S N N P C C ♥, Together, Everybody Achieves More!

Monday, January 30

Sec 3 Squad 2012 Activity Outline (01/02/12)

Sec 3 Squad Activity Outline (01/02/12)

Time/Activity:
1600-1800 Skills Training

Remarks:
Please gather at the NP Room by 3.30pm and eat a heavy lunch before coming. Ensure that your attire is of standard and your hair is neatly pinned up. Pls remember to bring a water bottle each. Thank you,

Sec 2 Squad 2012 NCOs
Boon Siew Kei

Joyce Khoh Wei Min

Sec 2 Squad 2012 Activity Outline (01/02/12)

Sec 2 Squad Activity Outline (01/02/12)

Time/Activity:
1600-1800 Drills (Half U)

Remarks:
Please gather at the NP Room by 3.30pm and eat lunch before coming. Ensure that your uniform is neat and your boots are polished. Thank you.

Sec 2 Squad 2012 NCOs
Rao Shuna
Tay Yi Teng

Sunday, January 29

Sec 1 Squad 2012 Activity Outline (01/02/12)

Sec 1 Squad Activity Outline (01/02/12)

Time/Activity:
1600-1730 Knots and Lashings lesson (PT kit)
1730-1800 Squad Interaction (PT kit)

Remarks:
Please gather at the NP room by 3.45pm and eat a heavy lunch before coming for activity.

Sec 1 Squad 2012 NCOs
Chelsea Ong Si Ying
Chua Haoying Michelle

Friday, January 27

Sec 3 Squad 2012 Activity Outline (27/01/12)

Sec 3 Squad Activity Outline (27/01/12)

Time/Activity:
1545-1630 Muster Parade (Full U)
1630-1730 Unit PT (PT Kit)
1730-1830 Welcome Party (PT Kit)

Remarks:
Please gather at the NP Room by 3.30pm and eat a heavy lunch before coming. Ensure that your uniform is polished and up to standard. Thank you.

Sec 2 Squad 2012 NCOs
Boon Siew Kei

Joyce Khoh Wei Min

Wednesday, January 25

Sec 2 Squad 2012 Activity Outline (27/01/12)

Sec 2 Squad Activity Outline (27/01/12)

Time/Activity:
1545-1630 Muster Parade (Full U)
1630-1730 Unit PT (PT Kit)
1730-1830 Welcome Party (PT Kit)

Remarks:
Please gather at the NP Room by 3.30pm and eat lunch before coming. Ensure that your uniform is polished. Thank you.

Sec 2 Squad 2012 NCOs
Rao Shuna
Tay Yi Teng

Tuesday, January 17

Sec 4 Squad 2012 Activity Outline (18/01/12)

Sec 4 Squad Activity Outline (18/01/12)

Time/Activity:
1600-1800 Combined drills (Half U)

Remarks:
Please gather at the NP Room at 3.45p.m sharp. Have a heavy lunch and drink plenty of water before coming down for activity. Remember to polish your boots.

Thank you.
Sec 4 Squad 2012 NCO
Charmaine Chrisandra Lee XinHua

Sec 2 Squad 2012 Activity Outline (18/01/12)

Sec 2 Squad Activity Outline (18/01/12)

Time/Activity:
1600-1800 Drills (Half U)

Remarks:
Please gather at the NP Room at 3.45p.m and eat lunch before coming. Ensure that your uniform is neat and polished. Thank you.

Sec 2 Squad 2012 NCOs
Rao Shuna
Tay Yi Teng

Sec 3 Squad 2011 Activity Outline (18/01/12)

Sec 3 Squad Activity Outline (18/01/12)

Time/Activity:
1600-1800 Combined drills (Half U)

Remarks:
Those going for CC training will not be joining the squad for combined drills. After reporting attendance, those going for CC training can proceed to their training while the rest are to fall in at the upper carpark. Please gather at the NP Room at 3.45p.m and drink plenty of water before coming. Also, please ensure that your uniform is neat and your boots are polished.

Thank you.
Sec 3 Squad 2012 NCOs
Boon Siew Kei
Joyce Khoh Wei Min

Sunday, January 15

National Heritage Project Part 3

Introduction:

Labrador Nature Reserve contains many historical relics from World War II and earlier, left behind by the British. The entire nature reserve, together with the current park, was used to be called Pasir Panjang Beach, or Long Beach.

The old British fort, the Fort Pasir Panjang, was located on the cliff next to the sea as the cliff’s high vantage point allowed for better protection of the harbours of Singapore.

In World War 2, Labrador Park became one of nine sites in which the British had set up their batteries, and was part of the British overall defense system for Singapore as the steep cliffs and thick mangrove swamps acted as natural barriers against intruders. The area was very heavily defended but alas, the site did not see much action during the war as the Japanese arrived from the Northern coast, not the Southern coast as the British had expected. Hence, no Japanese ships passed through the area at all and the heavy military equipment at the fort was unused.

In 1995, the site was gazette by the National Heritage Board as one of the 11 World War 2 sites in Singapore.

National Heritage Project Part 2

War History

Fort Pasir Panjang:

Fort Pasir Panjang was an old British fort located on the hill and cliff that was next to the sea. Another old British fort was Fort Siloso on Pulau Blakang Mati (now Sentosa). It was found that the steep cliffs and thick mangrove swamps surrounding the Fort Pasir Panjang acted as an ideal natural barrier to intruders. It was one of nine sites in which the British set up their batteries, and it is part of the British’s overall defence system for Singapore.

In the late 1930s, war was going on in Northern Asia, particularly China and Manchuria, with the onslaught of the Second Sino-Japanese War. It was then that the British conducted a review of the beach defences. Findings showed that Pasir Panjang Beach would be an easy place for the enemy to land. As a result, the government obtained the land, and redeveloped it into Fort Pasir Panjang.

The job of the fort then was only to provide a place for shelter and ammunition storage for the British troops. It was also near where the Battle of Pasir Panjang took place. When the British Armed Forces surrendered to the Japanese in 1942, the equipment at the fort was dismantled, closed down and abandoned. After the occupation was over, the fort still remained closed.

Machine gun posts:

Machine gun posts and barbed wire entanglements were built, together with a fence running along the beach. The guns that faced the sea were also upgraded. Two six inch 37-ton guns, which could fire 102 lb shells 10 miles, were installed in 1938, together with searchlights that faced the sea.

With military installations, guns facing the sea and the natural thick mangrove swamp, the British made the beach an “impenetrable fortress”, making it extremely difficult for enemy ships and troops to enter Singapore via that area. It would have been proven very useful in combating the enemies against coastal attacks.

(Machine Gun Post)

(Gun emplacement of a QF 6-inch Mk II rifled Breech Loading gun)

Tunnels:

In 2001, two tunnels were also discovered within the park. Safely tucked away in the nature reserve, these tunnels were used by the British Army during World War II. They were located beneath the old fort, and were probably storage for ammunition and supplies, as well as a hideout for British troops. One of the tunnels was hit twice - once by Japanese soldiers and the other time by departing British troops in an attempt to prevent their enemy from getting the ammunition stored there. It is believed that there was a tunnel under the sea leading to Fort Siloso on Sentosa Island (Pulau Blakang Mati) back in the days when Sentosa was nothing more than a British military set-up. Today, the tunnel is flooded and inaccessible.

National Heritage Project Part 1

Maritime History:

Dragon’s teeth gate

Dragon's Teeth Gate is a craggy granite outcrop which formerly stood at the gateway to Keppel Harbour. Long Ya Men was known locally by the Malays in earlier times as Batu Berlayar which means Sailing Rock. Ships have to sail through the Dragon teeth gate, in between the two stones to reached Keppel Harbor.

The Keppel passageway was used by Asian and early European sailors and traders for hundreds of years to sail past Singapore. Moreover, the Dragon teeth gate served as navigational aids to ancient mariners who sailed through the swift waters of the narrow passageway between it.

However, in the 17th century, the passageway was abandoned in favour of the wider and more open Main Straits. Thus, for a brief period of time it was forgotten, until, William Farquhar re-discovered it. The Dragon teeth gate poses a danger to the ships, especially when the sea is choppy. The two rock outcrops were subsequently blown up by the Straits Settlements Surveyor, in August 1848 in order to widen the entrance to the new harbor.

In 2005, a 6m high stone replica of Long Ya Men was put up near its original site, as a part of a three-month-long celebration of the 600th anniversary of Zheng He's maiden voyage, which begun in Nanjing, China.

Beryalar Beacon:

The red Berlayar Beacon, was installed in around 1930 and is about 7m tall, it was used as a navigation point for ships as it marks the shortest distance between Pulau Blakang Mati (now Sentosa) and mainland Singapore. However, prior to 2005, it was almost demolished by the authorities. Fortunately the Singapore Heritage Society appealed successfully, and the replica of the Dragon Tooth, which was supposed to replace the beacon as a commemoration for the 600th anniversary of Zheng He’s first voyage, was put up in another nearby location also known as the Long Ya Men.

A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location. It helps to guide navigators to their destinations. Types of navigational beacons include radar reflectors, radio beacons, sonic and visual signals.( the Berlayar beacon is a type of light beacon).

Underwater mines:

Underwater mines were laid between Fort Pasir Panjang and Fort Siloso and at the eastern entrance of the harbour. The mines were tethered to the seabed but floated dangerously under the surface of the water unseen to any enemy marine vessels. To enable safe passage of ships, a 'friendly safe channel' was created through the minefields.

References:

http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/index.php?option=com_visitorsguide&task=naturereserves&id=48&Itemid=75

http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/docs/diy_guide/Labrador_guide.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labrador_Nature_Reserve

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Pasir_Panjang

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3536/3731787314_163a23532d.jpg

http://www.watertours.com.sg/images/7771.jpg

http://visualparadox.com/images/no-linking-allowed-main/dangerouswaters.jpg

http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/plants/sea_almond.htm
http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/plants/sea_almond.htm

http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/plants/sea_poison.htm

http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/plants/coastal/syzygium/grande.htm

http://remembersingapore.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/labrador-park-tunnel.jpg?w=640&h=456

Sec 3 Squad 2012

Thursday, January 12

Campcraft Team 2012

We are proud to announce that the following cadets have been chosen to represent our unit for the upcoming campcraft competition:

Ng Luo Wei
Gu Dian
Beatrice Wong
Genevieve Halim
Kimberly Goh
Jacinta Chuah
Jasmine Lim
Karina Kong
Rachel Lau
Lee Jia Yi
Li Jia Xin
Gladys Sin
Tan Hui Min

Congratulations and we look forward to you training hard as a team.

Evelyn
Pan Shin