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.George Ernest Morrison 'The correspondence of G.E. Morrison' 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 of an attack. With the bulk of British forces being tied down in Europe and North Africa, 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 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).
Formation and structure In November 1940, the total strength of Malaya Command was 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
III Indian Corps As of 7 December 1941 Commanding Officer III Indian Corps – Lt Gen Lewis Heath 9th Indian Infantry Division Maj-Gen Arthur Barstow (, 28 January 1942 at Layang-Layang near Bota) HQ: Kuala Lumpur 8th Indian Infantry Brigade Brig Bethold Key HQ: Kota Bharu 2nd Battalion, 10th Baluch Regiment – Lt. Col. John Griffeth Frith 2nd Battalion, 12th Frontier Force Regiment – Lt. Col. Arthur Cumming 1st Battalion, 13th Frontier Force Rifles – Lt. Col. Clarence Gilbert 3rd Battalion, 17th Dogra Regiment – Lt. Col. George Allen Preston 21st Mountain Battery, Indian Artillery – Major John Bertram Sopper 19th Field Company (Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners) - Major M. Delmé Radcliffe RE
22nd Indian Infantry Brigade Brig Gordon Painter HQ: Kuantan 5th Battalion, 11th Sikh Regiment – Lt. Col. John Henry Devereux Parkin 2nd Battalion, 18th Royal Garhwal Rifles – Lt. Col. Guy Edward Ross Stewart Hartigan MC 5th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery – Lt. Col. Edward William Francis Jephson 22nd Field Company (Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners) - Major H.T. Heard RE
Command troops 4th Battalion, Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces (Pahang) – Lt. Col. James Oliphant Mackellar (d.12 March 1945) 88th (2nd West Lancashire) Field Regiment RA – Lt. Col. Sylvain Claude D'Aubuz 42nd Field Park Company (Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners)- Major Thomas Wilfried Nash
11th Indian Infantry Division Maj-Gen David Murray-Lyon/Brig Archibald Paris/Maj-Gen Berthold Wells Key HQ: Sungai Petani 6th Indian Infantry Brigade Brig William Oswald Lay/Lt. Col. Henry Sloane Larkin HQ: Jitra 2nd Battalion, East Surrey Regiment – Lt. Col. George Edward Swinton 1st 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 Hughes 3rd Field Company (King George V's Bengal Sappers and Miners) - Major A.R. Beattie RE
15th Indian Infantry Brigade (III Corps Reserve) Brig Kenneth Alfred Garrett/Brig. William St.John Carpendale HQ: Jitra 1st Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment – Lt. Col. Charles Esmond Morrison 2nd Battalion, 9th Jat Regiment – Lt. Col. Charles Knowler Tester 1st Battalion, 14th Punjab Regiment – Lt. Col. Leslie Vernon "James" Fitzpatrick 23rd Field Company (Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners) - Major John Eglington Bate RE
28th (Gurkha) Infantry Brigade Brig William St J. Carpendale/Lt. Col. Wallace Raymond Selby HQ: Ipoh 2nd 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 MC 17th Field Company (Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners) - Major N.S. Bhagat – IE
11th Division command troops 3rd Cavalry (IA) – Lt. Col. Julian Gerald Barnes De Wilton 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. Napier 85th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery – Lt. Col. A.J. Lardner-Clarke - arrived Singapore 13 January 1942 1st Independent Company – Major Sheppard Percy Fearon 43rd Field Park Company, (King George V's Bengal Sappers and Miners)
Krohcol Lt. Col. Henry Dawson Moorhead 5th Battalion, 14th Punjab Regiment (3 Companies) – Lt. Col. Cyril Lovesy Lawrence Stokes ( in captivity on 15th February 1942 following the Battle of 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 Kiernan Line of Communications Brigade Brig Robert Gifford Moir 1st Battalion, Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces (Perak) - Lt Col. J.E.G. "Jim" Staley 2nd Battalion, Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces (Selangor) - Lt. Col. W.M. "Jimmie" James 3rd Battalion, Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces (Negeri Sembilan) – Lt. Col. C.F.H. Riches Light Battery, Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces (Equipped 4 x 3.7" How) - Major R. Wilshaw Armoured Car Company, Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces (Equipped 9 Armoured Cars) – Major C.E. Collinge Signals Battalion, Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces - Lt. Col. Stanley P. Moreton Fortress Penang Brig Cyril Arthur Lyon HQ: Penang D Company, 5th Battalion, 14th Punjab Regiment - Lieutenant Edward John Ellis 3rd Battalion, Straits Settlements Volunteer Force (Penang and Province Wellesley Volunteer Corps) - Lt. Col. The Hon Ernest De Buriatte 11th Coast Regiment, Royal Artillery – Lt. Col. M.L. More 2nd Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Indian Artillery Support units 5th Battalion, 14th Punjab Regiment (assigned to Krohcol) - Lt. Col. Cyril Lovesy Lawrence Stokes ( in captivity on 15th February 1942 following the Battle of Slim River) 3rd Battalion, 16th Punjab Regiment (assigned to Krohcol) – Lt. Col. Henry Moorhead ( at Battle of Muar) 1st Battalion, Mysore Infantry (Indian States Forces) – Lt. Col. Kenneth Harvey Preston 1st Battalion, Bahawalpur Infantry (Indian States Forces) – Lt. Col. Harry Ernest Tyrell 1st Battalion, Hyderabad Regiment (Indian States Forces) – Lt. Col. Charles Albert Hendrick (, 10 December 1941 at Kota Bharu) 11th Indian Division Signal Regiment Corps troops 45 Army Troops Company (Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners) 46 Army Troops Company (Queen Victoria's Own Madras Sappers and Miners) 1 Artisan Works Company (Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners)
Australian 8th Division Australian 8th Division Maj Gen Gordon Bennett HQ: Kluang
2/10th Field Regiment (Equipped 8 × 18-Pdr and 16 × 4.5" How. / re-equipped with 24 × 25-Pdr between 9–12 January 1942) - Lt.Col. A.W. Walsh 2/15th Field Regiment (Equipped 24 × 25-Pdr) - Lt. Col. J.W. Wright 4th Anti-Tank Regiment (Equipped 12 × 2-Pdr / 24 × 75mm) – Lt. Col. Cranston Albury McEachern 2/10th Field Company - Major K.P.H Lawrence 2/12th Field Company - Major J.A.L. Shaw 2/6th Field Park Company - Capt. T.T. Lewis Australian 22nd Brigade Brig Harold Burfield Taylor HQ: Mersing – Endau 2/18th Australian Infantry Battalion – Lt. Col. Arthur Varley (Died as POW 13 September 1944) 2/19th Australian Infantry Battalion – Lt. Col. Charles Anderson VC 2/20th Australian Infantry Battalion – Lt. Col. Charles Frederick Assheton (12 February 1942) Australian 27th Brigade Brig Duncan Maxwell HQ: Kluang 2/26th Australian Infantry Battalion – Lt. Col. Arthur Harold Boyes (12 February 1942)/Richard Oakes 2/29th Australian Infantry Battalion – Lt. Col. John Charles Robertson (18 Jan. 1942 during Battle of Muar)/ Lt. Col. Pond 2/30th Australian Infantry Battalion – Lt. Col. Frederick Gallagher "Jack" Galleghan
Fortress Singapore Commanding Officer – Maj Gen Frank Keith Simmons HQ: Singapore Fortress Singapore Division Maj Gen F. K. Simmons
1st Malaya Brigade Brig George Giffard Rawson Williams 2nd Battalion, Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) – Lt. Col. Mordaunt Elrington 1st Battalion, Malay Regiment – Lt. Col. James Richard Glencoe André 2nd Battalion, Malay Regiment – Lt. Col. Frederick Walter Young
2nd Malaya Brigade Brig Francis Hugh Fraser 1st Battalion, Manchester Regiment – Lt. Col. Edward Barclay Holmes 2nd Battalion, Gordon Highlanders – Lt. Col. John Heslop Stitt/Richard Gilbert Lees 2nd Battalion, 17th Dogra Regiment – Lt. Col. Sidney Clermont Scott
Straits Settlements Volunteer Force Brigade Col Francis Reginald Grimwood 1st Battalion, Straits Settlements Volunteer Force (Singapore Volunteer Corps) – Lt. Col. Thomas Henry Newey 2nd Battalion, Straits Settlements Volunteer Force (Singapore Volunteer Corps) - Lt. Col. Donald G. Macleod 4th Battalion, Straits Settlements Volunteer Force (Malacca Volunteer Corps) – Lt. Col. Charles Alexander Scott Singapore Armoured Car Company, Straits Settlements Volunteer Force
Royal Engineers Brigade Brig Ivan Simson 30th Fortress Company, Royal Engineers 34th Fortress Company, Royal Engineers 35th Fortress Company, Royal Engineers 41st Fortress Company, Royal Engineers
ArtilleryFarndale, Annex A. Commander, Air Defences, Singapore – Brig Alec Warren Greenlaw Wildey 1st (Heavy) Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Indian Artillery - Lt. Col. John Rowley Williamson DSO 1st Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery - Lt. Col. Archer Edwards Tawney 2nd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery – Lt. Col. Howard Wincent Allpres 3rd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery - Lt. Col. Denis Vivian Hill 3rd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery - Lt. Col. Francis Edgar Hugonin 5th Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery – Lt. Col. R.A.O. Clarke Commander, Fixed Defences, Singapore – Brigadier A.D. Curtis 7th Coast Regiment, Royal Artillery – Lt. Col. Hereward Douglas St. George Cardew 9th Coast Regiment, Royal Artillery – Lt. Col. Charles Philip Heath 16th Defence Regiment, Royal Artillery – Lt. Col. M.S.H. Maxwell-Gumbleton
Support units Half Strength Jind Infantry Battalion (Indian States Forces) (½ Strength) – Lt. Col. Gurbaksh Singh Half Strength Kapurthala Infantry Battalion (Indian States Forces) (½ Strength) - Major Aziz Ahmad Dalforce – Lt. Col. John Dalley
Malaya 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. Stewart HQ: Port Dickson