World War II formally ended for Singapore on 12th September 1945. Three-quarters of a century on, our nation has rebuilt itself dramatically, but the events of that historic era are forever etched in our nation's consciousness.

Singapore, Britain's impregnable fortress of the Far East, fell to the Japanese after a 70-day campaign across Malaya. Among the most iconic images of the defeat of the Allied forces is that of Lieutenant General Arthur Percival and other officers of the Malaya Command, bearing the white flag and the Union Jack flag towards the Ford Factory on 15th February 1942 alongside Lieutenant-Colonel Ichiji Sugita. It was the largest surrender of British-led forces in history.

Three-and-a-half arduous years of Japanese occupation followed. Then, after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the roles were reversed with the capitulation of the Japanese. In the last major surrender ceremony of World War II, General Itagaki, Commander of the Imperial Japanese Seventh Area Army and his men marched to the Municipal Building of Singapore (now City Hall) on 12th September 1945.

The signing of the Instrument of Surrender in the Municipal Building was witnessed by a company of 400-military leaders and representatives of the various Allied forces, community leaders including the Sultan of Johor, and released prisoners-of-war. In the streets, civilians cheered the end of the war with hope and optimism.

Lord Louis Mountbatten, the Supreme Allied Commander in Southeast Asia, presided over a ceremony which included four Guards-of-Honour, a fleet band and a 17-gun salute to mark the restoration of the British rule.

This series of stamps is issued in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Singapore.