By Wee, Michele written on 17-Apr-1999
National Library Board Singapore

Comments on article: InfopediaTalk

Lieutenant-General Arthur Ernest Percival (b. 26 December 1887, Aspenden, Hertfordshire, England - d. 31 January 1966, London, England) was the British commander who surrendered Singapore to the Japanese on 15 February 1942.

Early Life
Despite graduating from Rugby, famed as an army preparatory school, Percival originally chose a civilian life, taking a position at a London iron ore firm after he left school in 1906. With the advent of the First World War, he enlisted as a private soldier on 5 September 1914. He saw action on the Western Front with the 7th Bedfordshire battalion and distinguished himself by earning numerous military honours including a Distinguished Service Order and a Croix de Guerre, and achieving the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. Percival remained in the army after the war, attending both the Army and Naval Staff Colleges and serving in Russia, Ireland, Nigeria and Malta.

Accomplishments
In 1936, he was served a 20-month tour of duty in Malaya, during which he drew up a possible Japanese attack plan on Singapore which was similar to that used by the Japanese in 1941. However, his plan was rejected by the War Office which favoured a defence based on the Singapore's naval fortifications, supplemented if necessary by a relief naval force from Europe.

In 1941, he was posted again to Malaya, this time as temporary Lieutenant-General and General-Officer-Commanding Malaya. Hampered by lack of support from both the War Office and the colonial government, his efforts to hold Malaya and Singapore in the face of Japanese attack seemed doomed from the start. The rapidity and audacity of the Japanese advance in Malaya left troops demoralised and by the time Allied troops retreated to Singapore on 27 January 1942, Percival himself seemed resigned to defeat. Nevertheless, he faithfully carried out orders to fight to the bitter end. A fierce battle to hold Singapore ensued but on 15 February, as conditions in the city grew desperate, Percival decided to surrender Singapore. The surrender took place at the Japanese headquarters at the Ford Factory off Bukit Timah Road.

Percival spent the next 3 years as a prisoner-of-war, first at Changi, then in Formosa (Taiwan) and finally in Seian in Manchuria. On 3 September 1945, Percival was called to witness General Yamashita's formal surrender to Major-General Leavey, the Special Representative of Lieutenant-General William D. Styer, Commanding General of the American Forces Western Pacific Area. In 1946, he retired from the army with the honorary rank of Lieutenant-General. He died at the age of 78 at the King Edward VII Hospital, London on 31 January 1966.

Percival has been criticised for his handling of the Singapore campaign, in particular for the limited defences built on Singapore's northern shoreline and western coastal line. He was the convenient scapegoat for a military disaster that had its roots in the myopia and lack of commitment on the part of the British government toward the defence of Singapore.

Time-line
1936 - 1937 : Drew up possible Japanese attack plan.
1941 : Appointed General Officer Commanding Malaya.
8 Dec 1941 : Japanese land in Malaya.
8 Feb 1942 : Japanese land in Singapore.
15 Feb 1942 : Percival surrenders Singapore to General Yamashita.



Author
Michele Wee



References
Kinvig, C. (1996). Scapegoat: General Percival of Singapore. London: Brassey's UK.
(Call no.: RSING 940.5425 KIN) 

Percival, A. E. [1949]. The war in Malaya. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode.
(Call no.: RCLOS 940.53595 PER)

(n.d.). Retrieved January 9, 1999, from www.sol.com.sg/classroom/fall/


Further Readings
Smyth, J. (1971). Percival and the tragedy of Singapore. London: Macdonald and Co.
(Call no.: RCLOS 940.5425 PER.S) 



The information in this article is valid as at 1997 and correct as far as we can ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the library for further reading materials on the topic.