WHITE BUT NOT QUITE: SINGAPORE AS A GARRISON TOWN, 1921 – 1941

Abstract

This thesis examines the effects of militarisation upon both the garrison and the civilian population of Singapore between 1921 and 1941. In 1921, Singapore was made the cornerstone of British imperial defence in the Fat East. Consequently, the importance of the military was drastically elevated and pre-existing animosities between the military and civilian authorities were aggravated as both sought to assert their respective prerogatives. Simultaneously, the increased presence of British Tommy soldiers threatened the established social and racial hierarchy in Singapore. These Tommy soldiers were deemed “white but not quite” due to their social-economic status and their involvements in rough behaviours unbefitting of their skin colour—they worsened pre-existing problems in the colony, including high incidents of female and male prostitution. While they were not welcomed into the local British community, the garrison in abstract was paradoxically held in esteem by the civilian population as an extension of British power.