Singapore has had an history of armed conflict and personnel dating to the colonial period.
Colonial period
The Singapore Volunteer Rifle Corps, a private organisation, was formed after the 1854 Hokkien-Teochew riots that occurred between the respective Chinese secret societies from 5 to 17 May that year. The conflict caused widespread unrest and loss of life on the island, and was severe enough for the police to require the support of the military, some marines, special constables, sepoys and even convicts to restore order. More than 500 people were killed and 300 houses burned down. Its numbers eventually dwindled to a small half-company, and the corps was disbanded in December 1887.
In February 1888, the corps was revived as the Singapore Volunteer Artillery Corps (SVA). It was the first unit in the British Empire, regular or auxiliary, to field the Maxim Gun. The guns arrived in 1889 and were funded by donations from the Sultan of Johor, members of the various communities in Singapore and prominent businessmen.
In 1901, the SVA was renamed the Singapore Volunteer Corps (SVC), due to its diverse sub-units. It comprised artillery, infantry, engineers and rifle sections. During World War I, the SVC helped to quell the Sepoy Mutiny of 1915, which resulted in the deaths of 11 volunteers. The first infantry unit was formed at Raffles Institution by volunteers on 15 May 1901.
In 1922, the SVC was amalgamated with the Penang and Province Wellesley Volunteer Corps, Malacca Volunteer Corps, and Labuan Volunteer Defence Detachment to form the Straits Settlements Volunteer Force (SSVF). In 1928, the SSVF infantry was re-organised into 4 battalions. The 1st and 2nd battalions consisted of members of the Singapore Volunteer Corps (1,250 men). Besides the infantry, the rest of the SSVF consisted of the Singapore Royal Artillery (SRA), Singapore Royal Engineers, Singapore Armoured Car Company and 3 ambulance units.
World War II
The Corps was involved in the defence of Singapore during the Second World War. As international tensions heightened during the 1930s, an increasing number of men of the various nationalities in the Settlements — predominantly European, Malay, Chinese, Indian and Eurasian — joined the SSVF. It included naval, air force, special operations, irregular units, and home guard units.
On 25 December 1941, Lieutenant Colonel John Dalley created Dalforce, also known as the Singapore Overseas Chinese Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army as an irregular forces/guerrilla unit within the SSVF during World War II. Its members were recruited among the ethnic Chinese people of Singapore, and their ferocious fighting earned them the nickname Dalley's Desperadoes. By the time the Japanese invaded, Dalforce numbered 4,000 resistance fighters.
The SSVF — including four infantry battalions — took part in the Battle of Singapore in 1942, and most of its members were captured on 15 February 1942 when their positions were overrun.
Notable battles
Battle of Bukit Timah
Battle of Kranji
Battle of Sarimbun Beach
Battle of China
Japanese Occupation of Singapore
Post-World War II
The end of the Japanese occupation saw the SVC being revived in 1949.
In 1954, the SSVF was disbanded and the Singapore Volunteer Force (formerly the SVC) was absorbed into the Singapore Military Forces (SMF). The SVF assisted in defence during the Malayan Emergency.
Indonesian confrontation
From 1963 to 1966, Indonesia carried out a policy of confrontation, also known as Konfrontasi, as it opposed to the formation of Malaysia and the existence of the Federation of Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore. The conflict was an intermittent war marked by armed incursions, bomb attacks, and acts of subversion and destabilisation and also included numerous raids by Indonesian volunteers on targets within the Federation of Malaysia, which at that time included Singapore. The Philippines were aligned with Indonesia due to its claim for Sabah. It broke off diplomatic relations with Malaysia, but did not participate in the hostilities.
One of the raids the MacDonald House bombing on 10 March 1965 by two Indonesian saboteurs. Two people were killed and thirty three were injured. The saboteurs were caught, and they turned out to be from the Korps Marinir. They were subsequently tried and executed, despite great pressure from Indonesia. In later years, the executions remained a source of unhappiness in Singapore-Indonesian relations. Lee Kuan Yew later sprinkled flowers on the graves of the Marines, helping heal the rift between the two countries.