Malaya Command

All you want to know about Malaya Command

The Malaya Command was a command of British Commonwealth forces formed in the 1920s for the coordination of the defences of Malaya and Singapore.

Contents

History

The command was first formed in the 1920s and was tasked with the defence of Malaya and Singapore with units and formations consisting 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. With the bulk of British forces being tied down in the war in Europe, the command was mainly augmented by units from India.

In November 18, 1940, the command was placed under the command of the British Far East Command and later in January 7, 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 Dutch East Indies.

The command was disbanded on February 15, 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 November 1, 1945. The command was divided and downgraded to two separate military districts; 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 August 31, 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 at 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 December 8, 1942, 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 (December 8 1941)

As of December 8, 1941

Indian III Corps

Commanding Officer Indian III Corps - Lt.Gen.Lewis Heath

    • 15th Indian Infantry Brigade (III Corps Reserve)
Brig K. A. Garrett
HQ : Jitra
    • 28th (Gurkha) Infantry Brigade
Brig W. St J. Carpendale / Lt Col W. R. Selby
HQ : Ipoh
Lt Col H. D. Moorhead
  • Line of Communications Brigade
Brig R. G. Moir
  • 1st Battalion, Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces (Perak)
  • 2nd Battalion, Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces (Selangor)
  • 3rd Battalion, Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces (Negeri Sembilan)
  • 4th Battalion, Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces (Pahang)
  • 1st (Light) Field Regiment, Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces
  • Armoured Car Squadron, Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces
  • Signals Battalion, Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces
  • Fortress Penang
Brig C. A. Lyon
HQ : Penang
  • Support Units
  • 3rd Battalion, 16th Punjab Regiment (assigned to Krohcol)
  • 5th Battalion, 14th Punjab Regiment (assigned to Krohcol)
  • 1st Battalion Mysore Infantry (Indian States Forces)
  • 1st Battalion Bahawalpur Infantry (Indian States Forces)
  • 1st Battalion, Hyderabad Regiment ((Indian States Forces) - Lt.Col. Clive Hendricks
  • 11th Indian Division Signal Regiment

Australia Imperial Force

Commanding Officer Australia Imperial Force - Maj Gen Gordon Bennett HQ : Kluang

Maj Gen Gordon Bennett
HQ : Kluang
    • Australian 22nd Brigade
Brig H. B. Taylor
HQ : Mersing - Endau
2/20th Australian Infantry Battalion - Lt.Col.Charles Assheton
  • Australian 27th Brigade
Brig D S Maxwell
HQ : Kluang
  • 2/26th Australian Infantry Battalion - Lt.Col.Albert Boyes/Richard Oakes
  • 2/29th Australian Infantry Battalion - Lt.Col.Pond
  • 2/30th Australian Infantry Battalion - Lt.Col.Jack Galleghan

Fortress Singapore

Commanding Officer - Maj Gen F. K. Simmons HQ : Singapore

  • Fortress Singapore Division
Maj Gen F. K. Simmons
Brig G. C. R. Williams
  • 2nd Malaya Brigade
Brig F. H. Fraser
  • Straits Settlements Volunteer Force Brigade
Col R G Grimwood
  • Royal Engineers Brigade
Brig I. Simson
  • Artillery Brigade
Brig W.G. Wildey
  • 1st Indian Regiment, Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery
  • 1st Anti-Aircraft Battery, Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery
  • 2nd Anti-Aircraft Battery, Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery
  • 3rd (Light) Anti-Aircraft Battery, Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery
  • 3rd (Heavy) Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
  • 35th (Light) Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
  • 7th Coastal Regiment, Royal Artillery
  • 9th Coastal Regiment, Royal Artillery
  • 16th Defence Regiment, Royal Artillery
  • Support Units
  • Half Strength Jind Infantry Battalion (Indian States Forces) (½ Strength)
  • Half Strength Karapurthala Infantry Battalion (Indian States Forces) (½ Strength)
  • 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

Sarawak Force (SARFOR)

Commanding Officer : Maj C. M. Lane HQ : Kuching

  • SARFOR
Maj C. M. Lane
HQ : Kuching

Christmas Island

Commanding Officer : Capt J. Williams HQ : Christmas Island

  • 6" Guns Battery, Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery

Commanding Officers

  • 1915 - 1921
Major-General Sir Dudley Howard Ridout, KBE, CB, CMG
  • 1924 - 1927
Major-General Sir Theodore Fraser, KCB, CSI, CMG
  • 1927 - 1929
Major-General Sir Casimir Cartwright van Straubenzee, KBE, CB, CMG
  • 1929 - 1934
Major-General Sir H. L. Pritchard, CB, CMG, DSO
  • 1934 - 1935
Major-General Sir E. O. Lewin, CB, CMG, DSO
  • 1935 - 1939
Major-General Sir William George Shedden Dobbie, CB, CMG, DSO
  • 1939 - 1941
Lieutenant-General Sir Lionel Vivian Bond, KBE, CB, GOC
  • 1941 - 1942
Lieutenant-General Arthur Ernest Percival
  • 1945 - 1948
(unknown)
  • 1948 - 1950
Major-General Sir Charles Hamilton Boucher, KBE, CB, DSO (GOC Malaya District)
  • 1950 - 1952
Major-General Sir Robert Elliott Urquhart, CB, DSO
  • 1952 - 1954
Major-General Sir Hugh Charles Stockwell, KBE, CB, DSO
  • 1954 - 1956
Lieutenant-General Sir Geoffrey Kemp Bourne, KBE, CB, CMG
  • 1956 - 1957
Lieutenant-General Sir Roger Herbert Bower, KBE, CB

External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaya_Command"

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