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Nigel Williams

 

Singapore Photos

These are scans of slides which are  unedited and were taken by my parents Dave and Fay (or Beth ) Williams.  We had two tours in Singapore. In February 1963 we were living at 2 Evergreen Avenue and I was two years old. We must have left sometime in late 1964 or maybe in early 1965. I remember a fair amount about our stay there and the slides bring back memories. I have lots of photos but have not converted them to digital.

My father was a signaller on 48 sqn who flew Hastings [see photo].  I was surprised how extensively he travelled in this period with slides shot as far away as Perth and Hong Kong.  Not to be outdone in May 1964 my mother caught the French vessel MV Cambodge and took me with her. We sailed to Vietnam and visited Saigon.  We also went to Hong Kong and Japan. At some point my grandmother on my father’s side joined us on the ship. I remember taking my first (and nearly my last) cigarette on the boat as well as entering HK harbour.  It looks as if my younger brother was well looked after as it is said he was speaking Chinese when we returned.

We spent much time in Changi on a beach and I remember visiting the BMH to have stitches having swum into the side of the pool at Changi [see photos].  I also remember chasing a car down a dusty lane but not much else afterwards but  living to tell the tale as apparently I became entangled with the bumper. I attended a nursery run by nuns and recall learning the alphabet but being confused why my name Nigel began with a p for pin based on a picture on the classroom wall. I obviously did not know what a needle was. If I started school there I have no recollection of it.  When I went to school in England at my dad’s next posting at Thorney Island in 1966 my brother (who is eleven months younger than me) also started at school.

In retrospect I was young but some momentous events took place for me in this time.  I recall my brother’s attraction to wildlife and his fearlessness as evidenced in him holding a snake (not attached) and some photos of my fourth birthday demonstrating our early sibling rivalry. He is the one looking happy in the birthday party scene on the left with me in the middle looking rattled. 

Some of the street scenes are of some civil unrest dated 1966. [ corrected; racial riots 1964 Peter Chan]

I hope the photos will not only help in reminiscing but be of interest to our host nation of what is now part of their history.

Engine Trouble

 

Pool Bookstall

Kampong

1964

1964

1964

River Valley Road and Clemenceau Avenue junction in front of the National Theatre.

National Theatre

Singapore River and godowns near Mohd Sultan Road.

Changi

 

RAF Changi Hospital

Birthday Party