The Fall of Singapore 90 Days: November 1941 – February 1942, March/2012

This book provides a day-by-day history of the Malayan Campaign and the Fall of Singapore from the first alerts as the British prepare to move their forces onto a war footing on 29 November, through the fighting, and the Japanese Surrender, through to the Japanese imposing their rule in Singapore on 26 February – a total of 90 days. For each of the 90 days, all the major developments – military and political – are detailed along with information on every Allied soldier who died on that day. As such it is the first book which demonstrates the nature of the fighting each day – willintense battles followed by days of relative inactivity.

With the Malayan Campaign and the Fall of Singapore symbolizing the end of British power in Southeast Asia, and also the beginning of the end of the British Empire, this book draws from army war diaries, published histories of the campaign, biographies and autobiographies of people involved, and family stories, as well as visiting most of the places connected with the conflict. Accompanying the text are over 2000 maps and illustrations, including many provided by families and never before published.

List of chapter headings:
• The Straits Settlements & British Malaya
• British Malaya and Singapore in the nineteenth century
• British Malaya and Singapore during World War I
• British Malaya and Singapore in the 1920s and 1930s
• The Peoples of British Malaya and Singapore
• The Singapore Naval Base: HMS Sembawang
• British Malaya and Singapore, and the Sino-Japanese War
• British Malaya and Singapore, and the Indian Independence Movement
• World War II
• Air Communications in the Asia Pacific in 1941
• Telecommunications in the Asia Pacific in 1941
• The British Cabinet, November 1941
• The British Civil Administration, November 1941
• The British Military Commanders, November 1941
• Malaya Command, November 1941
• The Japanese Government, 29 November 1941
• The Japanese Army Command, 29 November 1941
• Sarawak 1841-1941
• Thailand (Siam), 29 November 1941
• France and French Indochina, November 1941
• The Netherlands East Indies, November 1941
• The United States and the Pacific, November 1941
• Operation Matador
• Then: 29 November through to 26 February
• The Battle of Java Sea, 27 February, 1941
• The Sinking of the SS Rooseboom, 1 March 1942

Key Points
As well as including much information on the fall of Singapore which has not previously been published, or brought together in a single volume, this book is the first to list the names of all Allied service personnel who died in the war. For the Australians, Britons and New Zealanders, there are biographical details, some extensive, with over 2000 photographs, many previously unpublished photographs supplied by family members. Thus for anybody who has a relative who died in the campaign, they will find their name in it, and anything up to a few paragraphs about them. This would make it essential for all major Australian and British public and school libraries, with the book hopefully serving as the first source of reference for people researching the period.

About the Authors:
Justin Corfield was born in England, and has been interested in the Malayan Campaign and the fall of Singapore for most of his life. He was educated at St Paul’s School, London, the University of Hull, and completed his doctorate at Monash University. His father, Robin Corfield was a school boy in Australia during World War II; and his mother’s family lived in Singapore during the fighting and the subsequent Japanese Occupation; with one great-uncle serving in the Straits Settlements Volunteer Force. Robin and Justin Corfield have both written extensively on military history, Robin Corfield being awarded the Order of Australian Medal for his work on the Battle of Fromelles in World War I. They co-authored the Encyclopedia of Singapore (2006), the first encyclopedia on the country, before starting work on The Fall of Singapore. Robin Corfield died on 9 October 2010.