A GREATER GIBRALTAR

Evening Star, Issue 22892, 25 February 1938, Page 11

A GREATER GIBRALTAR

RECENT REVELATIONS , GIANT NEW GUNS Recent revelations of the extent and power of Singapore’s defences —particularly the information that 18in guns have been installed—justify the claim that Singapore is the strongest fortress in : the world; considerably stronger than Gibraltar (wrote a Singapore correspondent : of the ‘ Sydney Morning JJerald’ on January 12). Yesterday, out of the hush-hush [atmosphere of Fort Canning army headjquarters, came the “ unofficial ’ anSouncement that Singapore is projected by 16in as well as 15in batteries i—the most powerful land batteries of (any- country. . . 1 The attitude of the authorities has liys been one of secrecy, and at is tremendous fuss has been made this secrecy, though many have idered it foolish to'.pretend that one knew what was happening, a it was apparent to even the most al observer that the worid knew that foreign Powers most interd had ways of discovering - just it as much as they wished of the defences. . The huge guns weigh 100 tons, and jhavo emplacements which' cover half En acre. They will be brought into (action for. the first time between January 31 and February 5, during the expensive combined exercises in which the {Army, Navy, and Air Force will parPlanned on an even wider scale than last year’s exercises, the coming manoeuvres will prove the greatest and most significant “ show ” yet staged of'Britain’s strength in the Far East. The British Government evidently has decided it is time to let the world know that the Singapore base is, to all intents, completed and that her rights And -interests % in the Orient and the Pacific are not to be tampered with. WARNING TO WORLD. The manoeuvres _ can only be interpreted as a warning that Great BnItain’s rearmament programme is furither - advanced than is imagined, and that any Power which breaks the peace must expect powerful retaliation. Ten thousand permanent troops will take 'part. - The volunteers in Singapore will not co-operate in these manoeuvres, as (many of them are office workers and cannot get the necessary free time ; but, Although final plans have not yet been (drafted, it is certain that the Malay land Punjab Regiments will come to (Singapore, in addition to a battalion from Hongkong. The Royal Air Force, under Air Vitg'marshal A. W. Tedder, who commands jthe R.A.F. in the Far East, will contribute 30 torpedo bombers from Seleter, the -R.A.F. base, and these will be [joined by three oversea squadrons —the

11th, from Bisalpur, India; the 27th, from Kohat, India: and the 84th, from Shaibah,. Iraq. _ Tnese bomber squadrons eacn comprise nine machines, and they will begin to reach Singapore from January 15. •The decision to reinforce tlm R.A.F. strength irf Singapore with units_ from India and Iraq follows the practice of previous years. Officially it is said to be part of thp routine procedure until more squadrons are permanently based here, but unofficially it has a deeper significance. It means that if Singapore were attacked R.A.F. epneentrations could reach here very quickly. Although the manoeuvres are part of the annual training programme for Singapore combined exercises have taken place here each January or February in recent years—it is obvious in many ways that the authorities place great importance on the coming “ show.” Otherwise they would not be bringing so many warships of the China Fleet to Singapore, despite the critical situation in South China waters, which has kept the British ships there busy during the past few weeks. THE NAVAL FORCES.

Warships of the China Squadron will within the next week leave Hongkong, where they have been based for some months past, and will cruise in the South China Seas before coming to Singapore. The aircraft carrier Eagle, which will play the same part as that of the i Hermes in last year’s _ manoeuvres, is expected to reach Singapore from Hongkong on January 14. British naval forces on the China Station at present include six cruisers, nine destroyers, the aircraft carrier, a minelayer, 15 submarines, and depot ship, and five sloops. The only warships stationed permanently in Singapore are the Terror, the base ship, and nine ships of the Second Minesweeping Flotilla, which were brought from Malta last year. The huge graving dock at the Naval Base was completed last month. Its official opening six days after the manoeuvres end, on the afternoon of February 11, by the Governor of the Straits Settlements, Sir Shenton Thomas, is another move of great importance in Great Britain’s _ Far East defence and strategy. It will be the first official ceremony at the Base, and is virtually the opening ceremony for the Naval Base itself. Work began in Seleter in 1923, but with the change of government in England it was interrupted. A floating dock, the second largest in the worltL was towed to Singapore in 1928, and has been used since to accommodate warships needing overhauls and repairs. The graving dock, which is the show exhibit of the base, was officially completed last mouth, after several years’ work. A year ago the contract work was finished and the dock was handed to the Admiralty engineers for final tests. Although the Admiralty is issuing a number of invitations at Singapore, the ceremony will not be open to the general public. HOW SAFE is THE BASE? After Sir lan Hamilton, last December, told how he, with a brigade of troops, once “ captured ” the island of Sinagpore (which is only 25 miles long with a maximum width of 12 miles), there has been a good deal of discussion among interested persons as to how strong Singapore really is, now that so many millions sterling have been spent on its defences, writes the London correspondent of the same journal. Is it reasonably safe? is a familiar question. If the answer is important to Britain, it is vital to Australia. Of all those who have written about this great harbour, Mr R. T. Barrett,

who hgs spent the past 11 years in Hongkong, and who is familiar with the imperial problem in the Far East, has written a most interesting article. Discussing the question, “ Is Singapore Impregnable? ” Mr Barrett, writing in ‘ Great Britain and the Far East,’ notes that it is not surprising that the Defence Department is giving little away with regard to details of the armaments, but the assumption is that the i first thing to do was to make the place strong enough to beat off any possible attack. He also observes that all that is disclosed is that the garrison consists of between 6,000 and 7,000 regulars; the monitor Terror, with a couple of 15in guns, is stationed at Seleter, the new naval base; and the Air Force consists of two squadrons of flying-boats and two squadrons of bombers. There are two landing fields at Seleter and an immense air port just outside Singapore city. Two new R.A.F. squadrons are shortly to be added. The naval base was recently stated to bo within four months of completion, but, according to the naval estimates for 1937, £640,000 was to be spent in the current year and another £3,369,000 had been earmarked. STRATEGIC POSITION. Singapore’s main strength, in Mr Barrett’s words, lies in its distance from any possible foe. Japan is 2,500 miles away, Canton is 1,500, Manila 1,340, and Formosa 1,600. Hainan and the extreme south of China are about 1,100 miles distant. Any operations against Singapore would therefore have to be conducted at immense range and through seas strewn with islands, easily convertible into temporary outposts by the defenders. Singapore would be on the flank of any attack on India, and if operations were conducted by Japan against the Dutch East Indies, Japan would have to do it at long range. If, we sought to prevent her, Singapore would _ present a grave menace. Equally Singapore would be on the flank of any descent upon either Borneo, New Guinea, or Australia. In operating fleets and aircraft in the Malayan seas, we should be fighting at infinitely closer range to our big source of supply than Japan. Singapore is 1,445 miles from Hongkong, and, in these days of speed, well able to succour that outpost. As a base of operations against Japan Singapore is, of course, useless, because it is too far off. Mr Barrett states; “Singapore, flat and fertile, with red roofs and white walls rising among banks of trees, is slightly reminiscent of Southampton, on a clear summer clay. Unlike Gibraltar, Aden, and Hongkong,_ it gives no impression of strength. It is a manmade fortress, but the natural line of defence of Seleter is a wide belt of mangrove swamp. This is utterly impenetrable, and any attacking force must keep to the roads. “ North of Singapore the Federated Malay States stretch for 300 miles. There is a good railway and road connection with Penang, a good harbour, and secondary naval and air stations, 360 miles distant, on the west side of the Malay Peninsula. “ Singapore can draw the food and the labour she requires from her own hinterland, and for military stores and reinforcements she has an excellent supporter in Penang. Colombo and Calcutta are both about 1,600 miles away, or a good deal closer than Japan. 1“ Few places in the world fulfil so strikingly the requirements of a strategic base.”