 |
| RAF Tengah in 1938 (Source: Imperial War Museums) |
This footage from the Imperial War Museums shows scenes shot during the construction of the Royal Air Force (RAF) air base in Tengah, Singapore. It was shot by Wing Commander Robert Milward, while serving in RAF 39 Squadron on air policing duties and training in Singapore in 1938.
In 1932, an air field was initially constructed in Tengah to give air cover to the naval base in Sembawang. Upon completion of the required infrastructure, it was commissioned as RAF Tengah in 1939 with “Chergas” (Malay for ‘Active’) as its station motto. The air base was constantly improved upon to prepare it for the increasingly sophisticated aircraft that was coming in.
In 1932, an air field was initially constructed in Tengah to give air cover to the naval base in Sembawang. Upon completion of the required infrastructure, it was commissioned as RAF Tengah in 1939 with “Chergas” (Malay for ‘Active’) as its station motto. The air base was constantly improved upon to prepare it for the increasingly sophisticated aircraft that was coming in.
 |
| RAF Tengah Station Badge (Source: Wikipedia) |
 |
| RAF Tengah in 1941 (Source: Wikipedia) |
RAF Tengah was the target of carpet bombing when Japanese Navy bombers conducted the first air raid on Singapore, shortly after the Battle of Malaya began in December 1941. It was also the first airfield to be captured when Japanese forces invaded Singapore. After days of fierce fighting, the Japanese forces, led by Lieutenant-General Tomoyuki Yamashita (a.k.a. Tiger of Malaya), settled in RAF Tengah on 11.2.1942.
After the Japanese capture of Singapore, Tengah came under the control of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force while the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service took over the other two RAF stations of Sembawang Air Base and RAF Seletar. This effectively ensured that the Japanese Army took control of the south, including the administrative hub and population centre of Singapore City, while the Japanese Navy took command of the north, which included the Royal Navy dockyard at Sembawang.
During the Malayan Emergency, RAF Tengah was used to house Avro Lincolns of the Royal Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force and Bristol Brigands of RAF 84 Squadron which performed bombing sorties on communist terrorist hideouts of the Malayan Communist Party deep in the jungles of the Malay Peninsula.
It was renamed Tengah Air Base in 1971 when it was handed over to the Singapore Air Defence Command (SADC). From 1971 to 1976, under the Five Power Defence Arrangement, Tengah Air Base became home to the British, Australian and New Zealand forces.
Tengah Air Base is currently the most important airfield of the Royal Singapore Air Force (RSAF) as it houses the majority of the RSAF's fixed-wing frontline squadrons, home to all of RSAF's Airborne early warning and control (AEWC) assets, most of the F-16C/D Fighting Falcons and many UAVs. It is currently undergoing further expansion wherein about 100ha of land would be acquired. This includes privately owned farms as well as graveyard area comprising of 45,500 Chinese graves and 35,000 Muslim graves.
Source:
1. Imperial War Museums, London.
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tengah_Air_Base
.jpg)