Year 1963

Places

Yan Kit Swimming Pool Opened

Monday, 29th December 1952

The Yan Kit Swimming Pool was opened near Singapore Chinatown. The site, originally constructed as a filter tank for the Water Department, for the pool was a portion of a old railway cutting on the old F.M.S. Railway line. The second public swimming pool in Singapore and was officially opened by Governor of Singapore, John Nicoll and City Council president, T.P.F. McNeice.


Singapore Town Became A City

Saturday, 22nd September 1951

Singapore City Day. On this day, the Town of Singapore was officially made a City of the British Commonwealth, by an official proclamation of a Royal Charter by King George VI. Singapore City Day festivities began with an official parade, in the presence of 50,000 of her citizens at the Padang. The event at the flag-bedecked Padang.  Many activities were lined up to take place around the island "on the hour" throughout the day. Big attractions were lined up for the evening. The city was in traffic chaos and jammed everywhere. Thousands of men, women and children in a festive mood, jammed and crammed the streets or seafronts to catch the best angle and action of the three big shows, the Sea Dragon, the fireworks display, and the City Day Procession. At least 1,500 policemen were assigned to control the overwhelming numbers.


RAF Hornet Crashed Into East Coast Road

Friday, 10th August 1951

A twin-engine RAF de Havilland DH.103 Hornet, world's fastest piston-driven aircraft, crashed on the East Coast Road after performing aerobatics over the sea south of Katong. The British pilot was killed instantly and 8 people living in a row of houses opposite the crash were injured when the aircraft's fuel tank and ammunition exploded. A three-year old girl died five hours later and a two-year old boy a day later at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) from severe burns.


Mr & Mrs Lee make legal history

Tuesday, 7th August 1951

The first time in the history of Singapore's Supreme Court that a husband and wife were together admitted to the Colony Bar. Former graduates of Raffles College, Mr. and Mrs. Lee Kuan Yew passed their professional Bar examinations at Cambridge (England) in May 1950. Mr. Lee, aka Harry Lee, was an outstanding student of Raffles Institution. He was first in Serior Cambridge Examination (A-Level) in 1939 and top of the class list of Law Trips, Part II. And his wife graduated from Raffles College in 1947 and was awarded the Queen's Scholarship.


Mr & Mrs LKY Wedding

Saturday, 30th September 1950

Mr and Mrs. Lee Kuan Yew held their wedding reception at Raffles Hotel. Both are barristers and members of old Straits Chinese families.


Lee Kuan Yew and Kwa Geok Choo Engagement

Friday, 11th August 1950

The engagement is announced between Lee Kuan Yew, eldest son of Mr & Mrs Lee Chin Koon of 38 Oxley Road and Kwa Geok Choo, third daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kwa Siew Tee of 186 Pasir Panjang Road. Their engagement has long been expected by their friends in Singapore and in England. Former Raffles Collegians can still remember the rivalry between the two freshmen.


Mount Emily Swimming Pool Reopened

Thursday, 1st December 1949

The Mount Emily Swimming Pool was closed down during the Japanese occupation and had its plant removed. It was then refitted and reopened on this date and has The new opened pool has a new filtration system, previously it was no filtration system and the pool was closed monthly for a change of water.


University of Malaya

Saturday, 8th October 1949

The University of Malaya is formed following the merger of Raffles College and King Edward VII College of Medicine.


A Jinnah Hall for Singapore

Friday, 3rd December 1948

The Muslim League of Malaya started a fund, known as the Quaid Azam Memorial Fund, to establish a Jinnah Hall in Singapore. The president of the Muslim League, M.J. Namazie, announced this when he met the Pakistani Goodwill Mission to Indonesia. The leader of the Pakistani Mission, Hatim A. Alavi, appealed to all races, besides Pakistanis, to contribute to the fund. The hall was in honour of the founding president of Pakistan, Mohamed Ali Jinnah.


Malayan Airways Goes Regional

Thursday, 1st April 1948

Malayan Airways started flying direct international routes from Singapore to Saigon in Vietnam, Batavia (now Jakarta), Medan and Palembang in Indonesia, and to Bangkok in Thailand via Penang.


Newer Entries  |  Older Entries