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           "A Firefighter from the former British Naval Base became a full Cabinet Minister in 1959" “Minister Ahmad Ibrahim Dies, 35,” – The Straits Times  breaking news that broke the hearts of thousands of Singaporeans. INCHE AHMAD IBRAHIM, (b. 17 May 1927 – d. 21 August 1962) Minister for Labour, passed away in the Singapore General Hospital on Aug 21, 1962. He was 35 and had been in poor health since 1958.   According to the article, ‘Inche Ahmad underwent a liver operation in 1958 and in 1961 he was flown to London for another operation. Two months, after attending the International Labour Organisation (ILO) conference in Geneva, he returned to London for a check- up. He came back more than a month ago and was admitted to the Singapore General Hospital. On Sunday morning his condition deteriorated and relatives began a round the clock vigil at his bedside. Just before 3pm he solemnly shook hands with his wife, his father Inche Yatim 72 and Inche Yahya Ibrah

Rail tracks in the former British Naval Dockyard, Singapore I did much research regarding the railways of the Naval Base about twelve years ago, at the National Archives of the UK and the British Library, and produced the attached plans. There were two gauges of railway in the Naval Base: a metre gauge system that linked to the Federated Malay States Railway at Woodlands and a 'standard gauge' system (4ft 8.5 inches) within the Dockyard itself. Studying the track plans I came to the conclusion that the metre gauge system was intended primarily for incoming supplies (including shipments from UK by commercial vessels discharged at the Singapore docks), and the standard gauge system with its wider wagons primarily to move heavy and awkward pieces of equipment between the workshops and ships alongside under refit etc. The system in the Armament and Torpedo Depots were also metre gauge, initially connected to the rest of the system during construction but probably not subsequently.