Colonial Penang’s Southern Frontier: Tin, Treaties and the Pangkor Connection
11 min read
THE NAME PANGKOR was mentioned as far back as 1511 by Sulaymān al-Mahrī in his treatise al-Minhāj al-Fākhir fī ʿIlm…
The Bombing of Penang: A Ferry Service Worker’s Eyewitness Account of Japanese Air Raids in 1941
9 min read
*Note: Special thanks: This article was completed with the assistance of Muhammad Amirul Naim, Distribution Executive (Administration Unit) at Penang…
Civilian Memories of WW II
8 min read
Author’s Note: This article has been edited for clarity and readability. It is based on interview sessions with Uncle…
Mariophile: The Early Days of the Estate and Country Retreat of the College General
11 min read
THE COLLEGE GENERAL, off Jalan Cengal, is a venerable Catholic seminary emphasising a prayerful and secluded life for its students—…
Bencoolen: The Forgotten British Outpost
10 min read
IN THE HEART of Singapore’s bustling Central Business District, Bencoolen Street hums with activity. Locals and tourists alike traverse…
Local History Matters Most Immediately
7 min read
IN THE GRAND theatre of social media—where cat videos reign supreme and discussions about anything often devolve into spirited…
The Story of Early Juru
9 min read
IN LATE APRIL 1845, James Richardson Logan, a Penang lawyer and ethnologist, visited Bukit Tengah and Juru. He noted that land bounded by the Prai and Juru rive...
Warships Sunk off Penang in World War I
7 min read
THROUGHOUT WORLD WAR I, Penang was indispensable to British war eforts as a hub supplying men, commodities and funds. Apart from being an important communicatio...
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From Hillview to Wellesley: The Evolution of a Pioneering Boys’ School
9 min read
JALAN SULTAN AZLAN SHAH, formerly known as Northam Road, hugs the contours of North Beach, extending towards Gurney Drive. With the panoramic views it offers of...
A Short History of Pulau Rimau
9 min read
WALKING ALONG THE Queen’s Waterfront promenade at Bayan Lepas, you see a large, heavily forested island nearby that once hosted a leper colony and, later, a pri...
When Penang Was an Axis Submarine Base
11 min read
The I-29’s mission to rendezvous with the U-180 was one of a series of long and dangerous missions to Nazi-controlled Europe, dubbed the Yanagi missions, for the exchange of technology, skills and military material.
Penang Chinese Swimming Club: Birthplace of Olympians
8 min read
THE MELBOURNE SUMMER OLYMPICS of 1956, held in Victoria, was a game with many historic firsts. It was the first Olympics ever held in the southern hemisphere an...