A pagoda-like monument was set up to dedicate a Hokkien business man Lim Bo Seng who was prominent in anti-Japanese activities and active in Singapore’s defences against the Japanese invasion in the World War II. Though he escaped before Singapore surrendered, Lim lost most of his family members to the dreaded Kempeitai (Japanese secret police force). He recruited volunteers to fight but was soon captured by the Japanese and died after being tortured.

The dominant memorial on the Esplanade is the sombre Cenotaph, which commemorates the dead of the both World Wars. If one notices carefully, the years of the World Wars are labelled up the steps of the Cenotaph.