With the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, the command reinforced its strength in anticipation of an attack. With the bulk of British forces being tied down in Europe and North Africa, the command was mainly augmented by units from India.
On 18 November 1940, the command was placed under the command of the British Far East Command and later, on 7 January 1942, under the short-lived South West Pacific Command or ABDACOM, which was tasked to maintain control of the "Malay Barrier" (or "East Indies Barrier"), a notional line running down the Malayan Peninsula, through Singapore and the southernmost islands of the Dutch East Indies. The command was disbanded on 15 February 1942 with the surrender of all Commonwealth forces in the conclusion of the Battle of Singapore.
With the Surrender of Japan, the command was re-formed from the 14th Army with its HQ based in Singapore on 1 November 1945. The command was divided and downgraded to the Malaya District and Singapore District in August 1947 but was upgraded again into a full command in August 1950 due to the Malayan Emergency.
In November 1940, the total strength of Malaya Command was 17 battalions. The Indian Army contingent was mainly organised as III Corps with their HQ based in Kuala Lumpur.
5th Battalion, 14th Punjab Regiment (3 Companies) – Lt. Col. Cyril Lovesy Lawrence Stokes ( † in captivity on 15th February 1942 following the Battle of Slim River) [3]
5th Battalion, 14th Punjab Regiment (assigned to Krohcol) - Lt. Col. Cyril Lovesy Lawrence Stokes ( † in captivity on 15th February 1942 following the Battle of Slim River) [3]
3rd Battalion, 16th Punjab Regiment (assigned to Krohcol) – Lt. Col. Henry Moorhead ( † at Battle of Muar)
6" Guns Battery, Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery
Christmas Island
Commanding Officer: Capt Leonard Walter Thomas Williams
HQ: Christmas Island
6" Gun, Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery[5]
Reinforcements
Arrived January 3rd 1942 – February 5th 1942
In addition to the units listed below a number of replacement drafts were sent to Singapore on convoys MS2 from Melbourne arriving 24/1/1942 and BM12 from Bombay arriving 5/2/1942
125th (Northumbrian) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery - (Arrived 5 February 1942 Convoy BM12) – Lt. Col. James Dean
35th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery (144th Battery and part of 89th Battery) (Arrived 13 January 1942 Convoy DM1) – Lt. Col. John Bassett
There were 161 front line aircraft, including three Royal Netherlands Air Force Catalina flying boats, based in Malaya and on Singapore Island on 8 December 1941. These units came under the control of Far East Air Force (Royal Air Force) under the command of Air Vice Marshal C.W.H.Pulford until February 1942 when Air Vice Marshal P.C.Maltby[7] took command.
^George Ernest Morrison 'The correspondence of G.E. Morrison'
^ a b c d e f g h i j kSandes (1956). The Indian Engineers 1939–1947. Kirkee, India: The Institute of Indian Engineers. p. 183.
^ a b cStokes, Cyril Lovesy Lawrence. "Commonwealth War Graves". Commonwealth War Graves.
^Farndale, Annex A.
^L, Klemen (1999–2000). "The Mystery of Christmas Island – March 1942". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942. Archived from the original on 21 January 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
^"Cambridgeshire History - Military - Table of Actions". Archived from the original on 8 February 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
^L, Klemen (1999–2000). "Air Vice-Marshal Sir Paul (Copeland) Maltby". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942. Archived from the original on 25 March 2012.
^453 Squadron RAAF, Australian War Memorial
^21 Squadron RAAF, Australian War Memorial
^ a b cNiehorster, Leo (2000). "Order of Battle-Royal Air Force-Far East Command-Norgroup". World War II Armed Forces.
^"Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36889. London. 3 October 1902. p. 8.
^L, Klemen (1999–2000). "Lieutenant-General Arthur Ernest Percival". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942. Archived from the original on 24 September 2011.
References
Australians at War, Australian War Memorial
Farndale, Martin (2002). History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Far East Theatre 1939–1946. London: Brasseys. ISBN 978-1-85753-302-6.
Klemen, L. (1999–2000). "Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942". Archived from the original on 26 July 2011.
Niehorster, Leo (1997–2011). "World War II Armed Forces".