 After the Japanese surrender to the Allies on 15 August 1945 , Singapore fell into a brief state of anomie ; looting and revenge @-@ killing were widespread . British troops led by Lord Louis Mountbatten , Supreme Allied Commander for Southeast Asia Command , returned to Singapore to receive formal surrender of the Japanese forces in the region from General Itagaki <unk> on behalf of General <unk> Terauchi on 12 September 1945 , and a British Military Administration was formed to govern the island until March 1946 . Much of the infrastructure had been destroyed during the war , including electricity and water supply systems , telephone services , as well as the harbor facilities at the Port of Singapore . There was also a shortage of food leading to malnutrition , disease , and rampant crime and violence . High food prices , unemployment , and workers ' discontent culminated into a series of strikes in 1947 causing massive stoppages in public transport and other services . By late 1947 , the economy began to recover , facilitated by a growing demand for tin and rubber around the world , but it would take several more years before the economy returned to pre @-@ war levels . 
