Whenever I past the former NCO Specialist Club along Beach Road, I would keenly recollect my swimming days and spending a big portion of my youth being in and out around the place.

Following the footsteps of my older brother, I joined the swimming club to pick up leisure swimming, but it didn’t take long before I begun training competitively for the club. Being a young lad, I didn’t know or care much about the historical tales of the place. To me, it was a place of really cheap video arcade games and spending my hours and weekends for swimming lessons. I knew the place was really old. Apart from its old styled architecture, my Dad and all the Uncles would often mentioned that it was a popular place of the British soldiers that were stationed in Singapore. At that time, that “old British” fact simply increases the spookiness of the whole place - or at least the toilet we used is pretty freaking old.

The main building facing the main road had 3 levels. The main floor and lobby had undergone 2 to 3 times of revamp. Entering from the main entrance, there used to be a cafeteria and arcade room on the right. On the left, there was the NCO Specialist Lounge and a Jackpot room. Over the other corner of the first level, there was a bar counter that served duty free beer to the military personnels.

On the 2nd level, the length of it was pretty much occupied by a multi purpose hall. In the earlier years while I was there, the space was pretty lively, often there were games of bingo, functions and all kinds of lessons. However, it died down and the second level is pretty much vacant most of the time. As for the third level, it couldn’t say much. I am quite certain I went up there as least once, but unfortunately I cannot seem to remember anything about it. If I am not wrong, it was either the sleeping quarters or a KTV room.

Like i mentioned early, I knew the place is pretty darn old, and then I found these picture and read more about it. The NCO Club during its glory days was actually call the Britannia Club. Like name suggests, it was the supposedly the “in” place for the British social congregation.

Circa 1960’s - Britannia Club

Recent

So I went on to ask my Dad about the Club again recently. He said the name does ring a bell, but it was the ladies on the upper deck (roof) of the toilet that he remembers most fervently. During the club glory days, it was quite a sight to ogle whenever one takes the public transport pass the club. Apparently, the upper deck was where the Caucasian ladies would do without much cloths to soak up some sun. Interesting, the experience for me was conversely differently. During my swimming lessons, my friends and I would run amok on the upper deck during rest time and we would look over to the opposite roads to check out the busy traffic and cars that run by.

Unfortunately, The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has launched the commercial site at Beach Road for sale by public tender. It encompasses the NCO Club and Beach Road Camp. The detailed planning can be found in here.

The consolation for the sale is that it entails an agreement that the existing buildings in place are to be retained as part of the conservation efforts.

To be continued…