The National Heritage Board’s Battle for Singapore Dives into Maritime Heritage and Untold Stories

Singapore’s wartime past will be explored

Battle for Singapore 2026 Visuals (Photos Courtesy of National Heritage Board)

(Singapore, 9 February 2026) Uncharted waters, restricted sites and untold stories of Singapore’s wartime past will be explored at the National Heritage Board (NHB)’s annual Battle for Singapore. Running from 21 February to 8 March 2026, this edition features a line-up of tours, talks, exhibitions and experiences, including the first maritime-themed tour offered under Battle for Singapore. The programmes, presented by Museum Roundtable members, government agencies, heritage organisations and researchers, offer a diverse range of experiences that span from boat tours at sea to walking trails on land. These include both free and paid programmes, for which Singaporeans can utilise SG Culture Pass credits.

With over 30 programmes, Battle for Singapore will commemorate the 84th anniversary of the fall of Singapore and uncover new stories and aspects of our heritage. Diving into stories of wartime evacuations in February 1942, this year’s signature programme Passages at Last Light: Singapore's WWII Maritime Evacuation Routes retraces the general route taken by boats fleeing Singapore as men, women and children attempted to escape heavy bombing and shelling on the mainland. For the first time, this maritime-themed experience under Battle for Singapore will take participants from the Singapore Maritime Gallery to the open waters near St. John's Island and the Sisters' Islands, (below) including a disembarkation at the bigger Sisters' Island, for an immersive historical storytelling around the locations where evacuation attempts and naval encounters took place.

Sisters' Islands (Floyd Cowan Photo)

Mr Goh Chour Thong, Director (International & Museum Relations), NHB, (right) said: “We are excited to present yet another edition of Battle for Singapore with partners from the Museum Roundtable and other notable individuals and organisations from our local heritage community. Despite the long passage of time since the Fall of Singapore, there are still many new stories and perspectives to be shared, and I am particularly excited that participants of our signature tour, regardless of age, will be able to experience and appreciate Singapore’s southern waters with a refreshed and even perhaps surprising perspective. We hope all our Battle for Singapore offerings will continue the tradition of bringing these compelling stories and underrated sites representing Singapore’s key period of wartime resistance and resilience to life.”

Fresh programmes for new perspectives

New programme highlights include Exploring Pasir Panjang: A Heritage Trail which takes participants through key World War II battle sites where Singapore’s defenders stood their ground during the Battle of Pasir Panjang, including the Faber Fire Command hidden within Mount Faber. Young ones can also get hands-on with heritage at Changi Chapel and Museum with LEGO bricks stations that allow them to “rebuild” Singapore by modelling iconic World War II sites.