This building was established as the military hospital for British and Indian troops serving on Pulau Blakang Mati (the former name of Sentosa). Completed by the 1890s, the building was accorded conservation status by the Urban Redevelopment Authority in 2004.
During the Japanese Occupation (1942-1945), the building was used as barracks by Japanese troops. Among their number were soldiers of 20 Field Army Air Supply Depot (also known as Miki Butai or 9320 Butai), a logistics unit which handled bombs and fuel for the Japanese military air units.
After World War II, the hospital was turned into residences for married British servicemen, while the bungalows and smaller buildings around it were used by officers with families. There was also a surau, or prayer house, located behind the hospital which served Muslim servicemen. In 1967, the Singapore Armed Forces took over the island’s military facilities, and the building became the first headquarters of the Singapore Combat Engineers.
Following the development of Sentosa as a leisure destination, the former hospital housed the Surrender Chambers wax figure exhibition from 1976, depicting the surrender ceremony that ended the Japanese Occupation. In 1982, the Sentosa Wax Museum was established here and later incorporated the Surrender Chambers and Pioneers of Singapore galleries. With the addition of Festivals of Singapore in 1995, the museum was renamed Images of Singapore, before becoming part of Madame Tussauds Singapore in 2016.
Explore the Suggested Short Trail Routes:
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Kampong and Barracks, 2 hours with public transport, 3km
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Forts, 2 hours on foot, 4km
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Memories of Sentosa, 1 hour on foot, 2.5km
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