The road was was named after Sir Shenton Thomas , the Governor of Singapore in 1934 â `` 1946 , to commemorate his decision to stay in the city during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore . Built almost entirely on reclaimed land in what was once the Telok Ayer Basin , it was named after Sir Shenton Thomas , Governor of Singapore 1934 â `` 1946 , to commemorate his decision to stay in the city during the Japanese occupation of Singapore .