World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseArthur Percival was a veteran of WW1, volunteered in the British Army at the age of 27. At the rank of first lieutenant, he participated in the Battle of the Somme with the Bedfordshire Regiment, and earned the Military Cross award. At the onset of WW2, he was evacuated from Dunkerque, France as the commander of the 44th Division. He was transferred to Asia to command the Commonwealth troops (British, Australian, and Indian) in British Malaya. On 15 Feb 1942 he surrendered Singapore to Lieutenant General Tomoyuki Yamashita after his 130,000-strong army was overwhelmed by Yamashita's smaller 30,000-strong force. Percival would be relocated to northeastern China and became a prison of war until the end of WW2. Emaciated from years of captivity, Percival would be present at the Japanese surrender.

ww2dbasePercival published the book The War in Malaya in 1949. He passed away on 31 Jan 1966.

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