This postcard shows a 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. One of the prominent buildings erected in the CBD area as part of the renewal project was the 52-storey Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) Centre completed in 1976 (right background).
