Group 4 - Imperial War Museum and British War Museum

Today, we went to the Imperial War Museum and we learnt more about World War One and World War Two. We learnt about the period before war, during the war and after the war. The Holocaust left a deep impression in all of us. Even though some of us do learn History in school, we have not seen the posters and uniforms the soldiers used to wear right before our eyes before. It was definitely an eye-opening experience.

The SA uniforms were really cool and we saw artefacts such as the gas masks and the airplanes used in the wars. We also learnt about the discrimination the Jews faced, for example, they had to wear a yellow star badge so as to allow others to recognise them as Jews. This shows that there was difference in treatment shown to the Jews and non-Jews. They were often made fun of and sometimes, even beaten to death. The Nazis were extremely cruel to the Jews. They used many different methods to kill them, from torturing them to gassing them with carbon monoxide. This shows that the Germans were very innovative and creative in terms of thinking of new and efficient punishments and killing methods. And also, it shows that the Germans had the ability to acquire such a big pool of talents and expertise. Through all this, it has made us appreciate the peaceful life we have in Singapore.

At the British War Museum, we learnt that during the war period, there was even recruitment for a women army! This shows that the Germans wanted to make full use of all the manpower they had, making women useful. They also wanted them to be courageous and pledge their allegiance to the country by serving it too. By doing this, this may have minimized the gender discrimination against women by allowing them to do what used to a man's job - protecting his country.

- Carin Loh, Wong Wee Ming, Dayna Hui, Azlin, Florence Chua!