tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729881438055696073.post5216134085963133832..comments2024-03-03T20:31:09.646+08:00Comments on Second Shot: Where is the Location of that Artillery Gun? A Second Shot MissionIcemoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08174805596607457468noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729881438055696073.post-86079098313775200482011-06-24T13:36:23.729+08:002011-06-24T13:36:23.729+08:00Yu, now that we think back, the memories are so sw...Yu, now that we think back, the memories are so sweet, like that sweet potato, haha. I was cursing and grumbling in my heart every time I was there for training.Icemoonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08174805596607457468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729881438055696073.post-49509824886982253532011-06-18T20:57:59.507+08:002011-06-18T20:57:59.507+08:00Hi there, come and think of it, it was during my N...Hi there, come and think of it, it was during my NSF days, I did some topo exercise in lam sam area, and i can still remember some hidden knoll in there which gives u a nice view of the bukit batok area too. What i am amaze is, there are still many remnants of the past village still lying ard, for instance, we can find sweet potato, tapioca, banana plants for food too.Yunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729881438055696073.post-41232553349031756862009-02-13T10:09:00.000+08:002009-02-13T10:09:00.000+08:00Hi I think the gun post photo was taken at Lim Chu...Hi I think the gun post photo was taken at Lim Chu Kang hill at Jalan Murai.It has a 360deg commanding view .aruhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16505271772720226003noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729881438055696073.post-22631069387207530262008-09-15T00:01:00.000+08:002008-09-15T00:01:00.000+08:00Chun See, I have finished the explanation in a new...Chun See, I have finished the explanation in a new blog entry.Icemoonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08174805596607457468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729881438055696073.post-21226176198052622562008-09-14T16:12:00.000+08:002008-09-14T16:12:00.000+08:00Yup, desolated places are not safe. MSK may not be...Yup, desolated places are not safe. MSK may not be hiding inside, but there are still mozzies, wild boars?!, wild monkeys and of course wild dogs. I am instantly reminded of this <A HREF="http://goodmorningyesterday.blogspot.com/2006/03/tragedy-lies-in-waste.html" REL="nofollow">article</A> by Chun See.Icemoonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08174805596607457468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729881438055696073.post-7897988176165260822008-09-14T14:51:00.000+08:002008-09-14T14:51:00.000+08:00I don't think young girl should walk there alone. ...I don't think young girl should walk there alone. Spore is safe but still .... <BR/><BR/>Icemoon. Do you mind explaining a bit how you can get a shortof the hills viewed from horiz level through Google. Very interesting.Lam Chun Seehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01762020157703342970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729881438055696073.post-91315543875689748882008-09-14T11:45:00.000+08:002008-09-14T11:45:00.000+08:00Passerby, actually military stuff quite fun when y...Passerby, actually military stuff quite fun when you read it, quite enjoyable when you watch it (like SAF Open House), but totally sianz when you do it.<BR/><BR/>Back to the place in question. You can actually walk along the canal from Bukit Batok Road to Brickland Road. Best to do it on weekend when conscripts are at home.Icemoonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08174805596607457468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729881438055696073.post-15651716423358151512008-09-14T11:30:00.000+08:002008-09-14T11:30:00.000+08:00I'm not which hawker centre was that, but there's ...I'm not which hawker centre was that, but there's one inside the Neo Tiew HDB estate passerby mentioned. Now it is the resting area for the conscripts.<BR/><BR/>I can still remember the training vividly. Our block was the one to the right of the hawker centre from the main road. From the kitchen, the entire thing looks so drama. They threw smoke so the conscripts could cross from the hawker centre to the block. Then when they got to your storey, you could see what they doing through the door hole.Icemoonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08174805596607457468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729881438055696073.post-83956432179402034852008-09-14T09:53:00.000+08:002008-09-14T09:53:00.000+08:00Yeah, I googled up the area when I visited it last...Yeah, I googled up the area when I visited it last time and saw recollections of people who lived there and of NSmen who would stop there for drinks (and their commanders would apparently lurk in the food centre to look out for anyone idling to buy drinks when nobody was looking)<BR/><BR/>It's precisely because it was a real place where people lived that it's so fascinating now that it's abandoned. (Also I had no idea what FIBUA was until googling it just now. Cool)<BR/><BR/>Eh, I figured that as long as they don't catch you it's OK for civilians to walk into restricted areas other than the Live Firing Zone, but I'm a typical paranoid Singaporean - after hearing about those people chased out from Sungei Khatib Bongsu which has the signs especially.<BR/>Didn't stop me from um... appreciating certain places though. I don't know if I want to do it again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729881438055696073.post-29911244964939602172008-09-13T22:18:00.000+08:002008-09-13T22:18:00.000+08:00Icemoon & Passerby. Did you know that the HDB ...Icemoon & Passerby. Did you know that the HDB flats at junction of Neo Tiew Rd and Lim Chu Road used to actual human-populated flats unlike the Fibua Village. <BR/>There used to be a hawker centre and even during my reservist days (80's) I have eaten their before. I think there are a lot of foreign workers quarters there now.Lam Chun Seehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01762020157703342970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729881438055696073.post-5041903624149816822008-09-13T21:22:00.000+08:002008-09-13T21:22:00.000+08:00Peter,The whole Hong Kah jungle including Jalan La...Peter,<BR/><BR/>The whole Hong Kah jungle including Jalan Lam Sam/Track 22 is under Keat Hong Camp, 40SAR. I'm ashamed to admit we had armour training there a few times, but I never pay attention to the geography.Icemoonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08174805596607457468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729881438055696073.post-1641731763247867552008-09-13T21:16:00.000+08:002008-09-13T21:16:00.000+08:00Chun See said:Often, the newspapers would carry an...Chun See said:<BR/><BR/><B>Often, the newspapers would carry an announcement telling the public about such training and warning them not to be alarmed by the sound of thunderflashes.</B><BR/><BR/>Here's something interesting. Because conscription is conducted in English, it was not until later then I realize what those mandarin radio/tv broadcasts are saying. You hear them especially when there are exercises on the southern islands.<BR/><BR/>"演习 。。 使用空弹和雷光弹 。。"<BR/><BR/>Blanks and thunderflash! Wah leow, took so long to notice.Icemoonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08174805596607457468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729881438055696073.post-29302854961165206032008-09-13T21:09:00.000+08:002008-09-13T21:09:00.000+08:00Hi passerby,I had an enriching conscription experi...Hi passerby,<BR/><BR/>I had an enriching conscription experience, bashed through jungles, climbed mountains, crossed rivers, sat in all three choppers, took the navy landing craft (like those in Saving Private Ryan) and of course, saw those scenery "reserved" for conscripts .. hehe - Kidney Hill, Elephant Hill, and even a Hamburger Hill!!<BR/><BR/>Never trained in Ulu Sembawang before, but the Neo Tiew FIBUA Village, yes.<BR/><BR/>Actually I never walked to Jalan Lam Sam. I saw the canal and just followed it out, with the Buddhist Temple bell going gong .. gong .. in the background. LOL<BR/><BR/>There are different levels of off-bounds you know. With regards to training areas, the real off-bounds places are the Live Firing Areas. Other places, I saw civilians from time to time.Icemoonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08174805596607457468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729881438055696073.post-15331753035200303912008-09-13T18:55:00.000+08:002008-09-13T18:55:00.000+08:00@Lam Chun SeeDon't worry Mr. Lam, I haven't gone e...@Lam Chun See<BR/><BR/>Don't worry Mr. Lam, I haven't gone exploring since I went down Neo Tiew Road all the way to Kranji Loop ~2 months ago. It's technically easier to be stuck at home studying anyway.<BR/><BR/>Thank you for the pointers regarding army exploration. I was just wondering if NS guys *nowadays* (not in the 70s) still get to see such places - like Ulu Sembawang (which I was reminded of after recent coverage of the Artists Village). <BR/>I guess some would... I saw a whole army drill thing going on in that fascinatingly eerie cluster of abandoned HDBs at the junction of LCK Rd and Neo Tiew Road. Very interesting to see and hear soldiers training in those run-down HDB buildings with a gloomy, dusty playground marked by a red Restricted Area sign.<BR/><BR/>I asked because my brothers who completed NS haven't really said much about having been to such places. Granted one was PES C, so he didn't see much, but the other... I guess he was, indeed, too tired and "sianz" to really care about these things. Focussed more on his missions.<BR/><BR/>Anyway I think it's precisely because some of these things feel "alien" to us youngsters that they should be blogged, or it'll become even more alien to us...<BR/><BR/>@Icemoon: I have a blog but it's mostly personal and I hardly write in it, so I'd rather not have it mentioned here. <BR/><BR/>I'm really curious to know how you went from Track 22 all the way to Jalan Lam Sam though. I thought Track 22 is off-bounds? Or did you just sneak in because there was nobody around? (It can be done *loud cough*)<BR/><BR/>Anyway, this time I've left my email in case you really want to contact me, but I assure you my "experiences" are fewer and far less interesting than yours :)<BR/><BR/>(Oh and I thought my NS question was a loud enough hint, but please let me clarify: I am neither fit (failed almost my entire PFT last year), nor a man. I'll give you the "young" though, although I definitely don't look it)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729881438055696073.post-4123741892724642692008-09-13T18:30:00.000+08:002008-09-13T18:30:00.000+08:001. Why Jalan Lam San protected area?2. I like to r...1. Why Jalan Lam San protected area?<BR/><BR/>2. I like to request someone make a sketch on their position relative to Bukit Gombak - there are a couple of towers. That way we can orientate ourselves from the photos taken to Bukit Gombak. Also this can be used for future references by others or for blog article. Without this sketch-map very difficult to visualise what you guys are saying.<BR/><BR/>From Cho Chu Kang side, you see 5 towers on Gombak. The 2 extreme right is at the ridge fronting Hillview. The extreme left is fronting Bukit Panjang. The short center one was where the old Raf radar station was located. If you travel up Gombak Drive to the top, assuming the Provost clear you after the railway track head up the road past the 25 pounder on display. The old radar would be at the end of the road after the road bend. If u peep through the bush between the end of the road and the bend (has a RSAF squadron unit there) in the direction of Choa Chu Kang you should be able to recognise the buildings/hills in the Tengah area. This is one way to get accurate bearings rgt?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729881438055696073.post-1835801912440519562008-09-13T17:16:00.000+08:002008-09-13T17:16:00.000+08:00Hi. I just came back from a recce of the Jalan Lek...Hi. I just came back from a recce of the Jalan Lekar - Jalan Semangka area. At first I got quite excited becos the view looked just like the Roger Hatchy photo. I took a photo of Bukit Gombak from the highest point I could find; but when I got home and made a comparison, I don't think it's the right place after all. In terms of distance, it looked much further tha RH's photo.<BR/><BR/>Here's a photo I uploaded to Flickr.<BR/><BR/>http://www.flickr.com/photos/69528240@N00/2853015504/<BR/><BR/>What do you guys think?<BR/><BR/>I also checked out Jalan Lam San but it was out of bounds to public???<BR/><BR/>One day we must get together and go for another recce. Without a car, it is very difficult for you guys. But if you really want to check out the Jalan Lekar - Jalan Semangka area, I suggest you take a shuttle bus from CCC station to Qian Hu and then walk up Jalan Lekar. Its only a few hundred metres I estimate.Lam Chun Seehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01762020157703342970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729881438055696073.post-59439261608522698872008-09-13T02:35:00.000+08:002008-09-13T02:35:00.000+08:00Hi passerby,Actually I'm more excited to read abou...Hi passerby,<BR/><BR/>Actually I'm more excited to read about your adventures. Do you keep a blog? I remember in your very first comment on my blog, you told me you already explored the beginning of the Bukit Timah siding. =)<BR/><BR/>Yup, I have read "Lost Roads" too, it was written by a lady and in quite nice prose. Nope, I walked from Track 22 up, not down from Jalan Lam Sam. And I did not complete it, I saw the canal and just followed it out to Bricklands Road.<BR/><BR/>Let's just say the mentality when you're training is just very different. Most of the time, you're just too tired or "sianz" to think about other things.Icemoonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08174805596607457468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729881438055696073.post-15336623496724389712008-09-13T00:13:00.000+08:002008-09-13T00:13:00.000+08:00Sorry Icemoon to hijack this post and side-track. ...Sorry Icemoon to hijack this post and side-track. Like I said before, once we lau pengs start talking about the army daze, we can't stop.<BR/><BR/>I remember one occasion when I was doing my section leaders course and we had some topo exercise in the Marsiling area (those days mainly vegetable farms). One joker in our company lost his bayonet and the whole company had to spend hours and hours searching the bushes and mud tracks and vegetable plots to look for it. Cannot remember if we finally found it or not.Lam Chun Seehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01762020157703342970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729881438055696073.post-75376695480402591412008-09-13T00:06:00.000+08:002008-09-13T00:06:00.000+08:00Dear Passerby. Like you I am also all excited abou...Dear Passerby. Like you I am also all excited about exploring this location. But unfortunately, unlike fit young men like you and Icemoon, there's no way I can explore these areas on foot.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, I want to address one question you raised. You asked whether we did any army training in these areas. The answer is definitely Yes. And more often than we would have liked. <BR/><BR/>In the early 70's, a lot of our army training takes place in these kind of rural areas like Tuas, Hong Kah, Neo Tiew, Marsiling and Tampines. Often, the newspapers would carry an announcement telling the public about such training and warning them not to be alarmed by the sound of thunderflashes. I did mention this a couple of times in my blogs but I didn't go into detail because I did not realize that this is something totally alien to the younger generation. Anyway, look out for my next post becos it so happens that I had planned to touch on this topic. <BR/><BR/>Let me just quote a few sentences from my previous posts to illustrate to you what I mean.<BR/><BR/>1) From my article on <A HREF="http://goodmorningyesterday.blogspot.com/2007/07/where-have-all-wayang-stages-gone.html" REL="nofollow">Where have all the wayang stages gone?<BR/><BR/></A>;<BR/><I><B>"I remember one occasion during my Section Leaders training when we had an exercise which was called either Fighting Patrol or Recce Patrol. We started after lunch from Safti (Pasir Laba) in Jurong towards Bukit Batok. Our RV (rendezvous point) was a wayang stage along what is now Bukit Batok East Avenue 2, near the junction with Old Jurong Road, just opposite the entrance of the Bukt Batok Nature Park. We had our dinner there and then made our way back to Safti. I recall that at that time, what troubled me most was not physical exhaustion, but an ache in my neck because of wearing the heavy steel helmet for such a long time."</B></I><BR/><BR/>2) From my article on <A HREF="http://goodmorningyesterday.blogspot.com/2005/12/what-melvyn-missed.html" REL="nofollow">What Melvyn missed</A>.<BR/><BR/><I><B>"6. Seeing many places that most Singaporeans never saw, nor will ever see; from the sand pits of Tampines, to the kampongs of Hong Kah, Bt Batok, Bt Panjang, Marsiling and Kranji."</B></I><BR/><BR/>PS - As a parent of 3 school/univ-going children, I think I should urge you to put off such 'expeditions' until after your exams. There's plenty of time for these later.Lam Chun Seehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01762020157703342970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729881438055696073.post-34463204948311636792008-09-12T23:37:00.000+08:002008-09-12T23:37:00.000+08:00Thank you Icemoon for another painstaking effort. ...Thank you Icemoon for another painstaking effort. But I must confess, I have a tough time following your description of the two hills; 117 and 14o. Really had to strain with the aid of a magnifying glass to see these 2 hills on your topo map.<BR/><BR/>Can I confirm that these 2 hills lie to the south of KJE near Track 22. I am afraid I have not been here before; but they seem to be too far away from Tengah to be overlooking the runway isn't it? According to one of the old soldiers, they were near the end of the runway. That's why I suspected the Jalan Lekar/Samangka area. Even Track 14 where the Chinese cemetery lies is too far away from the runway.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, I have not yet check out the area that I guessed to be the location of that artillery ... so I will need to get back to you later. But I don't think it is Hill 140 or Hill 117.Lam Chun Seehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01762020157703342970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729881438055696073.post-74127354273832604292008-09-12T05:45:00.000+08:002008-09-12T05:45:00.000+08:00Track 14 chinese cemetery is on a hill. How could...Track 14 chinese cemetery is on a hill. How could a AA gun site share the same ground with a cemetery? So the Jalan Lekar area not possible.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729881438055696073.post-16666324772585451092008-09-11T19:03:00.000+08:002008-09-11T19:03:00.000+08:00Top: Google Earth Terrain showing Bukit Gombak.Bot...Top: Google Earth Terrain showing Bukit Gombak.<BR/>Bottom: The mysterious mountain of the 1960s from the Roger Hatchy photo.<BR/><BR/>refer to the above photos - if u move the goggle map more to the right, then u can align the slight "valley" on Bukit Gombak to the bottom photo. Doing that makes u move closer south towards Jurong Road. So the hill where the gun was located might not be Hill 140 but nearer to West Bukit Timah Hill.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729881438055696073.post-21002604084892192382008-09-11T13:14:00.000+08:002008-09-11T13:14:00.000+08:00Icemoon, that is some pretty impressive detective ...Icemoon, that is some pretty impressive detective work. I'm in no position to dispute your conclusion, so I'd have to say that you're right!<BR/><BR/>BTW, where did you get the 1966 topo map from?pintohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14676823759744680169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729881438055696073.post-42497068076837698642008-09-11T12:57:00.000+08:002008-09-11T12:57:00.000+08:00Okay, I'm terribly sorry but I'm going to go into ...Okay, I'm terribly sorry but I'm going to go into one long off-topic ramble because reading this got me all excited. <BR/><BR/>It's about EXACTLY the area you captured on Google Maps - the Tengah area. I'm most interested in it because in a street directory as recent as 1991, all those roads (and a few more) were still there, connecting to Old CCK Road and I could only imagine the number of old houses and kampongs and everything that were there - you know, it's all part of that important Heritage thing the authorities keep going on about, but I was curious like HELL about it because it has all completely poofed into nowhere and appears as one large mysterious green area on current maps. Also because Jalan Lam Sam/Chichau/T22 was featured in that book "Lost Roads" and it piqued my curiosity...<BR/><BR/>Of course, you could imagine my dismay when I actually walked to Jurong Road and realised the whole area along the right side is a military Restricted Area (although I believe a part of Jalan Lam Sam off Bricklands Road is still accessible to the public). Did you really manage to walk from Jalan Lam Sam all the way down to Track 22 as you planned to? <BR/><BR/>Sorry I'm going on and on, I got so excited reading this because it was truly an experience going there. I can't believe you thought of crossing the KJE though. <BR/><BR/>Sigh, let's just say after my trip to Jurong Road I ended up in a very wrong place a few hours later. And saw more than I should have (1). And made the very stupid mistake of forgetting there was a honking expressway built since 1991.<BR/><BR/>Now that you've posted about it though I absolutely have to go explore north of Old CCK Road - I've passed that area a few times but I gotta go look around there, and in Sungei Tengah also.<BR/><BR/>Really I owe so much to people like you and Mr. Lam for making all these fascinating but exact blog posts about little-known remnants of the past - they're so exciting and it's awesome to go there and look at it yourself (or go explore some place and then it gets covered in greater detail on these sites) <BR/>Do guys in NS ever get to go to these awesome ulu places? Granted it's while they're training, but the atmosphere is so different, they're tranquil but have a lovely "deserted" feeling also because many places were dwellings once upon a time...<BR/><BR/>Anyway thanks so much. And sorry for the crazy rambling, I just couldn't help it. Wah, I wish it wasn't the exams period...<BR/><BR/>(1) Google Maps is outdated in many areas; but it is not lying about the remnants of roads in the Tengah area. Yeah.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com