The Kent Ridge Commemorative Plaque, Feb 1954

"During a visit to this military area by the then Duchess and Duke of Kent (I believe they were mother and son), the area was named Kent Ridge. The Duchess was also the Princess Marina of Greece, and the son was a Prince Edward, Duke of Kent. The missing husband and father was a Prince George, who had died in 1942 in a plane crash.

A commemorative plaque, of inscribed marble laid on granite, was unveiled in 23rd February 1954 to commemorate their visit. It is still visible on Kent Ridge, at the junction of Prince George's Park and South Buona Vista Road. The inscriptions bears two arrows, one pointing to Marina Hill and the other, to Prince Edward Point in NUS."

Inscribed on the lower marble slab :
By the gracious consent of
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
This Ridge was named
KENT RIDGE
BY
The Governor of Singapore HE Sir John Nicoll KCMG
To Commemorate
The visit paid to the Army in Singapore by
HRH. The Duchess of Kent
and
HRH. The Duke of Kent,
on 3 October 1952

- N. Sivasothi, 2001

Note: KCMG = Knight Commander of St Michael and St George

"This is particularly interesting as it predates the NUS developments on Kent Ridge. This commemorative plaque, which is slightly chipped off at the top, has 3 marble slabs mounted on a concrete plinth. The marble slabs in the upper half have inscriptions with arrows, one pointing to Marina Hill (DSO) and the other Prince Edward Point in NUS.- Chong Min Keong, NUS Office of Estate and Development (OED), 27th August 2002.

Shortly after this date, OED had the faded words painted over in black and so the inscription is now readable (see photo below). However the words "To Commemorate The Visit Paid To The Army in Singapore by" are not painted and can only be made out upon close inspection.

The Kent Ridge commemorative plaque, 3rd October 1952

Photo from PICAS (Picture Archives Singapore, NAS, NHB).

The Kent Ridge commemorative plaque, ?22nd August 2002

Photo by Chong Min Keong.
The Kent Ridge plaque, darkened letters, 27 February 2003

About Prince Edward

'Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, is a cousin to both The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh. His father, Prince George, was the fourth son of King George V and his mother, Princess Marina, was the daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece.

The title The Duke of Kent dates back to the eleventh century when William I conferred it on his half-brother Bishop Odo. It was revived at the end of the eighteenth century, when it was given to Queen Victoria's father Edward.

The current Duke's father, Prince George, received the title in 1934 when he married Princess Marina of Greece. Following his tragic death in 1942 in a flying accident while on active service, the title passed to the Duke. In 1959 the Duke took his seat in the House of Lords.'

Source: The Royal Family (UK)