This letter concerns wages accorded to temporary staff of the Raffles Library and Museum following its post-World War Two reopening under the British Military Administration in Singapore (1945-1946). During World War Two, the Library and Museum had been renamed the Syonan Hakubutsu Kan serving primarily the Japanese officials. After the war, it was reopened on 1 December 1945, with Lieutenant-Colonel Gilbert Archey, the superintendent of Monument, Fine Arts and Archives, tasked to run it. In March 1946, M.W.F. Tweedie, the institution's director, returned to his post. This letter formed part of the correspondences during the eventual handover to civilian administration in Singapore. The Raffles Library and Museum would go on to play a significant role in the cultural rebuilding efforts of post-war Singapore. This included replenishing and expanding both the library and museum's collections through purchases and donations, expanding the reader membership to include more locals, and the building also acted as temporary homes for independent cultural institutions like the British Council established in 1947.
