St John Headquarters Singapore Heritage marker
Officially opened on 23 July 1960 by Yusof bin Ishak (1910-1970), the Yang di-Pertuan Negara of Singapore and later First President of Singapore, this building houses the headquarters of the St. John Ambulance, Singapore.
The St. John Ambulance is a voluntary organisation dedicated to providing medical first aid, home nursing and ambulance services to the public. It set up its first centre in Singapore in 1885, offering public courses. In 1938, the first division of the Brigade was formed, headed by Dr J S Webster, a radiologist at the General Hospital, Singapore. The Director of Medical Services in Singapore, Dr R D Fitzgerald, took over the helm in 1939 and coordinated the organisation's work from his office at the former Fullerton Building (present-day Fullerton Hotel).
By the late 1930s, the organisation had grown considerably. The Singapore headquarters became in charge of the St. John Ambulance sub-centres in other parts of Malaya as well. Just before war broke out in Malaya in 1941, the government roped in all St. John personnel to become part of the Medical Auxiliary Service, under the Passive Defence Services of Singapore and Malaya. The members manned first aid posts and provided relief. In the post-war years, the St. John Ambulance continued playing an important role. Its members were often at the frontline of relief work during civil emergencies such as fires and floods.
As more volunteers joined its ranks, it became clear that bigger headquarters were needed. The headquarters were moved from the former Fullerton Building to the former St. Peter's Church at Stamford Road in 1949 before moving again to Gilstead Road in 1957. In the late 1950s, the organisation secured a site at Beach Road to build its permanent headquarters. The foundation stone was laid on 23 November by Sir Robert Brown Black (1906-1999), the Governor and Commander-in-chief of Singapore.
When it was completed in 1960, the building comprised two storeys, with the roof-top garden later converted into a covered assembly hall in 1964.