Fong Swee Suan (Group 3)

1) A hero is someone who displays extraordinary courage in times of need, someone who performs a selfless act to help someone else. A hero might still have flaws, but the important thing is that he or she learns from his mistakes. Heroes need not be strong; even a woman like Elizabeth Choy is a hero. Another example is Adnan Bin Saidi. he led a 42-strong platoon from the Malay Regiment in the defense of Singapore against the invading Japanese. The soldiers fought at the Battle of Pasir Panjang, at Pasir Panjang Ridge in the Bukit Chandu (Opium Hill) area on 12–14 February 1942. Although heavily outnumbered, Adnan refused to surrender and urged his men to fight until the end.

2)Fong Swee Suan was the Secretary General of the Singapore Bus Workers Union, which explains how he became involved in the Hock Lee Bus Riots in 1955, where workers demanded better working conditions.

He had many qualities, including perserverence and his leadership qualities. He was determined to get a better pay for the Singapore bus workers' union, as the employees have to work in poor working conditions, long hours and have low pay.

Being one of the anti-colonial leaders of the SBWN, he was arrested twice due to the riot. He went on trying to gain benefits for the SBWN. In the end, he succeeded and that perseverance allows him to become a hero who contributed to the people of Singapore.

Group members: Chan Hui Ling (3)

Jade Chua (7)

Lim Li (15)

Priscilla Chan (23)

General Aung San ( Group 6)

1) A hero is someone who helps people, doing things that benefit others. A hero is someone real.

Lee Kuan Yew brought Singapore independence. He achieved his goal of cultivating Singapore into a modern and, most importantly, an independent city; benefiting the people.

In 1942, Lieutenant Adnan bin Saidi become a hero under the circumstances where he won a fight he led, despite being outnumbered.
He tried his best in fighting for Singapore and protecting Singapore, therefore making him a hero.

Therefore, heroes can be people that achieved their goals or arise from special circumstances.


2) During the World War II, General Aung San doubted the Japanese’s promise to let Burma be independent, suspecting it was a plot to capture Burma. He placed the importance of his country before himself, risking the trust of the Japanese by staging a revolt against them. After the war, Aung San was also challenged by British attempts to take over Burma. He was successful in both attempts to keep Burma an independent state. He was shrewd, being able to plan for Burma’s future and make critical decisions in tough situations.

Sources:
http://www.aungsan.com/Time_Line.htm
http://www.myanmars.net/myanmar-history/general-aungsan.htm

Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlnQGamrsz4&feature=related

Group members/done by:
Gan Yu Hui(9)
Goh Mann Hua Alicia(10)
Ng Yu Shui(18)
Pang Yu Huey Adrienne(19)
Pea Zuo Lin Jolene(20)

Group 7: General Templar

What makes a hero?

Heros are people who sacrifice themselves for the sake of others: A man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualitities; True heroes need not necessarily be famous; They will do anything they deem as right for the good of others.

General Templar.

Field Marshal Sir Gerald Walter Robert Templar, is a perfect example of a true blue hero. He holds high positions in British Army during the Worlding War 2, being the youngest general there. He was recognized as a prominent leader that would sacrifice readily for the good of his nation. One of his famous quotes :" I'm looking forward to have a go, at what will be a tough job."

In war, he faces as much dangers as any trooper would have encountered, but in 1944, while he was commanding the 6th Armoured Division, he was severely injured by a. land mine, despited his injury, he did not falter and carried on fighting in the war.

His undying perserverence despite his injury eventually led him to "neutralise the jungle". His restlessness and optimism ultimately turned the tables around on the Malayan Rebels in the battle known as the Malayan Emergency.

Sources:

*http://ourstory.asia1.com.sg/independence/headline/strong52.html

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Templer

*http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showsthread.php?45252-Lieutenant-General-Sir-Gerald-Templer

Group members:

Darren Lionel Chan Guang Xiang (29)

Han You Jin (30)

Joshua Ong Chong Wah (31)

Kong Ling Jun (32)

Lin Jingkai (35)

Group 6: Sir Winston Churchill

A hero is someone who is

1.a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.

2. a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act.
True, a hero should be willing to serve others first, "others before self", without biasness or prejudice.
A familiar saying: "Heroes are not made, they are born".
Heroes do not need to slay a dragon or rescue a princess in order to be known as one, they have to prove themselves worthy of the title.They do not need to be big and strong and talented.
Heroes do not want to be famous and in the limelight, all they want to do is to benefit the people around them and make their lives better. 
In this sense,  makes Sir Winston Churchill a true hero


Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill
is widely regarded as one of the great wartime leaders.

As Hitler's power grew, only Churchill recognized the danger of this new dictator. And as Hitler began to carry out his destruction, Churchill tried as hard as he could to keep France in the war, but was denied and France surrendered to Germany willingly, leaving Britain alone and almost unarmed. The enemy outnumbered the British in terms of everything(airpower, firepower, and even armies), at this point, almost any leader would have seen defeat, but not Churchill
"We shall never surrender," said Sir Winston Churchill.

The leadership and determination seen in Churchill well before the war started gave strength to the British people and without this courage the war would have been over at the Battle of Britain. Churchill's leadership in creating the Grand Alliance and determination the entire war secured the British and all free people a victory over the evil Nazi empire. 

"I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat"

"... we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.^"

"Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves, that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, 'This was their finest hour'."

Sir Winston Churchill regardless of being faced with problems that seemed undefeated, his "bulldog" motivation was the one that pushed through. even with pneumonia, he did not stop fighting and manage to survive that deadly disease.
This truly makes Sir Winston Churchill a true hero that deserves to be saluted.


Sources:
http://wikipedia.com(WIKIPEDIA)
http://www.myhero.com/go/hero.asp?hero=winstonchurchill
http://youtube.com(YOUTUBE) 

Group Members:
Kuo On Chit(33)
Sean Lim(34)
Pok Wei Han(36)
Stephen Yapary(37)
Brandon Teo(38)

Group 4

What is makes a hero?

Heroes are people who are willing to risk his or her life for their country. They never falter in front of any threats and never succumb to their enemies. heroes are people who display courage and are willing to sacrifice themselves for a purpose.

Are heroes only those who achieved what they want to achieve or did they rise from some 'special' circumstances?

It is not necessarily so. Heroes are borned through the recognition of the people. It must be through a certain incident whereby they displayed extraordinary qualities such as compassion and courage despite rough circumstances that have made people be thankful and proud of them, whereby they become a hero. They may not have achieved what they set out to do, but their acts have gained people trust and recognition, making them a hero too.

What challenges does a hero face?

A hero faces:

1. The challenge of being brave and courageous- as she/he must have the courage to risk their lives and save the country

2. The challenge of being strong emotionally- because when they see their comrades passing on, they can’t break down

3. The challenge of being able to endure- so that when their enemies make life hard for them, they still won’t give up

4. The challenge of leading tougher lives compared to the rest- as they might need to lead their life hiding and sneaking around everyday

5. The challenge of losing their stand when no one supports them anymore- and this will be very disheartening for them because all the effort he/she put in to save the people may not be recognized.

How does his/her qualities enable him/her to overcome challenges?

By using the qualities that him or her has, the hero is able to acquire trust from the people. the people would also feel safe to entrust their lives or properties with the hero. with all this trust and faith from the people, the hero will be able work towards his or her targets without having other worries. and it is also because of this that the hero will be able to concentrate on overcoming obstacles.

An example:

Elizabeth Choy was lured to the YMCA in Orchard Road on the promise of seeing her husband. She was to spend the next 193 days and nights there in a cell no bigger than three by four metres with only a narrow air-vent on one wall and no windows and she shared with twenty other people.

The interrogations were frequent at first and could take place any time of the day or night. She was slapped, kicked and spat at, but it was the electric shock that was to leave her with a life-long fear for electricity. "During the torture, it was impossible to show defiance and be brave; it was impossible to suppress the screams, or to stop the tears and mucus from streaming down her face." But she refused to confess. To Elizabeth Choy, "she could not confess to something she knew was untrue. It would implicate others. It was not right and she could not do it. Not even if it meant more physical abuse at the hands of her jailors." No matter how severe the torture, she always managed to walk back to her cell with as much resolution as she could muster. Typically, she was far more concerned about the welfare of her cell-mates than her own suffering. Her compassion and selflessness, as well as the fact that she remained undefeated to the end won her the admiration of her fellow detainees

Elizabeth Choy overcomed the challenge of succumbing to the kempeitai and never confess names. she knew that it was only wrong and unmoral to frame someone else just for the sake of her own welfare. She never gave in and no matter how she was being tortured, she never gave up hope and went back to her cell, with all the determination she could muster.

Group Members: Iris Koh Si Yin

Chanel Go Hui Juan

Priscilla Ann :>

Leck Wan Qing

Tan Rou Ying

http://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/about_us/history/world_war2/v07n10_history.html.print.html?Status=1

Group 1: Lim Bo Seng

Heroes are people who stand up for their own country, for justice, and not betraying his/her own country/mates regardless of any circumstances. Also, they put others before themselves.

Heroes themselves face many challenges, hard decisions, that are difficult to make. But even so, they are still able to make the right choice.

Take for example Mr Lim Bo Seng, leader of Force 136.
Betrayed by his fellow comrade, Lim Bo Seng was captured by the Japanese. They interrogated him, and even tried to force a confession out of him. But even so, he remained undaunted. He merely said: "Since I’m in your hands now, I have nothing to say. I’m prepared to die."
The Japanese even got his friends in Singapore to persuade him to give information about Force 136 to the Japanese. However, Mr Lim Bo Seng did not heed their advice. Instead, he told them to remain firm and not to surrender to the Japanese.
Even in his cell, Mr Lim Bo Seng protested against the ill-treatment of the prisoners-of-war. He asked the warders to distribute his portion of sweet potatoes to his comrades.
Finally, he died in the early morning of June 29, 1944.

Regardless of the situation, even when tortured, Mr Lim Bo Seng refused to give any information about Force 136 or his comrades. He did not betray them. He also put himself before others by giving his portion of food to his comrades. He protested against the ill-treatment of prisoners-of war, which is standing up for justice.

That, everything he did, was what that made him a hero.

Resources: wikipedia, http://ourstory.asia1.com.sg/war/lifeline/bond7.html

We also found a video to tell us more about Lim Bo Seng. It is another school project someone else did (:

Group Members:

Chia Yun Ting

Chong Wei Yin

Lua Zoe Ying

Felicia Ng Wan Jun

Group 2: Lieutenant Adnan bin Saidi of the Malay Regiment

The definition of a hero is a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.
And we believe that a good hero needs to be courageous, brave, honest and selfless. Also, good heroes cannot be simply found anywhere, but we agree that Lieutenant Adnan bin Saidi of the Malay Regiment is truly a good hero.

He was a Malayan Soldier of the 1st Infantry Brigade which fought the Japanese in the Battle of Singapore. He was very courageous and led a 42-strong platoon from the Malay Regiment and they fought at the Battle of Pasir Panjang, at Pasir Panjang Ridge in the Bukit Chandu (Opium Hill) area on 12-14 February 1942. They were heavily outnumbered but Adnan refused to surrender and urged his men to fight to the end. Although they had shortages of food and ammunition, they still managed to hold off the Japanese for two days. He was very selfless as even though he was shot, he still did his best and continued fighting the Japanese, such that he did not care about his injury. He was taken prisoner by the Japanese soldiers, who then tied him to a cherry tree and bayoneted him to death.

He is now considered a hero by both Malaysians and Singaporeans and there is a plaque in commemoration of him.

Source: Wikipedia, Youtube

Group Members:
Ren Jia Wen(24)
Stella Teo(25)
Shannon Tan(27)
Shermin Tay(28)