Malaya

Introduction

The full story of the disastrous campaign in Malaya in 1941 and 1942 is recorded in the official histories and a number of other books. This account, based on the Regimental Histories of The Royal Leicestershire Regiment and The East Surrey Regiment, is a shortened version of the campaign and is confined to the operations in which our soldiers took part.

The aftermath of the surrender at Singapore on 15^th February 1942 was three and a half harrowing years as prisoners of war of the Japanese. These, too, are not described, but are mentioned briefly.

The Colours of 2^nd Battalion The East Surrey Regiment.

This account, which includes contributions by some of the officers and soldiers who were there, seeks to record what it was like to be an infantry soldier in the Malayan Campaign.

One final point, although the survivors of the 2^nd Bn The East Surrey Regiment became prisoners of war, their Colours, the symbol of the spirit of the Regiment, never fell into enemy hands. On the arrival of the Battalion in Malaya in 1940, the Colours were deposited in the vaults of a bank in Singapore. Here they remained until recovered intact at the conclusion of the War. These fine old Colours, presented to the Regiment in 1864, may be seen in The Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment Museum at Clandon Park, Near Guildford, Surrey.

 

« Back to List Next »