Parliament: Singapore Volunteer Corps will be honoured in SG50 celebrations

SINGAPORE - The contributions of Singapore Volunteer Corps, who played an important role during the two World Wars, will be celebrated this year as both the country and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) celebrate its 50th year, said Minister of Defence Ng Eng Hen on Thursday.

Dr Ng said the volunteers served actively during the World Wars, the Malayan Emergency, Konfrantasi, and helped to train national servicemen when National Service was introduced in 1967.

Many of the units in the SAF can trace their early beginnings from these volunteers, said the defence minister.

"As we commemorate these significant milestones, we will be recognising and telling the stories of our servicemen and volunteers, both past and present.

"The stories will highlight the contributions of our pioneers, including those who joined the Singapore Volunteer Corps and the People's Defence Force," wrote Dr Ng in a written response to MP Christopher de Souza.

Stories will be showcased in an SAF50 commemorative book, which will be made available online via the SAF50 website.

Roles and contributions of individual pioneers will also be showcased in the SG50 Pioneer Spirit Campaign by the Ministry of culture, Community and Youth.

Such stories will also be told by the Commitment to Defence (C2D) Ambassadors, when they interact with students and servicemen. These ambassadors are NSmen and members of the SAF Vetarans' League who have volunteered to engage the younger generation by sharing their operational experiences, wrote Dr Ng.

klim@sph.com.sg