Blips by cb

By cbimages

Singapore Fire

I've just found a small collection of ancient photos.

I was riding my little bike on the drive when my little brother ran out of the door of this block of flats, called Cameron Court, off Orchard Road in Singapore in May 1962: he told me that there was a fire in his bedroom.  Like a little (8) hero I ran upstairs and saw that the fan was on fire (my brother disputes this, to this day) and telephone my father.  I reckon I was a bit of a hero, knowing his telephone number at work.

Our flat was the one at top left, a very decent place to live, but we had to move out and live with my father's manager (he worked for the Eastern Bank) for six months – my mother reckons it was a terrible time, but all I can remember is watching a servant kill a hen and bleeding it before plucking it.

The Extra is a scan of the reverse of the photo, showing it to be the product of the Straits Times.  Looking at this photo for the first time in decades,   it could be the 8-year old me on the right. 

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