Former cemeteries in Singapore.

A number of former cemeteries in Singapore were cleared of graves with the land redeveloped during the second half of the twentieth century. The cemeteries had closed when they were either full or were relocated. The records and histories of some of these cemeteries can still be found today.
Due to the problem of land scarcity in Singapore, use of land for spacious or defunct cemeteries is regarded as a waste of resources. As the need for land for urban development and public housing increased in Singapore was considered more pressing, former cemeteries and burial sites were gradually cleared to make way for redevelopment. By 1985, 21 cemeteries had been cleared, and an approximate 120,000 graves had been exhumed by the Housing Development Board.The old Jewish Cemetery was located just to the north of Moulmein Road, and adjacent to the junction of Thomson Road and Newton Road. The cemetery was opened just before the First World War, and was not reflected in the 1907 town plan of Singapore. It was rumoured that one of the veterans of the Crimean War who had settled in Singapore had been buried at the cemetery, but no verification has been made for this. In late 1985, the cemetery was closed and the land area was reclaimed and cleared to make way for the site of a new MRT station.The Kranji War Cemetery was officially opened by governor Sir Robert Brown Black in 1957. The cemetery contains the graves of some 4.458 Allied servicemen and women, and is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The cemetery also contains the military graves of soldiers killed during World War I whose graves were relocated from Bidadari Cemetery. In 1975, owing to the closure of the Pasir Panjang and Ulu Pandan military cemeteries, the War Graves Commission allowed for the use of the Kranji War Cemetery to house the remains of British and Gurkha soldiers and their families who were exhumed. At the north end of the cemetery, next to the Kranji War Memorial, is the State Cemetery. With an area of 2 acres (8,100 m2), the State Cemetery is reserved for the burial of persons who have made a significant contribution to Singapore, and is maintained by the National Environment Agency. Currently, only the graves of President Yusof Ishak (buried 25 November 1970) and President Benjamin Sheares (buried 15 May 1981) reside in the State Cemetery.