Seletar Camp is a military installation used by the

Singapore Army The Singapore Army is the land service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). The largest of the four branches of the SAF, the Singapore Army traces its origins to the 1st Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment (1 SIR), which was formed ...

. It is located in the northern part of Singapore by the

Tampines Expressway The Tampines Expressway (TPE) is a highway in the north-eastern fringe of Singapore, joining the Pan Island Expressway (PIE) near Singapore Changi Airport in the east with the Central Expressway (CTE) and Seletar Expressway (SLE) in the nort ...

and adjacent to Punggol Reservoir. Opposite is the newly built

Seletar Airport Seletar Airport is a civilian international airport serving the North-East Region, Singapore, north-east region of Singapore. It is located approximately northwest from Changi Airport, the country's main airport, and about north from the ma ...

History

A large area that was once the entire Seletar Camp was first established for the British

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

and became fully operational by 1928. It was controlled by the Japanese during the

Japanese occupation of Singapore , officially , was the name for Singapore when it was occupied and ruled by the Empire of Japan, following the fall and surrender of British military forces on 15 February 1942 during World War II. Japanese military forces occupied it af ...

from 1942 to 1945 and was used by the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...

's aviation units, besides serving as one of seven POW internment camps for captured British Indian Army personnel. After the war ended in 1945, it was once again controlled by the British until their withdrawal in 1971. RAF Seletar was also on the premises of Seletar Camp. It was used by the

Republic of Singapore Air Force The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) is the Aerial warfare, aerial Military branch, service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) responsible for Air supremacy, controlling and defending the airspace of the country, and providing air ...

after the British military's withdrawal as Seletar Air Base. Today, it is now a general-aviation civil airport known as

. It is adjacent to the current Seletar Camp operated by the

. Parts of the former British-built Seletar Camp were gradually converted for civilian and other ordinary use, with the original camp's land considerably shrinking in size. It was the home of the Command and Staff College between 1982 and 1995 before it moved to its current and permanent location at

SAFTI Military Institute The SAFTI Military Institute (SAFTI MI) is a military institute of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) comprising five schools: the Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College, three SAF Advanced Schools, and the Officer Cadet School. Located on an ...

Jurong Jurong () is a major geographical region located at the south-westernmost point of the West Region of Singapore. Although mostly vaguely defined, the region's extent roughly covers the planning areas of Jurong East, Jurong West, Boon Lay, an ...

. Seletar Camp was also where hundreds of houses that served as quarters for RAF and British military personnel were located. Many of the houses have been retained and are still occupied. After the RAF's departure, the

's 160 Anti- Aircraft Gunners was formerly stationed at Seletar Camp but has since shifted operations to Chong Pang Camp in 2002. Popularly known as "black and whites" due to their striking colours, they are owned by the

Singapore government The Government of Singapore is defined by the Constitution of Singapore to mean the executive branch of the state, which is made up of the president and the Cabinet. Although the president acts in their personal discretion in the exercise o ...

and are available for lease. A small golf course and the newly established

Seletar Aerospace Park Seletar Aerospace Park is an industrial park in Singapore catering to the aerospace industries. Located in Seletar, the plan to develop 140 hectares of land adjacent to Seletar Airport will further strengthen Singapore's position as an avia ...

are also on the former grounds of Seletar Camp. To free up land for future redevelopment, the Army Combat Engineers Group and its sub-units were consolidated into a 30-hectare site and the camp's main gate was relocated to St. Martin Lane. In June 2012, DSTA completed the development of the site and achieved significant intensification through meticulous planning. The result was the consolidation of administrative, training, maintenance and recreational facilities, as well as the accommodation which was originally housed in smaller low-rise buildings. To minimise the number of buildings, facilities with strong functional relationships and compatible building functions were housed together, with 170 old buildings together with the old Medical Centre consolidated into 25 new multi-storey facilities. These are spread along the original eastern edge of the old Seletar Camp. The camp's area at present has been reduced to 30 hectares. Seletar Camp once housed many SAF

combat engineer A combat engineer (also called pioneer or sapper) is a type of soldier who performs military engineering tasks in support of land forces combat operations. Combat engineers perform a variety of military engineering, Tunnel warfare, tunnel and l ...

units. On 4 April 2019, the 39th Battalion Singapore Combat Engineers (39SCE), 36th Battalion Singapore Combat Engineers (36SCE), CBRE Engineers Training Centre (CETC) & HQ Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Explosive Defence Group (CBRE DG) closed down their operations in Seletar and shifted all operations to Nee Soon Camp (this includes the canteen and cookhouse facilities inside the camp) except the Seletar Camp Medical Centre which did not shift its operations together to Nee Soon Camp. This frees up space for additional developments in Seletar Camp and is being reserved for the new Aerospace Hub. Today, only the 35th Battalion Singapore Combat Engineers (35SCE) and HQ Army Combat Engineers Group (HQ ARMCEG) and the Seletar Camp Medical Centre are still operating at the current camp. On 1 June 2020, the

announced that Seletar East Camp will be converted into a temporary housing for the migrant workers due to Covid-19. Seletar East Camp once houses the 39th Battalion Singapore Combat Engineers (39SCE), 36th Battalion Singapore Combat Engineers (36SCE), CBRE Engineers Training Centre (CETC) & HQ Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Explosive Defence Group (CBRE DG) but now have become an unused premise after they shut down their operations in Seletar.

References

{{coord missing, Singapore Singapore Army Military installations of Singapore Military installations established in 1928 1928 establishments in Singapore World War II prisoner-of-war camps in Singapore 20th-century architecture in Singapore