[Mountbatten] [The Japanese Surrender at Singapore] I: Admiral Mountbatten inspecting the naval guard of honour outside the Municipal Building. II: Admiral Mountbatten leading the cheers for His Majesty the King. [1945, 12th September.]
Two original photographs, each 18 x 25 cm.

Two contemporary photographs depicting Lord Mountbatten, in his capacity as Supreme Allied Commander, Southeast Asia, immediately before and after the signing of the Instrument of Surrender on the 12th of September, 1945, by General Itagaki at Singapore, acting on behalf of Hisaichi Terauchi, Supreme Commander of the Japanese Forces, Southern Region, who had suffered a stroke. Lord Mountbatten was driven to the Municipal Building by a recently freed prisoner of war. There he was greeted by four guards of honour from the Royal Navy and Air Force together with Indian and Australian troops. The first photograph depicts his inspection of the naval guard of honour. General Itagaki signed 11 copies of the Instrument of Surrender, with one each for the British, American, Chinese, French, Dutch, Australian, Indian and Japanese governments, as well as King George VI, Lord Mountbatten, and the South East Asia Command. When the ceremony was completed, Lord Mountbatten stepped out from the Municipal Building. The British flag which had flown over Government House prior to the Japanese occupation and been concealed throughout by a civil servant during his incarceration in Changi Prison, was raised once more. Mountbatten then lead the hundreds of spectators, drawn from many of the Allied Forces, and including the Sultan of Johore, in their various national anthems. The second photograph depicts him leading the crowd in cheers for George VI.