195 Pearl Hill Terrace

7 Oct 2020 – UnderGround Police

Mon: a day to search for info&pix from my maternal side to start a group in FB for the TSANG MayLan Heritage, another never-ending task and still missing some names from the LAM TinYue side??

Tue: 70steps up the staircase to this Bunker built in 1956 to house the Combined Ops HQ for police&military use during crises.

A shield from the 1950s is in this Briefing Room – not quite bullet-proof, but it did serve its purpose then.

Giving orders in the Radio Control Room – pix of me credits to Victor

Fun with toy cars in the Map Room – group pix credits to Victor.

Police Officer’s Rest Room – Victor will need a rest after having to put up with us!

Tkx to Victor for arranging this and appreciations to George & Evelyn (who was and still is working in this location since the 1970s!) for an enlightening and interesting tour.

Police officers may drive black and white cars, however what goes on in their job is a lot of gray – Arik Matson

Tkx to Alvin for his share – https://youtu.be/iPS7qPjS8co

Once a police headquarters during the mid 20thcentury, 195 Pearl Hill Terrace is one of the longest pre-war civic buildings in existence.

Edited Fri30 Oct2020: UpperBarracks@195 PearlHillTerrace. Built in 1934 it used to be the accommodation for the SikhContingent of the StraitsSettlementsPoliceForce. The Contingent was disbanded after WW II, 1945 and was replaced by the GurkhaContingent in April 1949. Thereafter the building was used by various Govt Agencies eg MID (Ministry of Interior &Defense, the predecessor of Mindef&Ministry of HomeAffairs), Ministry of SocialAffairs and also the CombinedOperationsRoom. Today the building house many offices and a cafe.

This historical building has now been transformed into an artistic and hipster space and is located behind the People’s Park Food Centre.

195 Pearl Hill Café where an unusual combination of pasta and seldom yummy pork-satay is served. Satay is a Malay/Muslim dish, thus no pork, so this is more a fusion-kebab with an unusual appetizing delicious peanut/pineapple sauce. Appreciations to Victor for ordering all this way in advance otherwise, no chance to taste.

Edited Thu25Mar2021: tkx to CK Lee for this link –

http://ieatishootipost.sg/tiong-bahru-satay-ah-pui/

This feline has not moved since we passed by it this morning. Heading down those steps in that lovely breeze, I too could have like a deck-chair or a hammock to hang out there for some hours. Eyeing at this delicious looking fish at someone’s lunch in the food center (perhaps another time!) and headed to run errands in Chinatown.

Cats are connoisseurs of comfort – James Herriot