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. With the bulk of British forces being tied down in the war in Europe and the Near East, 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 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 31 August 1957 the command was disbanded and succeeded by Overseas Commonwealth Land Forces (Malaya).
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 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
As of 7 December 1941Commanding Officer Indian III Corps – Lt Gen Lewis Macclesfield Heath
Indian 9th Infantry DivisionMaj-Gen Arthur Edward Barstow (
†, 28 January 1942 at Layang-Layang near
Bota)HQ : Kuala Lumpur
8th Indian Infantry BrigadeBrig Berthold Wells KeyHQ :
Kota Bharu2nd Battalion, 10th Baluch Regiment – Lt. Col. John Griffeth Frith2nd Battalion, 12th Frontier Force Regiment – Lt. Col. Arthur Edward Cumming1st Battalion, 13th Frontier Force Rifles – Lt. Col. Clarence Gilbert3rd Battalion, 17th Dogra Regiment – Lt. Col. George Allen Preston21st Mountain Battery, Indian Artillery – Major John Bertram Sopper22nd Indian Infantry BrigadeBrig G.W.A.PainterHQ :
Kuantan5th Battalion, 11th Sikh Regiment – Lt. Col. John Henry Devereux Parkin2nd Battalion, 18th Royal Garhwal Rifles – Lt. Col. Guy Edward Ross Stewart Hartigan MC5th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery – Lt. Col. Edward William Francis JephsonCommand Troops88th (2nd West Lancashire) Field Regiment RA – Lt. Col. Sylvain Claude D'Aubuz42nd Field Park Company (Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners)- Capt. Thomas Wilfried NashIndian 11th Infantry DivisionMaj-Gen
David Murray-Lyon / Brig Archibald Charles Melvill Paris / Maj-Gen Berthold Wells KeyHQ :
Sungai Petani6th Indian Infantry BrigadeBrig William Oswald Lay / Lt. Col. Henry Sloane LarkinHQ :
Jitra2nd Battalion, East Surrey Regiment – Lt. Col. George Edward Swinton1st 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 Hughes15th Indian Infantry Brigade (III Corps Reserve)Brig Kenneth Alfred Garrett/Brig. William St.John CarpendaleHQ :
Jitra1st Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment – Lt. Col. Charles Esmond Morrison2nd Battalion, 9th Jat Regiment – Lt. Col. Charles Knowler Tester1st Battalion, 14th Punjab Regiment – Lt. Col. Leslie Vernon "James" Fitzpatrick28th (Gurkha) Infantry BrigadeBrig William St J. Carpendale / Lt. Col. Wallace Raymond SelbyHQ :
Ipoh2nd Battalion, 1st Gurkha Rifles – Lt. Col. John Oswald "Jack" Fulton ( †, 8 January 1942 at Slim River)2nd Battalion, 2nd Gurkha Rifles – Lt. Col. Geoffrey Harley Douglas Woollcombe (Died Indian Ocean, 28 Feb. 1942)2nd Battalion, 9th Gurkha Rifles – Lt. Col. Wallace Raymond Selby / Lt. Col. Maurice Bryer Allsebrook DSO MC11th Division Command Troops3rd Cavalry (IA) – Lt. Col. Julian Gerald Barnes De Wilton100th Light Tank Squadron – Major Jack Alford ( † 12 Feb 1942)137th (2nd West Lancashire) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery – Lt. Col. Gilbert Daly Holmes ( † at Slim River)155th (Lanarkshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery – Lt. Col. Alan Murdoch ( † at Slim River)80th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery – Lt. Col. William E.S. Napier85th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery – Lt. Col. A.J. Lardner-Clarke1st Independent Company – Major Sheppard Percy Fearon23rd Field Company (Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners)- Capt. John Eglington Bate43rd Field Park Company, Royal EngineersKrohcolLt. Col. Henry Dawson Moorhead
5th Battalion, 14th Punjab Regiment (3 Companies) – Lt. Col. Cyril Arthur Stokes ( † at 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 KiernanLine of Communications BrigadeBrig Robert Gifford Moir
Fortress PenangBrig Cyril Arthur LyonHQ :
PenangSupport UnitsAustralian 8th DivisionMaj Gen Gordon BennettHQ : Kluang
Australian 22nd BrigadeAustralian 27th BrigadeCommanding Officer – Maj Gen Frank Keith Simmons HQ : Singapore
Fortress Singapore DivisionMaj Gen F. K. Simmons
1st Malaya BrigadeBrig George Giffard Rawson Williams
2nd Battalion, Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) – Lt. Col. Mordaunt Elrington1st Battalion, Malay Regiment – Lt. Col. James Richard Glencoe André2nd Battalion, Malay Regiment – Lt. Col. Frederick Walter Young2nd Malaya BrigadeBrig Francis Hugh Fraser
1st Battalion, Manchester Regiment – Lt. Col. Edward Barclay Holmes2nd Battalion, Gordon Highlanders – Lt. Col. John Heslop Stitt / Richard Gilbert Lees2nd Battalion, 17th Dogra Regiment – Lt. Col. Sidney Clermont ScottStraits Settlements Volunteer Force BrigadeCol Francis Reginald Grimwood
1st Battalion, Straits Settlements Volunteer Force (Singapore Volunteer Corps) – Lt. Col. Thomas Henry Newey2nd Battalion, Straits Settlements Volunteer Force (Singapore Volunteer Corps)4th Battalion, Straits Settlements Volunteer Force (Malacca Volunteer Corps) – Lt. Col. Charles Alexander ScottSingapore Armoured Car Company, Straits Settlements Volunteer ForceRoyal Engineers BrigadeBrig
Ivan Simson30th Fortress Company, Royal Engineers34th Fortress Company, Royal Engineers35th Fortress Company, Royal Engineers41st Fortress Company, Royal EngineersArtillery BrigadeBrig Alec Warren Greenlaw Wildey
1st (Heavy) Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Indian Artillery - Lt. Col. John Rowley Williamson DSO1st Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery - Lt. Col. Archer Edwards Tawney2nd Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery – Lt. Col. Howard Wincent Allpres3rd (Light) Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery - Lt. Col. Denis Vivian Hill3rd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery - Lt. Col. Francis Edgar Hugonin35th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery – Lt. Col. John Bassett7th Coastal Regiment, Royal Artillery – Lt. Col. Hereward Douglas St.George Cardew9th Coastal Regiment, Royal Artillery – Lt. Col. Charles Philip Heath16th Defence Regiment, Royal ArtillerySupport UnitsHalf Strength Jind Infantry Battalion (Indian States Forces) (½ Strength) – Lt. Col. Gurbaksh SinghHalf Strength Kapurthala Infantry Battalion (Indian States Forces) (½ Strength) - Major Aziz AhmadDalforce – Lt. Col. John DalleyMalaya Command Reserve
Commanding Officer : Brig.A.C.M. Paris / Lt. Col. I.M. Stewart HQ : Port Dickson
12th Indian Infantry Brigade – Brig.A.C.M. Paris / Lt. Col. I.M. StewartHQ : 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 Deakin4th Battalion, 19th Hyderabad Regiment – Lt. Col. Eric Lawrence Wilson-Haffenden / Lt. Col. Herbert Lawrence Hill122nd (West Riding) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery – Lt. Col. George St.John Armitage Dyson ( † 22 November 1942)Commanding Officer : Lt-Col Charles Malet Lane HQ : Kuching
SARFORLt-Col C. M. LaneHQ :
Kuching2nd Battalion, 15th Punjab Regiment – (this battalion took part in the Battle of Borneo where it surrendered).Sarawak Coastal Marine ServiceSarawak Volunteer CorpsSarawak RangersSarawak Armed Police35th Fortress Company, Royal Engineers6" Guns Battery, Hong Kong and Singapore Royal ArtilleryChristmas Island
Commanding Officer : Capt Leonard Walter Thomas Williams HQ : Christmas Island
6" Gun, Hong Kong and Singapore Royal ArtilleryLine of Communication Troops44th Indian Infantry Brigade – Brigadier George Cecil Ballentine6th Battalion, 1st Punjab Regiment – Lt. Col. James Dow Sainter MC7th Battalion, 8th Punjab Regiment – Lt. Col. Willis Southern6th Battalion, 14th Punjab Regiment – Lt. Col. Louis Sobaux Ingle MC45th Indian Infantry Brigade – Brigadier Herbert Cecil Duncan ( † at Battle of Muar)7th Battalion, 6th Rajputana Rifles- Lt. Col. James Albert Lewis ( † at Battle of Muar)4th Battalion, 9th Jat Regiment – Lt. Col. John Whittaker Williams ( † at Battle of Muar)5th Battalion, 18th Royal Garhwal Rifles – Lt. Col. James H.C. Woolridge ( † at Battle of Muar)13th Indian Auxiliary Pioneer Battalion18th Infantry Division – Major-General Merton Beckwith-Smith53rd Infantry Brigade – Brig. Cecil Leonard Basil Duke5th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment – Lt. Col. Eric Charles Prattley6th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment – Lt. Col. Ian Conway Gilford Lywood ( † at Alexandra Hospital Massacre)2nd Battalion, Cambridgeshire Regiment – Lt. Col. Gordon Calthorpe Thorne (Died, Indian Ocean while attempting to escape)There were 161 front line aircraft, including 3 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
RAF Selatar;No. 36 Squadron RAF – 6x Vickers VildebeestNo. 100 Squadron RAF – 12x Vickers VildebeestNo. 205 Squadron RAF – 3x PBY CatalinaRAF Tengah;No. 34 Squadron RAF – 16x Bristol Blenheim IVRAF Sembawang;No. 453 Squadron RAAF – 16x Brewster BuffaloRAF Kallang;No. 243 Squadron RAF – 14x Brewster BuffaloNo. 488 Squadron RNZAF – 16x Brewster BuffaloSungei Patani;No. 21 Squadron RAAF – 12x Brewster BuffaloNo. 27 Squadron RAF – 12x Bristol Blenheim IRAF Kota Bharu;No. 1 Squadron RAAF – 12x Lockheed HudsonDetachment from No. 243 Squadron RAF – 2x Brewster BuffaloGong Kedak;Detachment from No. 36 Squadron RAF – 6x Vickers VidebeestRAF Kuantan;No. 8 Squadron RAAF – 12x Lockheed HudsonsNo. 60 Squadron RAF – 8x Bristol BlenheimsAlor Star;No. 62 Squadron RAF – 11x Bristol BlenheimsCommanders-in-Chief
Commanders-in-Chief have included:
GOC Troops in the Straits Settlements
1903–1905 Major-General Arthur Dorward1905–1907 Major-General Inigo Jones1907–1910 Major-General Thomas Perrott1910–1914 Major-General Theodore Stephenson1914–1915 Major-General Raymond Reade1915–1921 Major-General Sir Dudley Ridout1921–1924 Major-General Sir Neill MalcolmGOC Malaya Command
1924–1927 Major-General Sir Theodore Fraser1927–1929 Major-General Sir Casimir van Straubenzee1929–1931 Major-General Harry Pritchard1931–1934 Major-General Sir Louis Oldfield1934–1935 Major-General Ernest Lewin1935–1939 Major-General Sir William Dobbie1939–1941 Lieutenant-General Sir Lionel Bond1941–1942 Lieutenant-General Arthur PercivalNote from 1943 to 1945 Malaya was under Japanese controlNov–Dec 1945 Lieutenant-General Sir Miles Dempsey1945–1946 Lieutenant-General Sir Frank Messervy1946–1947 Lieutenant-General Sir Alexander GallowayGOC Malaya District
1947–1948 Major-General Ashton Wade1948–1950 Major-General Sir Charles BoucherGOC Malaya
1950–1952 Major-General Roy Urquhart1952–1954 Major-General Sir Hugh Stockwell1954–1956 Lieutenant-General Sir Geoffrey Bourne1956–1957 Lieutenant-General Sir Roger Bower
