The Hospital was built in 1935 to complement other installations in Changi, which was then a military base to defend the eastern coastal side of the Johor Strait. The hospital was commissioned and named the Royal Air Force (RAF) Hospital. It served the Royal Engineers in Kitchener Barracks, the Royal Artillery in Roberts Barracks and the Gordon Highlanders in Selarang Camp.
In the years of the Japanese Occupation, the compound was used as a large prison camp and the notorious Kempeitai(Japanese Secret Police) reportedly used it as a torture chamber. Facilities were deemed inadequate and Changi Hospital shifted to Roberts Barracks. The hospital moved back to its original premises following the end of the war. This arrangement continued until Singapore claimed independence in 1965. The British commenced a gradual withdrawal of their military presence. The hospital was renamed ANZUK Hospital in 1971 after the Commonwealth Forces, and served ANZUK (Australian, New Zealand, United Kingdom) servicemen. ANZUK was disbanded in 1975, and it was renamed the UK Military Hospital. In December of the same year, the British withdrew the last of their troops and the Hospital was handed over to the Singapore Armed Forces. The SAF Hospital catered to medical care of SAF personnel and their immediate family. Gradually, service was extended to members of the public.
When built in 1930's, the Old Changi Hospital (OCH) has quite a long and rich history. OCH is a typical replica of buildings built by British Colonial architects in the early 20's. Surprisingly OCH was not meant to be a hospital when it was first built. The British was planning to have a heavily guarded military location in the east of Singapore.
The vacated hospital compound was popular with film-makers after the Singapore Land Authority commenced short term rental of the buildings. Many popular MediaCorp television series such as Growing Up, The Crime Hunters and Incredible Tales were partly filmed at the now abandoned hospital. Around this time, Old Changi Hospital, as it is popularly known, was declared to be one of the most haunted locations in Singapore.The buildings were said to be haunted by victims of the Japanese occupation. The once-abandoned, derelict buildings and its ghostly reputation were the basis for the 2010 mockumentary Haunted Changi
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