seek terms with the Japanese. The Fort Canning Bunker was later occupied by Japanese forces during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore and used for communications right up to the time of the Japanese surrender. At the conclusion of the Second World War, the bunker complex itself appears to have been looted in the aftermath of the Japanese surrender. Upon re-entry to the complex in 1988, evidence of a number of excavations were observed, presumably attempts to find loot that may have been concealed by the Japanese. Present day After the war, Fort Canning Hill was again used by the British as the Singapore Base District Headquarters. The British handed over Fort Canning to the Singapore Armed Forces in 1968–69, and the buildings of Fort Canning Hill served for a time as the Singapore Command and Staff College. The Fort Canning Bunker, having remained empty and unused since the war, was sealed off in the late 1960s due to safety concerns and its exact location forgotten. It was brought back into the public eye when it was "rediscovered" by a journalist in 1988, who was following a number of leads claiming the existence of an underground bunker complex on Fort Canning Hill. The Fort Canning Bunker was developed into a museum depicting the final days of the Battle of Singapore. The museum, called the Battle Box, was formally opened on 15 February 1997, on the 55th anniversary of the surrender of Singapore. See also Battle of Singapore Fort Canning Singapore strategy Notes References External links Battlebox Official Website 1997 establishments in Singapore Bunkers Military installations of Singapore Military and war museums in Singapore Military of Singapore under British rule Museum Planning Area Museums established in 1997 World War II sites in Singapore