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Wikipedia / Malaya Command

The Malaya Command was a formation of the British Army formed in the 1920s for the coordination of the defences of British Malaya, which comprised the Straits Settlements, the Federated Malay States and the Unfederated Malay States. It consisted mainly of small garrison forces in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Taiping, Seremban and Singapore.

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.

With the independence of Malaya on 31 August 1957, the command was disbanded and succeeded by Overseas Commonwealth Land Forces (Malaya).

Formation and structure

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.

When Japanese forces invaded Malaya on 8 December 1941, Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) Malaya in charge of Malaya Command, with a force of 88,600 faced the 70,000 strong Twenty Fifth Army of the Imperial Japanese Army under the command of General Tomoyuki Yamashita.

Allied land forces (8 December 1941)

As of 8 December 1941

III Indian Corps

  • As of 7 December 1941

Commanding Officer III Indian Corps – Lt Gen Lewis Heath

9th Indian Infantry Division

  1. Maj-Gen Arthur Barstow (, 28 January 1942 at Layang-Layang near Bota)

HQ: Kuala Lumpur

HQ: Kota Bharu

HQ: Kuantan

  • 5th Battalion, 11th Sikh Regiment – Lt. Col. John Henry Devereux Parkin

  • 2nd Battalion, 18th Royal Garhwal Rifles – Lt. Col. Guy Edward Ross Stewart Hartigan MC

  • 5th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery – Lt. Col. Edward William Francis Jephson

  • 22nd Field Company (Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners) - Major H.T. Heard RE

  • Command troops

    4th Battalion, Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces (Pahang) – Lt. Col. James Oliphant Mackellar (d.12 March 1945)

  • 88th (2nd West Lancashire) Field Regiment RA – Lt. Col. Sylvain Claude D'Aubuz

  • 42nd Field Park Company (Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners)- Major Thomas Wilfried Nash

11th Indian Infantry Division

  1. Maj-Gen David Murray-Lyon/Brig Archibald Paris/Maj-Gen Berthold Wells Key

HQ: Sungai Petani

HQ: Jitra

  • 2nd Battalion, East Surrey Regiment – Lt. Col. George Edward Swinton

  • 1st Battalion, 8th Punjab Regiment – Lt. Col. Ronald Charles Sidney Bates (, 12 December 1941)

  • 2nd Battalion, 16th Punjab Regiment – Lt. Col. Henry Sloane Larkin (Died as a POW on 1 January 1944)

  • 22nd Mountain Artillery Regiment, Royal Artillery – Lt. Col. George Leonard Hughes

  • 3rd Field Company (King George V's Bengal Sappers and Miners) - Major A.R. Beattie RE

  • 15th Indian Infantry Brigade (III Corps Reserve)

  • Brig Kenneth Alfred Garrett/Brig. William St.John Carpendale

HQ: Jitra

HQ: Ipoh

Krohcol

Lt. Col. Henry Dawson Moorhead

  • 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)

  • 3rd Battalion, 16th Punjab Regiment – Lt. Col. Henry Dawson Moorehead ( at Battle of Muar)

  • 2/3rd Australian Motor Company - Capt. George Arthur Carrick Kiernan

  • Line of Communications Brigade

  • Brig Robert Gifford Moir

  • 1st Battalion, Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces (Perak) - Lt Col. J.E.G. "Jim" Staley

  • 2nd Battalion, Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces (Selangor) - Lt. Col. W.M. "Jimmie" James

  • 3rd Battalion, Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces (Negeri Sembilan) – Lt. Col. C.F.H. Riches

  • Light Battery, Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces (Equipped 4 x 3.7" How) - Major R. Wilshaw

  • Armoured Car Company, Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces (Equipped 9 Armoured Cars) – Major C.E. Collinge

  • Signals Battalion, Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces - Lt. Col. Stanley P. Moreton

  • Fortress Penang

  • Brig Cyril Arthur Lyon

  • HQ: Penang

  • D Company, 5th Battalion, 14th Punjab Regiment - Lieutenant Edward John Ellis

  • 3rd Battalion, Straits Settlements Volunteer Force (Penang and Province Wellesley Volunteer Corps) - Lt. Col. The Hon Ernest De Buriatte

  • 11th Coast Regiment, Royal Artillery – Lt. Col. M.L. More

  • 2nd Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Indian Artillery

  • Support units

    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)

  • 3rd Battalion, 16th Punjab Regiment (assigned to Krohcol) – Lt. Col. Henry Moorhead ( at Battle of Muar)

  • 1st Battalion, Mysore Infantry (Indian States Forces) – Lt. Col. Kenneth Harvey Preston

  • 1st Battalion, Bahawalpur Infantry (Indian States Forces) – Lt. Col. Harry Ernest Tyrell

  • 1st Battalion, Hyderabad Regiment (Indian States Forces) – Lt. Col. Charles Albert Hendrick (, 10 December 1941 at Kota Bharu)

  • 11th Indian Division Signal Regiment

  • Corps troops

    45 Army Troops Company (Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners)

  • 46 Army Troops Company (Queen Victoria's Own Madras Sappers and Miners)

  • 1 Artisan Works Company (Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners)

Australian 8th Division

HQ: Mersing – Endau

HQ: Kluang

Fortress Singapore

Commanding Officer – Maj Gen Frank Keith Simmons HQ: Singapore

Brig George Giffard Rawson Williams

Brig Francis Hugh Fraser

Col Francis Reginald Grimwood

  • 1st Battalion, Straits Settlements Volunteer Force (Singapore Volunteer Corps) – Lt. Col. Thomas Henry Newey

  • 2nd Battalion, Straits Settlements Volunteer Force (Singapore Volunteer Corps) - Lt. Col. Donald G. Macleod

  • 4th Battalion, Straits Settlements Volunteer Force (Malacca Volunteer Corps) – Lt. Col. Charles Alexander Scott

  • Singapore Armoured Car Company, Straits Settlements Volunteer Force

  • Royal Engineers Brigade

Brig Ivan Simson

  • 30th Fortress Company, Royal Engineers

  • 34th Fortress Company, Royal Engineers

  • 35th Fortress Company, Royal Engineers

  • 41st Fortress Company, Royal Engineers

  • Artillery

Commander, Air Defences, Singapore – Brig Alec Warren Greenlaw Wildey

  • 1st (Heavy) Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Indian Artillery - Lt. Col. John Rowley Williamson DSO

  • 1st Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery - Lt. Col. Archer Edwards Tawney

  • 2nd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery – Lt. Col. Howard Wincent Allpres

  • 3rd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery - Lt. Col. Denis Vivian Hill

  • 3rd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery - Lt. Col. Francis Edgar Hugonin

  • 5th Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery – Lt. Col. R.A.O. Clarke

Commander, Fixed Defences, Singapore – Brigadier A.D. Curtis

  • 7th Coast Regiment, Royal Artillery – Lt. Col. Hereward Douglas St. George Cardew

  • 9th Coast Regiment, Royal Artillery – Lt. Col. Charles Philip Heath

  • 16th Defence Regiment, Royal Artillery – Lt. Col. M.S.H. Maxwell-Gumbleton

  • Support units

    Half Strength Jind Infantry Battalion (Indian States Forces) (½ Strength) – Lt. Col. Gurbaksh Singh

  • Half Strength Kapurthala Infantry Battalion (Indian States Forces) (½ Strength) - Major Aziz Ahmad

  • Dalforce – Lt. Col. John Dalley

Malaya Command Reserve

Commanding Officer: Brig.A.C.M. Paris/Lt. Col. I.M. Stewart HQ: Port Dickson

HQ: Port Dickson

  • 2nd Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders – Lt. Col. I.M.Stewart/ Lt. Col. Lindsay Robertson ( 20 January 1942)

  • 5th Battalion, 2nd Punjab Regiment – Lt. Col. Cecil Deakin

  • 4th Battalion, 19th Hyderabad Regiment – Lt. Col. Eric Lawrence Wilson-Haffenden/Lt. Col. Herbert Lawrence Hill

  • 122nd (West Riding) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery – Lt. Col. George St.John Armitage Dyson ( 22 November 1942)

  • 15 Field Company (Queen Victoria's Own Madras Sappers and Miners) - Major R. B. Muir RE

Sarawak Force (SARFOR)

Commanding Officer: Lt-Col Charles Malet Lane HQ: Kuching

  • SARFOR

  • Lt-Col C. M. Lane

HQ: Kuching

Christmas Island

Commanding Officer: Capt Leonard Walter Thomas Williams HQ: Christmas Island

  • 6" Gun, Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery

Reinforcements

Arrived January 3rd 1942 – February 5th 1942

  1. 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

  2. 44th Indian Infantry Brigade - (Arrived 25-Jan-1942 Convoy BM10) – Brigadier George Cecil Ballentine

    6th Battalion, 1st Punjab Regiment – Lt. Col. James Dow Sainter MC

  3. 7th Battalion, 8th Punjab Regiment – Lt. Col. Willis Southern

  4. 6th Battalion, 14th Punjab Regiment - Lt. Col. Louis Sobaux Ingle MC

  5. 45th Indian Infantry Brigade - (Arrived 3-Jan-1942 Convoy BM9A) – Brigadier Herbert Cecil Duncan ( at Battle of Muar)

    7th Battalion, 6th Rajputana Rifles - Lt. Col. James Albert Lewis ( at Battle of Muar)

  6. 4th Battalion, 9th Jat Regiment – Lt. Col. John Whittaker Williams ( at Battle of Muar)

  7. 5th Battalion, 18th Royal Garhwal Rifles – Lt. Col. James H.C. Woolridge ( at Battle of Muar)

  8. 13th Indian Auxiliary Pioneer Battalion

  9. 13th Indian Field Company (Madras Sappers and Miners) (Arrived 3-Jan-1942 Convoy BM9A) - Major B.E. Whitman RE

  10. 100th Light Tank Squadron (Arrived 29-Jan-1942 Convoy BM11) – Major Jack Alford ( 12 Feb 1942) equipped Carden Lloyd Tankettes

  11. 18th Infantry Division – Major-General Merton Beckwith-Smith

    53rd Infantry Brigade - (Arrived 13 January 1942 Convoy DM1) – Brig. Cecil Leonard Basil Duke

    5th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment – Lt. Col. Eric Charles Prattley

  12. 6th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment – Lt. Col. Ian Conway Gilford Lywood ( at Alexandra Hospital Massacre)

  13. 2nd Battalion, Cambridgeshire Regiment – Lt. Col. Gordon Calthorpe Thorne (Died, Indian Ocean while attempting to escape)

  14. 54th Infantry Brigade - (Arrived 29 January 1942 Convoy BM11) – Brig. Edward Henry Walford Backhouse

    4th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment – Lt. Col. Alfred Ernest Knights

  15. 4th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment – Lt. Col. Alec Albert Johnson

  16. 5th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment – Lt. Col. Lionel John Baker

  17. 55th Infantry Brigade - (Arrived 29 January 1942 Convoy BM11) – Brig. Tristram Hugh "Tim" Massy-Beresford

    5th Battalion, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment – Lt. Col. Douglas Rhys Thomas

  18. 1/5th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters – Lt. Col. Harold Hutchinson Lilly

  19. 1st Battalion, Cambridgeshire Regiment – Lt. Col. Gerald Goodwin Carpenter

  20. Divisional troops

    9th Battalion, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers (Machine Gun Battalion) - (Arrived 5-Feb-1942 Convoy BM12) – Lt. Col. Lechmere Cay Thomas

  21. 18th Reconnaissance Battalion, Reconnaissance Corps 5th Battalion Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) - (Arrived 5 February 1942 Convoy BM12) – Lt. Col. Henry Arnold Fitt

  22. Royal Artillery

    118th (8th London) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery (TA) - (Arrived 29 January 1942 Convoy BM11) – Lt. Col. C.E.Mackellar

  23. 135th (East Anglian) (Hertfordshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery - (Arrived 13 January 1942 Convoy DM1) – Lt. Col. Philip Toosey

  24. 148th (Bedfordshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery - (Arrived 29 January 1942 Convoy BM11) – Lt. Col. S.W.Harris

  25. 85th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery - (Arrived 13 January 1942 Convoy DM1) – Lt. Col. Andrew John Lardner-Clarke

  26. 125th (Northumbrian) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery - (Arrived 5 February 1942 Convoy BM12) – Lt. Col. James Dean

  27. 35th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery (144th Battery and part of 89th Battery) (Arrived 13 January 1942 Convoy DM1) – Lt. Col. John Bassett

  28. 6th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery (part) (Arrived 13 January 1942 Convoy DM1)– Lt. Col. G.W.G Baass

  29. Royal Army Medical Corps

    186th Field Ambulance

  30. 196th Field Ambulance

  31. 197th Field Ambulance (Arrived 5 February 1942 Convoy BM12)

  32. Royal Engineers

    287th Field Company

  33. 288th Field Company

  34. 560th Field Company

  35. 251st Field Park Company (Arrived 5-Feb-1942 Convoy BM12)

Australian

Allied Air Force units in Malaya December 1941

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 took command.

Based on Singapore Island

Based in Northern Malaya

Commanders-in-Chief

Commanders-in-Chief have included: GOC Troops in the Straits Settlements

GOC Malaya Command

GOC Malaya District

GOC Malaya

See also

Notes

References

Further reading