Situated at the Esplanade along Connaught Drive, the Cenotaph is a war memorial originally dedicated to the men from the Straits Settlements killed in action during the First World War. Designed by the architect Denis Santry of the firm Swan & Maclaren, the imposing granite structure has bronze tablets with the names of the war dead inscribed on them. The phrase, ‘They died so we might live’, is also inscribed on the monument in English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil. The structure was officially unveiled in 1922 in a solemn ceremony attended by the Prince of Wales during which medals were awarded to those who had served with distinction during the war. Following the end of the Second World War, inscriptions commemorating those who had recently perished were added on the reverse side of the monument.
