Fort Connaught 🪖Battle of Singapore : The hidden fort tuck inside Sentosa Island

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Hey boys and girls, aunties & uncles!

Opening to the public for the 1st time since 1878 and marking the anniversary of the fall of Singapore, the national heritage board has organiser a special trip to Fort Connaught. The fort is ONLY open to the public in the month of February. Connaught is a fort that even most Singaporean don't even know.

Fort Connaught was on the eastern side of Blakang Mati (Sentosa). It began life as Blakang Mati East Battery in 1878. It was armed in similar manner to Fort Siloso with three Mark I 7 Inch RML Guns of 6½ Tons and two 64 Pounder RML Guns of 64 Cwt. By 1886, the two 64 Pounders had been removed and were later replaced by two Mark IV 9·2 Inch BL Guns on Mark I Barbette Carriage. A similar gun was emplaced at Fort Siloso and two more at Fort Pasir Panjang. The 7 Inch RML Guns remained for a few more years.

Following a visit to Singapore by the Duke of Connaught in 1890, the Battery was renamed Fort Connaught in his honour. Two Mark II 6 Inch QF Guns were added to the Fort’s armament and remained there until after the Owen Committee’s report of 1907 when they were transferred to Fort Silingsing on nearby Pulau Brani.

In 1910, a Mark X 9·2-Inch Gun on a Mark V Mounting was added to the Fort’s armament. This was mounted on the central knoll of the Fort. The two Mark IVs remained in service for another two years before being removed. A 1922 plan for a proposed revision to the armament recommend adding a second Mark X 9·2 Inch Gun. This plan was not proceeded with.

During the 1930s, the Fort was disarmed and completely rebuilt and armed with three Mark X 9·2-Inch Guns on 30° Mark VII Mountings. These three guns greatly outranged the gun battery on Mount Imbiah, and the batteries on Mount Serapong. These were retired from service, with the two emplacements atop Mount Serapong filled in. A Battery Observation Post was built at the top of Mount Serapong, and a Battery Plotting Room was built deep underground into the northern side of Mount Serapong. A shaft with ladder led up from the Plotting Room to the Shell Store of the old Serapong 9·2 Inch Battery. Outside the Plotting Room, an Engine Room was built. This provided power for the Plotting Room, and the Battery Observation Post on Mount Serapong.

Fort Connaught is reported to have fired all its ammunition at the advancing Japanese during February 1942. The guns were spiked before the British surrender, rendering them useless to the conquering Japanese forces. Post war aerial photos show the three guns still facing in the general direction of the Japanese line of advance.

When Sentosa was developed for leisure purposes, most of the Fort was demolished. No remains are left of the early fort or its various gun emplacements, magazines and buildings. They have all vanished, as indeed has most of the WWII Fort.

0:00 Battle of Singapore
2:02 Fall of Singapore
4:28 Tour Briefing
5:49 Fort Wall
6:39 Observation Deck
8:52 Ammunition Room
10:57 Fort Connaught
13:12 Power House
14:16 Outro

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