Anti-malarial work for Singapore naval base, 1925-1926

A small faux-leather bound album of 33 black and white photos. It depicts the work of a small team of admiralty engineering personnel (likely from the Board of Admiralty, Civil Engineer in Chiefs Department, later the ‘Navy Works Board”) conducting anti-malarial works in 1925/6 in the Sembawang district of colonial era Singapore. The works were commissioned to prepare and make safe the landscape for the construction of a new British naval base, which was not completed until 1938. The images include depictions of the team engaging in clearing a mangrove swamp, pouring oil on to the standing water of the grove and setting up experimental mosquito traps.



Photograph 1

A group portrait of 11 men in three rows. The first two rows are of European men in white shirts. The back row consists of three south east Asian men, possibly labourers or foremen from China or India. The man in the middle is dressed all in white; the outer two wear dark belted jackets. The man in the middle of the image is holding a puppy in his lap.



The caption on the bottom of the image reads "H.M Naval Base, Singapore. A Sunday party at Ruman Meran (Red House)." The house is now part of the Fleet Sailing Centre and still stands in Singapore in the Sembawang district of the former Naval Base.



Photograph 2

A group portrait of six men, two young southeast Asian men (possibly children) and four European men identified as part of the anti-malarial works team. One of the men is holding a small rodent. The two in the back row are holding parasols. The caption on the bottom of the image reads “Anti-malarial staff, Naval Base”



Photograph 3

A landscape looking across a river or inlet with a bungalow on the shore in the mid-distance. A small fishing craft with cover is present. The bungalow has a veranda on which a small figure is visible.

The caption on the bottom of the page reads: “Sick Berth Staff Bungalow, H.M Naval Base, Singapore. S.S”



S.S refers to the status of Singapore as part of the “Strait’s Settlements”, the collective name for four colonial British territories in the region – Singapore (the Capital of the strait’s settlements), Dindings, Malacca and Penang



Photograph 4

A group portrait of four men from the admiralty civil engineering works team. The caption identifies them as “G. Megginson, F.W. Eels, S.R Bayliss, and S.H Mackenzie, Foreman of Works, Wearing Sarongs (Native Dress)”.



Photograph 5

A half-length portrait of a curate. He is smiling, with hands together in prayer position. The photo has some damage to the bottom. A caption written in ink on the print reads: ““THE PRIVATE SECRETARY””. The album caption states, “The curate of Seletar, for particulars apply at the Vicarage”.



Seletar is a region in the North-east of Singapore, close to the location of the new Naval Base. The curate is likely associated with the large RAF base in the region.



Photograph 6

A group portrait of three men seated on a bench aboard a covered vessel. They wear white suits with hats. They are smoking with their legs crossed. The man in the middle holds a cane. The caption in the album reads: “JUST GOING TO THE RACES. Held in the ROYAL GROUNDS of H.H The Sultan of Johore. SOUTH MALAYA.” The group are likely crossing the Johor Strait between Singapore and Malaysia.



Photograph 7

A group portrait of six men, three seated and three standing. They are wearing white shirts with either shorts or white trousers. All are smoking apart from the man in the top row on the left, who holds three puppies in his arms. The caption reads: “Sunday. April 18th 1926”.



Photograph 8

A landscape of scrubland with palm trees and a bay. A caption on the bottom of the image reads “A cleared patch of ground, previously a very bad mosquito breeding ground.”



The image is a record of the work of the team of Admiralty engineers engaged in mosquito prevention measures in preparation of the construction of the Singapore Naval Base.



Photograph 9

A full-length portrait of G. Megginson wearing a sarong with a parasol. A dog is close by.



Photograph 10

A group of nine men in tennis whites, with racquets and balls.

The caption reads: “Christmas Day – 1925 Wireless Telegraphy Station – Seletar. Singapore. S.S”



S.S refers to the status of Singapore as part of the “Strait’s Settlements”, the collective name for four colonial British territories in the region – Singapore (the Capital of the strait’s settlements), Dindings, Malacca and Penang.



Photograph 11

.A group of seven men behind a table facing the camera. They are wearing white uniform coats or shirts and ties. A caption reads: "Christmas Day - 1925". G.Megginson is second from left.



Photograph 12

A group of six men. two women and two children.All are dressed in white wearing pith style helmets or sun hats. G. Megginson is on the left of the group.



A caption reads: "Sunday - Sept 26th 1926. At the "Red House". The Red House (or Ruman Meran) is now part of the Fleet Sailing Centre and still stands in Singapore in the Sembawang district of the former Naval Base. There is evidence that it was built and owned by the entrepreneur Joseph Aaron Elias.



Photograph 13

A group of five men and three women in front of a tree. All the men are wearing white pith style helmets, one of the women in the centre of the group wears a hair wrap or turban.



The caption reads: “Sunday - Sept 26th 1926. At the Red House”.



The Red House (or Ruman Meran) is now part of the Fleet Sailing Centre and still stands in Singapore in the Sembawang district of the former Naval Base. There is evidence that it was built and owned by the entrepreneur Joseph Aaron Elias.



Photograph 14

A group photograph of six men, four women and two children taken outside a thatched bungalow. G. Megginson, F.W. Eels, S.R Bayliss, and S.H Mackenzie are identifiable. The woman holding the child’s hand is southeast Asian, potentially a Chinese or Indian ayah employed by one of the families in the image to assist with childcare. The caption reads: “Sunday - January 17th 1926. Singapore friends at our bungalow.”



Photograph 15

A group photograph of four men, identified as G. Megginson, F.W. Eels, S.R Bayliss, and S.H Mackenzie, and two women, wearing tennis clothes with three tennis racquets propped against their chairs. In the background is a thatched bungalow and palm trees. The caption reads:

“Sunday - August 29th 1926. In Bungalow Garden”



Photograph 16

A full-length portrait of G. Megginson standing in the garden of a thatched bungalow. He wears shorts, a white shirt and a pith style helmet. He is smoking a cigarette with his hands in his pockets. A dog walks behind him. No caption.



Photograph 17

A group photograph of five men, three seated and two standing. They are in the garden of a thatched bungalow. All the men wear white shirts and are bare headed. Four of the men are identifiable as G. Megginson, F.W. Eels, S.R Bayliss, and S.H Mackenzie [see ALB1808.04]. The caption reads: “Sunday – July 4th, 1926”.



Photograph 18

Three men in a field. Two of the men are southeast Asian labourers wearing dark coloured clothing. The third man, likely to be G. Megginson, stands to their left in white shorts, shirt and pith style helmet. The man in the centre is carrying two pails from his shoulders. The man on the left of the image wears a container on his back and carries a hose in his hand. Labourers from across southeast Asia, particularly China and India, migrated to Singapore in large numbers in the 1920s to work on colonial projects including the construction of the Naval and Air bases.



The caption reads: “The Oil Sprayers at Work. Every pool of water, however small, has to be oiled at least once every eight days, the film of oil choking the mosquito larvae. We generally use twelve gallons a day.”



The oiling of water was one of several approaches taken by the team from the Admiralty Civil Engineers to eliminate the threat of malaria from the land earmarked for the new Naval Base.



Photograph 19

A group of seven men sitting on steps outside a building. G. Megginson is furthest on the right holding a dog in his lap. Another dog sits next to the man on the left of the image.

The caption reads: “A few sick berth staff from Hong Kong Hospital Visited Naval Base – Singapore Sunday Feb 14th 1926.”



Photograph 20

A photograph of G. Megginson kneeling over the body of a crocodile, opening its jaw with his hands. He is wearing a white shirt and shorts, wearing a pith style helmet. Two other people stand nearby. The caption reads: “One of a couple of crocodiles caught near our bungalow. Sunday – July 18th, 1926”



Photograph 21

A photograph of a group of labourers gathered around a large hole with wooden retaining walls. Four European overseers are standing or assisting, wearing pith style helmets. The labourers are southeast Asian, likely from India or China; workers from both countries migrated to Singapore in large numbers in the 1920s to work on colonial projects, including the construction of the Naval and Air bases.



The caption reads: “Construction of tidal gates after drainage of extensive swamp. Chinese Valley – 1926". “Chinese Valley” likely refers to an unofficial or temporary name given to an area of Sembawang; it does not survive as a place name in modern Singapore.



Photograph 22

A photograph of a landscape with a river or lake in the middle-ground and two islands or peninsulas on either side. A caption reads: “Evening - somewhere in Singapore”



Photograph 23

A photograph of G. Megginson and two southeast Asian labourers standing in thick undergrowth. In front of them is a small wooden box with wire panels. The door to the box is open.



A caption reads as below [please be aware that it contains an outdated racial term to refer to southeast Asian labourers]:



“Showing our device for catching adult specimens of mosquitoes. The large cage is placed in different parts of the jungle each night, and the door left open. The following morning my coolies shut me in the cage, and I collect all mosquitoes there are. We found the cage was much too small for our experiments.”



Photograph 24

A photograph of five men in swimsuits sitting on a pier or groyne with their feet dangling over water. A caption reads “Fry’s “Five Boys.” Sunday October 10th, 1926”, a reference to a popular advertising campaign for Fry’s Chocolate in the early 1900s, featuring a boy with five different facial expressions.



Photograph 25

A group portrait of five European men wearing white shirts and white pith style helmets and one young southeast Asian child in a white tunic. Three men and the child are standing, and two men are kneeling in front. They are in thick jungle undergrowth.



A caption reads: “Taken at Johore Bahru, Johore – South Malaya. Friday – March 5th 1926.

Johore Bahru is the capital city of the Malaysian state of Johor. It is across the Straits of Johor from Singapore, and was under British Colonial rule during the 1920’s.



Photograph 26

A photograph of G. Megginson lying in a cot bed with a cat. No caption.



Photograph 27

A photograph of G. Megginson standing with his hands on his hips. He wears a white shirt and shorts, long black socks and a pith style helmet. He stands in a garden, with water in the distance. No caption.



Photograph 28

A photograph of a G. Megginson standing with a southeast Asian family of a man and three children in front of their home, which is a wooden structure on stilts with a thatch roof.

A caption reads: “Specially taken for Admiralty, to show the unhealthy living quarters in a native village adjacent to the NAVAL BASE, and consequently a malaria menace to us. Taken Nov 6th 1925 ENTIRE VILLAGE DEMOLISHED 1926.



Photograph 29

A photograph of three men, one of which is identifiable as G. Megginson, standing on steps. The man on the left of the image is holding an umbrella. They are wearing linen shirts and trousers and pith style helmets. A caption reads: “Just finished work”.



Photograph 30

A photograph showing two drainage ditches, one half concrete. On the right side of the drain stand five southeast Asian labourers (possibly Indian or Chinese workers) wearing sarongs and light shirts. Standing on the left side of the drain are two European overseers wearing linen shorts and pith style helmets.



A caption reads: “The main drain Chinese Valley, showing permanent concrete drain, being made alongside the temporary drain – a difficult task with swampy and sandy ground. The sides of the drain are now sloped and turfed.”



Photograph 31

A group portrait of five men, two women, two boys and a dog. G. Megginson is standing on the right of the image.



A caption reads “” Pioneers of the Empire.” at Mandai, Singapore. Admiralty Oil Fuel Depot. Thursday Feb 18th, 1926.” Mandai is a neighbourhood close to the site of the construction of the Naval Base at Sembawang.



Photograph 32

A group portrait of five men and two women on a tennis court. They are wearing white and holding tennis racquets. They are the same group as in ALB1808.29. G. Megginson is second from the right of the image. A caption reads: “At Mandai – Feb 18th, 1926.” Mandai is a neighbourhood close to the site of the construction of the Naval Base at Sembawang.



Photograph 33

A group portrait of five men, two women, and two boys in a garden with a wooden house behind. They are the same group as in ALB1808.29 and ALB1808.30. G. Megginson is seated at the front. A caption reads: “At Mandai”. Mandai was a neighbourhood close to the site of the construction of the Naval Base at Sembawang.



Photograph 34

A group portrait of seven men in a jungle clearing. G. Megginson, F.W. Eels, S.R Bayliss, and S.H Mackenzie are identifiable. Each man holds a stick. A caption reads: “Sunday - Feb 14th, 1926. “A quiet walk in the Rubber.””



Photograph 35

A photograph showing a dinner for the officers and sailors of H.M.S Iron Duke. It shows four long tables under a canopy where men in white uniform sit on either side. Signal flags are hung from the roof. A caption reads: “H.M.S. “Iron Duke” at Alexandria. May 30th, 1924.” H.M.S Iron Duke was the flagship of the Mediterranean fleet.