by Alvin Lee

“Excuse me. Where did you get this uniform from?” This is perhaps the most asked question we get. Nope. We are not a vendor at Beach Road’s buzzing army market. We are a sub-culture of collectors of original and reproduction World War Two militaria

If the word “militaria” is new to your ears, then both “Living history” and “Re-enactors” would be as well. But that’s what we are.

We’re not quite the same as the overseas re-enactor groups. We do not just re-enact battles, but also conduct professional public education. That’s the “Living history” part, where we make history come alive for present-day people.

We take immense pride in our hobby, and we only use the most authentic reproductions to make up our collection. We do have a fair share of original items too. We do things differently from movies and museums. Unlike mainstream media with their depictions of stereotypical Japanese and British soldiers, we aspire to share with others the more rare and obscure impressions. How often have you seen a Japanese pilot’s uniform and kit? Or those of a tank crewman? Or even a Japanese paratrooper? These artefacts tell stories by themselves! And yes, we do have such materials in our possession.

But our strongest selling point is that we are perhaps the first group, to provide a detailed visual representation of the British and Japanese soldier in full gear during the Singapore campaign, to all who wish to see. Furthermore, since we own this equipment, we allow visitors to have an up close and personal experience by handling the items. They can now feel the weight of a Japanese or British helmet. This is something museums restrict, and we are here to breach that barrier.

Of course, research is of paramount importance in the group. We look into the tiniest details such as manufacturer markings, cloth materials, foot and weapons drills, combat rations, soldier’s pay, and battle tactics. The list is endless. Because of this, we are now looking to be historical and technical advisors for skits and movie productions. We aspire be as authentic and accurate as Letters from Iwo Jima, in terms of deriving the “looks” of a Japanese soldier. This is important as people can be heavily and quickly influenced by visual images.

All is not just work. The group meets up regularly to “chit chat” about their latest findings, whether to share information on a vendor sale or the latest reference book. We still adopt Singaporean’s mentality to obtain stuff “cheap and good”, but with one more crucial criteria, “accurate”.

Our band of brothers has evolved into a niche market. Under the label of National Education, we are now occasionally invited to do displays, give talks and perform skits. We are extremely proud that we are recognized in the eyes of many, and to contribute greatly to Singapore’s history and heritage. In fact, we just did a skit for HeritageFest 2007 and will be doing a display at Suntec City this coming August, upon the invitation of Nexus (the central co-ordinating agency for National Education in Singapore). How’s that for a group mostly made up of non-history students!

Alvin Lee Jun Ming is the founder of Syonan Reflections and OstBattalion’43. To find out more about the groups’ public education services, you can contact Alvin at alvinlee_81@yahoo.com.

Tags: militaria, Singapore military history, Syonan Reflections

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