) Duty Bound ‐ A Singapore War Hero Remembered. Singapore: DMBooks. pp.91‐92.  (Refer to SLS Course)

Text H: Miller, David. (2014) Duty Bound ‐ A Singapore War Hero Remembered. Singapore: DMBooks. pp.93‐97.  (Refer to SLS Course)

Text I: Miller, David. (2014) Duty Bound ‐ A Singapore War Hero Remembered. Singapore: DMBooks. pp.62‐66.  (Refer to SLS Course)

Text J: Miller, David. (2014) Duty Bound ‐ A Singapore War Hero Remembered. Singapore: DMBooks. pp.68‐71.  (Refer to SLS Course)

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David Miller, Advent, Year of the Tiger, Singapore, war, bioterrorism, Books by David Miller in Singapore, Amazon, book, ebook

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Japanese government official who was formerly jailed by the British as a spy

Helped locals to survive mistreatment by his compatriots

Unexpected hero who was not confined from empathising with others

Attributes his motives to the humane treatment he received from the British while he was jailed by them

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Text K: Lee G. B. (2017) Syonan: Singapore Under the Japanese 1942 to 1945, p.143, rev. edition. Singapore: Singapore Heritage Society and Landmark Books

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Text K: Lee G. B. (2017) Syonan: Singapore Under the Japanese 1942 to 1945, p.143, rev. edition. Singapore: Singapore Heritage Society and Landmark Books

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Syonan Singapore Under the Japanese 1942-1945, p. 143, by Lee G. B. (2017), rev. edition

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Syonan Singapore Under The Japanese 1942

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To the generation of Singapore residents who lived through the Japanese Occupation, it was not at all clear that they were experiencing a turning point in their history. The period, to them, was about the brutality of Japanese military administration, of deprivation and about fear of the future. Mos…

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Mamoru Shinozaki (b. 19 February 1908, Fukuoka, Japan–d. 1991, location unknown) came to Singapore in 1938 as a Japanese government official. He was convicted and jailed for espionage in 1940, and released after Singapore surrendered to the Japanese during World War II. Appointed to roles such as ad…

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A Nazi Party member and an opportunist businessman, he did not fit the profile for a wartime rescuer

Though his motives may be debatable, he did save a significant number of people, ran risks doing it and did not do it to seek recognition.

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Text L: Profile from the Holocaust Encyclopedia

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Text L: Profile from the Holocaust Encyclopedia

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Oskar Schindler | Holocaust Encyclopedia

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Oskar Schindler’s actions to protect Jews during the Holocaust saved over 1,000 Jews from deportation. Learn more about Schindler’s List.

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Note: Facilitators may wish to skip the segment where Oskar Schindler's philandering ways are mentioned (14:45-16:15; 36:15-36:35).

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Oskar Schindler: The Man Behind the List (1998 Full A&E Biography Documentary)

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Halford Lovell Boudewyn (b. 1921–d. 26 April 1998, Singapore) was a long-serving police officer. During the Japanese Occupation, he risked his life by storing classified documents stolen from the Indian National Army. He also secretly gathered and shared war news censored by the Japanese, using an i…

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Elizabeth Choy is best known as a war heroine. During the Japanese Occupation, she risked her life by smuggling supplies and messages to prisoners-of-war held at Changi Jail. She was also an educator and a politician.

Born in British North Borneo, Elizabeth's great-grandparents had migrated from Hong Kong, through their work with German missionaries. Her first language was Kadazan, learned from her nanny, but later she moved to Singapore, where she excelled in her studies and became a teacher.

During World War II, Elizabeth and her husband ran a canteen at what is now Woodbridge Hospital. They secretly carried food, medicine, money, letters and radios to British prisoners-of-war.

In 1943 the pair was arrested, accused of being British sympathisers. Elizabeth was held for 193 excruciating days, her husband for much longer. Locked in a small cell crammed with men, Elizabeth endured repeated torture, including electric shocks and being pumped with water. Later she would recount suffering such pain that tears rolled down her face, but she refused to break, and never revealed the names of anyone she had assisted.

After the war the British Red Cross invited Elizabeth to England. As the only female Singaporean to have been incarcerated for such a long time, she was hailed as a war heroine and awarded the Order of the British Empire. The Girl Guides awarded her the Bronze Cross, the movement's highest honour, in recognition of her valour during the war.

In Britain, Elizabeth studied and taught. Lacking the finances to pursue her dream to study art, she instead posed for art. Many years later when back in Singapore, she made headlines when she allowed a nude photograph of herself to be displayed at a local exhibition.

Elizabeth returned to Singapore in 1949, where she soon became active in the political changes leading to the nation's independence. She made history by becoming the first and only woman member of the Legislative Council.

In 1955, having served a full five term as a Legislative Councillor, Elizabeth left politics, believing she could do more as a teacher. During the 1950s she was also instrumental in expanding the Singapore Volunteers Corps, and in 1956, she broke new ground, founding the Singapore School for the Blind and working as its first principal.

Always a compassionate and dedicated teacher, Elizabeth was awarded the Pingat Bakti Setia (a long-service medal) by the Government of Singapore in 1973, for her service to the profession.

She was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer shortly before her death, in 2006.

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Elizabeth Choy - Singapore Women's Hall of Fame

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Elizabeth Choy is best known as a war heroine. During the Japanese Occupation, she risked her life by smuggling supplies and messages to prisoners-of-war held at Changi Jail. She was also an educator and a politician. Born in British North Borneo, Elizabeth's great-grandparents had migrated from Hong Kong, through their work with German missionaries.

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Stories of anti-Japanese overseas Chinese during WWII: Lim Bo Seng

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Stories of anti-Japanese overseas Chinese during WWII: Lim Bo Seng

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Stories of anti-Japanese overseas Chinese during WWII

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The Bravery of Local Resistance 1942-1945: Elizabeth Choy (SLS)

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The Bravery of Local Resistance 1942-1945: Elizabeth Choy (SLS)

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Mamoru Shinozaki was born in 19 February 1908 in Fukuoka Japan. He came to Singapore as a government official. He was convicted and jailed for espionage in 1940 and released only after the japanese surrendered to Singapore during world war ll.

Appointed to roles such as adviser of Defence Headquarters, chief education officer and chief welfare officer during the Japanese Occupation (1942–45), Shinozaki became known for issuing protection cards to save lives during the Sook Ching operation as well as for his involvement in the Endau and Bahu

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After the war, Shinozaki was a witness in several war crimes trials, including that of Japanese officers involved in Sook Ching.⁴ Shinozaki was later criticised for downplaying casualty figures of the Sook Ching massacre,⁵ and alleged to have given an inaccurate account of the formation of the Oversea Chinese Association.

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Shinozaki was born in Fukuoka, Japan. His father owned a coalmine, and his childhood was spent under the care of his grandmother who wanted Shinozaki to become a monk. However, his father opposed the idea. As a teen, Shinozaki was interested in socialism, reading the works of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, and was expelled from his high school in Kyoto for joining a banned socialist group.⁷

Nevertheless, Shinozaki resumed his studies a year later, enrolling in a journalism course at Meiji University. After graduating in 1931, Shinozaki joined the Denpo Tsushinsha (later known as Domei Tsushinsha), a Japanese news agency. He was posted to Shanghai, China, in 1934, and subsequently worked in the Chinese cities of Nanking and Hankow. In Hankow, he joined the Japanese Foreign Office as a press attaché, and was eventually posted to Berlin in 1936. Two years later, Shinozaki was transferred to the staff of the Japanese consulate general in Singapore as a press attaché.⁸

Espionage conviction in prewar Singapore
In Singapore, Shinozaki’s initial role was to provide updates for Japanese newspapers, but he was later asked to report to the Japanese government on local conditions and British military defence.⁹ He socialised with British servicemen stationed in Singapore, often holding parties for them at his residence on Wareham Road. Shinozaki’s close contact with the servicemen, coupled with the heightened British concern over Japanese presence in Singapore at the time, built the case for the Special Branch (today’s Internal Security Department) to place Shinozaki under surveillance from July 1940.¹⁰

On 21 September 1940, Shinozaki was arrested by the Special Branch. Earlier that month, Shinozaki had led two Japanese military officers – Lieutenant Colonel Tanikawa Kazuo, a senior Army General Staff planning officer, and his assistant, Captain Kunitake Teruhito – to various locations in Singapore, Malacca and parts of Johor including Kota Tinggi and Mersing. The purpose of the trip was to survey military installations and study the British defence capability. Among the observations gathered during the tour included the lack of defence in the northwestern part of Singapore and the heavy defence in the south to guard against an attack by sea. Colonel Masanobu Tsuji, chief officer of the research unit that planned the Japanese invasion of Malaya, later recounted in his memoir that the two officers had provided “important suggestions” pertaining to Malaya.

Shinozaki was found guilty on two charges under the Official Secrets Ordinance: soliciting military information from a British Army serviceman that would be useful to a foreign power; and collecting information regarding troop movements that would be prejudicial to the interests of the British Empire. He was sentenced to three-and-a-half years of rigorous imprisonment and a $1,000 fine or an additional six months’ simple imprisonment. Shinozaki was incarcerated in Changi Prison.