What really happened in Singapore and Malaya during the dark days of December 1941 to February 1942?
Contrary to received wisdom, Singapore was not given up without a fight, as the testimony of the men interviewed here attests. In fact the British resistance held back the enemy long enough for many to escape Singapore and fight again. But for many of course, escape was not possible and they ended up in the notorious Japanese POW camps. Their suffering also forms part of this classic study.
The fighting at the Slim River in Malaya in January 1942, a rearguard to keep the Japanese back until reinforcements could reach Singapore, is dramatic enough on its own. Seven Battalion commanders would die at Slim; only two brigadiers and two battalion commanders would survive. The story of the camps is unforgettable: The Japanese soldier had been ordered to shoot the comatose man propped up against the tree 'to prevent the spread of cholera', but he was shaking so much he could not produce a fatal shot. So Primrose took the rifle, walked up and from six inches shot the man dead. The Japanese accused him of murder.
