This postcard shows a night-time view of the Civilian War Memorial (centre foreground). The four-pillared structure was erected in 1967 on a piece of parkland along Beach Road as a monument dedicated to the memory of those civilians who died during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore (1942-1945). The project was jointly funded by the Singapore government using part of the $25 million atonement fund received from the Japanese government, and the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce.In the background is the Central Business District (CBD) skyline with its towering skyscrapers. The CBD area on the south bank of the Singapore River underwent major redevelopment in the late 1960s and 1970s as part of the government’s urban renewal scheme for the old city centre. New buildings erected in the CBD area as part of the renewal project included the 30-storey United Overseas Bank (UOB) Building (left centre), which was the tallest landmark in the city centre when it was completed in 1974. However, it was soon overtaken as the highest structure in the area when the 52-storey Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) Centre was completed in 1976 (right centre).
