1st Malaya Infantry Brigade

The 1st Malaya Infantry Brigade was a regular infantry brigade formed in 1939 with its headquarters in Singapore immediately after the outbreak of hostilities in Europe.[1] The Brigade participated in the Battle of Singapore against the Japanese until the surrender of the garrison in February 1942.

1st Malaya Infantry Brigade
Men of the Malay Regiment at bayonet practice
Active1939-1942
Disbanded1942
CountryBritish Malaya
AllegianceBritish Crown
BranchArmy
TypeInfantry
SizeBrigade
Part ofMalaya Command
Garrison/HQSingapore
EngagementsMalayan campaign
- Battle of Kota Bahru
Battle of Singapore
- Battle of Pasir Panjang
Commanders
Last commanding officerBrig G.C.R. Williams
Notable
commanders		Michael Gambier-Parry

History

Formed on 3 September 1939,[1] the formation was initially known as the Malaya Infantry Brigade as part of the wartime expansion and reinforcement of Malaya Command.[2] It was re-designated the 1st Malaya Infantry Brigade when the 2nd Malaya Infantry Brigade was formed on 8 September 1940.[3]

Malayan Campaign

The 1st Battalion, Mysore Infantry served in airfield security duties during the Battle of Kota Bahru as part of the 8th Indian Infantry Brigade. With the collapse of the defences in Kota Bahru, the Battalion was withdrawn to Singapore and was joined with the 1st Malaya Infantry Brigade on 18 December 1941.[4]

Battle of Singapore

All organised Allied forces in Malaya had retreated to Singapore on 31 January 1942. The Brigade was deployed as part of the defence of the Southern Area of Singapore under the command of Maj Gen Frank Keith Simmons together with the 2nd Malaya Infantry Brigade, the Straits Settlements Volunteer Force Brigade and the 12th Indian Infantry Brigade.[5]

The Brigade put up a stubborn defence during the Battle of Pasir Panjang[6] which included the famous last stand at Bukit Chandu led by a platoon of C Company of the Malay Regiment under the command of 2Lt Adnan bin Saidi.[7][8]

With the fall of the Pasir Panjang Ridge, the Brigade fell back to the defensive line established along Mount Echo in Tanglin to Buona Vista. The Brigade was disbanded with the general surrender of the Singapore on 15 February 1942.

Formations

September 1939

The following units were put under the command of the Brigade when it was initially formed as the Malaya Infantry Brigade in 1939:[9]

December 1940

With the formation of the 2nd Malaya Infantry Brigade, units were transferred to the new Brigade:[4]

December 1941

The following units were under the command of the Brigade during the outbreak of hostilities in Malaya on 8 December 1941:[10]

February 1942

The final order of battle of the Brigade prior to its surrender and dissolution:[4][10]

References
  1. "1 Malaya Infantry Brigade - Unit History". Orders of Battle. Archived from the original on 26 September 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  2. "Malaya Command (1930 - 1942) - History & Personnel" (PDF). British Military History. 30 December 2009. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  3. "2 Malaya Infantry Brigade - Unit History". Orders of Battle. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  4. "Malaya Command Troops (1941-42)" (PDF). British Military History. 30 December 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 January 2013. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  5. Percival, A. E. (25 April 1946). "Operations of Malaya Command, From 8th December 1941 to 15th February 1942 (Part 3 - The Battle of Singapore)". The London Gazette. His Majesty's Stationery Office. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  6. Percival, A. E. (25 April 1946). "Operations of Malaya Command, From 8th December 1941 to 15th February 1942 (Part 3 - The Battle of Singapore - Section LIV: Events of the 13th February, 1942.)". The London Gazette. His Majesty's Stationery Office. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  7. Sheppard, Mervyn Cecil ff. (1947). The Malay Regiment 1933-1947. Kuala Lumpur, Malaya: Malaya Department of Public Relations.
  8. Blackburn, Kevin; Hack, Karl (18 June 2004). Did Singapore Have to Fall?: Churchill and the Impregnable Fortress. United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis Ebooks. ISBN 978-1-134-39638-2.
  9. "Malaya Command (1939)" (PDF). British Military History. 23 December 2009. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  10. "British and Dominion Armed Forces - Singapore Fortress 8 December 1942". World War II Armed Forces – Orders of Battle and Organizations. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
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