Mr Song Ong Siang, His Life and Work

Mr Song Ong Siang was born a Christian in 1871. He went to Raffles Institution and studied under the Principal Mr R .W. Hewitt. He got a scholarship to read law in the Inns of Court in London and was admitted to Downing College, Cambridge and was later qualified in 1893. In 1902, he sat on the Singapore Legislative Council and in 1904, he was recorded as part owner and one of the trustees of the Anglo - Chinese Boarding School.

In 1936, he was created Knight Commander of the Order Of the British Empire. It was noticed that after he was conferred this title, he was known as Sir Ong Siang Song which was due to the fact that the knighthood was British and it was customary to place one's surname at the end, hence the change in the position of his surname.