fragments

At the moment the fall of Singapore is hot news again.
As Charles Archibald Vlieland was secretary of defence at the time his name is mentioned a lot as well .
Here are some fragments from the internet.
SynopsisWinston Churchill described the loss of Singapore as the greatest disaster ever to befall British arms.
Louis Allen analyzes the remote political causes of the Japanese campaign, gives an account of the events of the campaign, and then attempts to apportion responsibility for the defeat victory and defeat; why Singapore?; Japan's course for war; the role of economic sanctions; the role of Thailand; Operation Matador; the approach to Malaya - to Matador or not to Matador?; the Japanese landings; the campaign; what went wrong?; who was to blame?; the factor of race. Appendices: casualties; Percival's 1937 paper; Vlieland's 1940 appreciation; the "scorched earth" policy; an account of the 2nd Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders on Singapore Island. Introduction: victory and defeat; why Singapore?; Japan's course for war; the role of economic sanctions; the role of Thailand; Operation Matador; the approach to Malaya - to Matador or not to Matador?; the Japanese landings; the campaign; what went wrong?; who was to blame?; the factor of race. Appendices: casualties; Percival's 1937 paper; Vlieland's 1940 appreciation; the "scorched earth" policy; an account of the 2nd Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders on Singapore Island

From Disaster to Deliverance:

Churchill and the War in Southeast

Asia, 1941-1945

JAMES BOUTILIER
Dr. Boutilier is Special Adviser (Policy), Canadian Maritime Forces
Pacific Headquarters. He addressed our Vancouver Conference on 14
September 2007. This article has been reduced considerably from the
original in view of previously published Pacific War papers (FH 138-40). The original is available by email from the editor. The views presented in this paper are those of the author only and do not
represent the official policy of the Department of National Defence.

SINGAPORE, 15 FEBRUARY 1942: The British command under a flag of truce is led by a Japanese to negotiate capitulation. “It may well be that we shall never have a formal pronouncement by a competent court upon the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history.” —WSC, The Hinge of Fate, 1951

CP: Res should hold but let me know. RL

VLIELAND, Charles Archibald ([1890]-1974)
Secretary for Defence, Malaya, 1938-1941
‘Disaster in the Far East, 1941-1942’, an account
of his work as Secretary for Defence, Malaya,
1938-1941, and his assessment of the events

leading up to the fall of Singapore, 1942, written
c 1962, including a copy of his unofficial report

on the defence of Malaya, 1940