2RHPZ
04-19-2005, 03:39 AM
The Battle of Pasir Panjang Revisited
by Mr Lim Choo Hoon
On 15 February 2002, the long awaited World War II Interpretative Centre at Pepys Road was opened to the public.1 The centre is located in a pre-war building where the last battles of Singapore at the Pasir Panjang Ridge were fought 60 years ago. In these battles, units of the Malay Regiment defended Point 226 gallantly against the Japanese 18th Division troops' attack. The opening of the exhibition centre was timed to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942.
The question of the importance of the Battle of Pasir Panjang and the Malay Regiment has been a controversial one. British military histories provide very little details about this battle. Even the official British historian Woodburn Kirby has only a scant description of the battle.2 The only British official who commented favourably on the battle and the Malay Regiment was General A. E. Percival, the Commander-in-Chief of the Malayan Command. Commenting after the war, Percival remarked :
"When war broke out in the Far East, the (Malay) Regiment was in process of expansionlike many other units of our Imperial Force, (it) was not fully prepared for the ordeal which it was to face. Nevertheless, these young and untried soldiers acquitted themselves in a way which bore comparison with the very best troops in Malaya. In particular, by their stubborn defence of the Pasir Panjang Ridge at the height of the Battle of Singapore, they set an example of steadfastness and endurance which will become a great tradition in the Regiment and an inspiration for the future generations."3
Even for the Japanese, most accounts of the Malayan Campaign in World War II have ignored the Battle of Pasir Panjang completely.4
Historians in this region, on the other hand, treated the Malay Regiment and the Battle of Pasir Panjang quite differently from their western and Japanese counterparts. They felt that it was one of the fiercest battles fought before Singapore fell and the great sacrifices by officers and men of the Malay Regiment to fight to the last marked the highest form of "honour, duty, and courage" for the professional armed forces.5
Who were these Malay Regiment units? How important was this battle to the British? Was the Malay Regiment, one of the smallest units of the British forces, deserving of such attention in this battle? And, in what ways can we justify that the event and the battle site are worth remembering and publicising? This article hopes to look at these questions.
Article (http://www.mindef.gov.sg/safti/pointer/back/journals/2002/Vol28_1/1.htm)
by Mr Lim Choo Hoon
On 15 February 2002, the long awaited World War II Interpretative Centre at Pepys Road was opened to the public.1 The centre is located in a pre-war building where the last battles of Singapore at the Pasir Panjang Ridge were fought 60 years ago. In these battles, units of the Malay Regiment defended Point 226 gallantly against the Japanese 18th Division troops' attack. The opening of the exhibition centre was timed to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942.
The question of the importance of the Battle of Pasir Panjang and the Malay Regiment has been a controversial one. British military histories provide very little details about this battle. Even the official British historian Woodburn Kirby has only a scant description of the battle.2 The only British official who commented favourably on the battle and the Malay Regiment was General A. E. Percival, the Commander-in-Chief of the Malayan Command. Commenting after the war, Percival remarked :
"When war broke out in the Far East, the (Malay) Regiment was in process of expansionlike many other units of our Imperial Force, (it) was not fully prepared for the ordeal which it was to face. Nevertheless, these young and untried soldiers acquitted themselves in a way which bore comparison with the very best troops in Malaya. In particular, by their stubborn defence of the Pasir Panjang Ridge at the height of the Battle of Singapore, they set an example of steadfastness and endurance which will become a great tradition in the Regiment and an inspiration for the future generations."3
Even for the Japanese, most accounts of the Malayan Campaign in World War II have ignored the Battle of Pasir Panjang completely.4
Historians in this region, on the other hand, treated the Malay Regiment and the Battle of Pasir Panjang quite differently from their western and Japanese counterparts. They felt that it was one of the fiercest battles fought before Singapore fell and the great sacrifices by officers and men of the Malay Regiment to fight to the last marked the highest form of "honour, duty, and courage" for the professional armed forces.5
Who were these Malay Regiment units? How important was this battle to the British? Was the Malay Regiment, one of the smallest units of the British forces, deserving of such attention in this battle? And, in what ways can we justify that the event and the battle site are worth remembering and publicising? This article hopes to look at these questions.
Article (http://www.mindef.gov.sg/safti/pointer/back/journals/2002/Vol28_1/1.htm)