National Library Board :: Singapore On Parade

Home > Virtual Exhibition > Pre-Independence Parades > Coronation and Jubilee Parades

Pre-Independence Parades | Founding Ceremony Parade: 1819 | Birthday & Empire Day Parades | Coronation and Jubilee Parades | Centenary Day and City Day Parades

Coronation Parades

During British Colonial rule, Singapore became part of the celebrations to crown British monarchs. Queen Victoria ruled Singapore the longest after her accession to the Imperial throne on 16 September 1837. In Singapore, to honour her accession, a Royal Salute was fired at noon of 17 September 1837.

Queen Victoria's long reign culminated in a spectacular Diamond Jubilee in 1897 and this Diamond Jubilee "established what was to be a leitmotif of the twentieth-century Coronation, vast cavalcades through the streets by representatives of the British Empire". The distance between Singapore and London did not diminish the grandeur of the local ceremonies in Singapore. Not to be outdone, Singapore-made parades, buntings, illumination and parties marked the crowning of four British monarchs in the 20th century.

9 August 1902: Coronation of King Edward VII

The whole town geared up for the coronation celebrations before the actual day. Earlier notices about the parade at the Esplanade and fireworks at the Recreation Club grounds appeared in the Straits Times. On 8 August for example, the Straits Times reported on the state of the town's readiness:

The Coronation Decorations

Although naturally by no means on par with those erected before the news of the king's illness and the consequent postponement of the Coronation, Singapore's decoration on the eve … appeared to be well worthy of the occasion. The public and other buildings along the Esplanade and near Cavenagh Bridge were a veritable blaze of colour. Battery Road presents a quaint kaleidoscopic vista, with big firms in Raffles Square, Collyer and Raffles quays and other places have, for the most part, thoroughly shown their loyalty or sympathy by bedecking their premises with what appears to be omnipresent bunting…With native dwellings almost everywhere and in all sorts of unexpected places little patches of brilliant colouring …preparations for illuminations too are everywhere in evidence, gearing to show that Singapore is in no degree behind the rest of the Empire in her ideas as to what befits the occasion.

Source: The coronation decoration. (1902, August 8). The Straits Times, p. 5.

The town also nearly went ahead with a torchlight procession but this was found to be "impracticable and therefore abandoned".

The coronation celebration of King Edward VII kicked off early with the garrison parade:

Proceedings commenced early with the garrison parade before His Excellency the Governor, all our leading local persons, and a huge assemblage of the Singapore population which looked to the eye as picturesque in its various-hued garb as ever it has done. The sun was making his rays well felt by the time the troops - Bluejackets, European Artillerymen and Engineers, Volunteers, native infantrymen and others - were drawn up in order across the centre of the sun-baked Esplanade. In accordance with the new Infantry Drill Book, the men stood at ease in the latest approved fashion, feet wide apart, which gives a man a helpless sort of look though it may be comfortable. Practically the whole garrison of Singapore was there, and when just after 7 o'clock His Excellency drove up to the saluting base, and was received with a general salute, the appearance of this big body of troops was very imposing. The programme was not lengthy. Orders were given by Colonel Oakes, in supreme command. First was the Royal Salute fired by the Singapore Volunteer Artillerymen who were at the extreme end of the line. The six screw guns were excellently served, and the salute was a credit to the S.V.A. Seven guns were followed by a feu-de-joie along the whole line and a few bars of the National Anthem; another seven guns and feu-de-joie; and yet another, and the loyal expenditure of blank ammunition was over. At this point, High Excellency stepped forward and called for three cheers for His Majesty, which were heartily given, and then commenced the march past, led by the Naval men who stepped out smartly to "A Life on the Ocean wave". The other troops followed in the order of precedence…The European regulars were, as always smart, well set-up, soldierly from head to heel; the Volunteers were good; but certainly the best line was kept by some of the Madras Infantrymen, whose marching was really splendid. The Volunteer Artillery brought up the rear, dragging their guns, and their march past brought a successful parade to a close. No sooner had the troops gone then a swarm of boys made for the ground, where they pounced with great joy on the empty cartridge cases; but their operations were cut short by a few lanky Sikhs who chevied the marauders off. Directly after the parade, a great number of spectators who had possessed themselves of tickets of admission beforehand, made their way to the service at the St. Andrew's Cathedral...

Source: The King's coronation. (1902, August 11). The Straits Times, p. 5.

The coronation of King Edward VII was also memorable for the laying of the foundation stone of the Victoria Memorial Hall by the H.E., Governor Sir F. A. Swettenham. Also present at the ceremony were high government officials and many prominent men in Singapore of all races. The Hall was a tribute to the late Queen Victoria and funds for this extension to the Town Hall comprised collections from the public and grants from the government and the municipality.

As for the fireworks, "rocket followed rocket and Roman candle followed Roman candle until considerably after ten o'clock when the supply appeared to come to an end and the large gathering of spectators wended its way homeward, no doubt for the most part weary after a long but nevertheless enjoyable day and one calculated to live in their memories until such memories cease".

The coronation also led to the opening of a new road in honour of King Edward. Located about three miles up Bukit Timah Road, King Edward Road had a brightly decorated archway at its entrance to mark its birth.

22 June 1911: Coronation of King George V

The coronation parade of King George V closely followed its predecessor nine years ago. It began at 7am at the Padang where troops from the various contingents assembled and greeted the arrival of the H.E. the acting Governor, E.L. Brockman, with a royal salute of 21 rounds. This was followed in respective order by the feu-de-joie, the second royal salute and three cheers for the King. By the time the troops were ready for the march past, all the drills were completed with precision and rapidity. The day was punctuated by other programmes including daylight fireworks display on the Esplanade by the Japanese community between 4 and 6pm, and a procession of Chinese, Malays and Indians that proceeded up to the Government Hill (Fort Canning Hill) and the Government House. The procession culminated with fireworks on Government Hill, courtesy of the Mohammedans from Southern India.

12 May 1937: The coronation parade of King George VI at the Padang. Some 2,000 troops participated and it featured a procession of floats. (His reign officially started on 11 December 1936 after his brother's abdication).

2 June 1953: Queen Elizabeth II coronation parade at the Padang. A float procession was also held. Celebrations stretched a week from 30 May.

Excerpt of the Queen's speech on the evening of her Coronation:

Throughout this memorable day I have been uplifted and sustained by the knowledge that your thoughts and prayers were with me. I have been aware all the time that my peoples, spread far and wide throughout every continent and ocean in the world, were united to support me in the task to which I have now been dedicated with such solemnity. Many thousands of you came to London from all parts of the Commonwealth and Empire to join in the ceremony, but I have been conscious too of the millions of others who have shared in it by means of wireless or television in their homes. All of you, near or far, have been united in one purpose. It is hard for me to find words in which to tell you of the strength which this knowledge has given me. The ceremonies you have seen today are ancient, and some of their origins are veiled in the mists of the past. But their spirit and their meaning shine through the ages never, perhaps, more brightly than now. I have in sincerity pledged myself to your service, as so many of you are pledged to mine. Throughout all my life and with all my heart I shall strive to be worthy of your trust.

British Monarchy. (n.d.). The Queen's speeches. Retrieved May 10, 2006, from http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page4097.asp

Coronation of Singapore's first very own Head of State

On 3 December 1959, Singapore experienced another milestone in her history as she sworn in her first Malayan-born Head of State or Yang di-Pertuan Negara, Inche Yusof bin Ishak. The ceremony took place at the City Council Chamber at 10 am. A 17 gun-salute accompanied Inche Yusof as he appeared on the steps of the City Hall in front of the Padang to address a packed crowd. Making the occasion even more momentous was the unveiling of the new National Anthem of Singapore, Majulah Singapura which was played for the first time, and of the new Singapore Flag and State Crest.

Among the dignitaries present at the swearing-in ceremony were the then Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, and the last British Governor, Sir William Goode. Thousands of people from all walks of life participated in the parade while many tens of thousands more gathered to watch and cheer.

Jubilee Day Parades

In the British Empire, Jubilee celebrations were held to commemorate the longevity of a monarch's reign. The notion of a Jubilee celebration seems to be an innovation dating from Queen Victoria's reign. Until the end of the 19th century, a jubilee meant celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary (in 1887) of the accession of Her Majesty to the throne. But Queen Victoria reigned beyond her 50th year and to celebrate a further decade of her rule, the term Diamond Jubilee was invented specifically to mark her 60 years (in 1897) on the throne. The qualifier diamond was borrowed from its existing use to describe a sixtieth wedding anniversary. Even after the 1897 celebration became known as the Diamond Jubilee, the 1887's celebration was still referred to as The Jubilee or The Royal Jubilee. The term Golden Jubilee only appeared later so that people could unambiguously distinguish the 1887 celebration from the later one. Soon the term jubilee started to be used with other qualifiers, such as silver for a 25th anniversary. In Singapore, there were three kinds of jubilee celebrations.

27-28 June 1887: Golden Jubilee, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's reign. At the celebrations, Governor Frederick Weld installed a statue of Sir Stamford Raffles, Singapore's founder, in the middle of the Padang.

22 June 1897: Diamond Jubilee, commemorating the 60th anniversary of Queen Victoria's reign. On 22 September 1896, Queen Victoria had surpassed King George III as Britain's longest-reigning monarch by several months. In 1897, her Diamond Jubilee to mark her 60th year in reign was therefore duly celebrated, even with her confined to a wheelchair.

In Singapore, celebrations began on 20th June with Thanksgiving Services. They ended on 25th June with a bang, capped by a mammoth Chinese procession that took one and a half hour to pass a given point, a parade of troops, fireworks, Government House Ball and illumination "which transformed Singapore at night into a fairyland of light". No doubt, the spectacle would carve a lifetime memory on every subject who either took part or witnessed the events.

6 May 1935: Silver Jubilee of King George V to commemorate the 25th anniversary of his reign. This was the first "Silver" Jubilee recorded in the annals of the British Empire. He was crowned on 22 June 1911. Governor Sir Shenton Thomas officiated the military parade.