GENERAL’S ESCAPE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26707, 28 February 1948, Page 7

GENERAL’S ESCAPE

FALL OF SINGAPORE CRITICISED BY BRITISH COMMANDER N.Z.P.A. Special Correspondent LONDON, Feb. 26. Although he does not say so in his official despatches, Lieutenant-general A. E. Percival, formerly general officer commanding the British Forces in Malaya, said in an interview in London that he personally considered Majorgeneral Gordon Bennett, who commanded the Australian forces under General Percival’s command at the fall of Singapore, should have stayed with his troops instead of escaping. “Every commander should stop with his troops as long as he is useful to them,” said General Percival. “ Senior officers were of the utmost importance after the surrender, and in this regard I would like to pay a tribute to the magnificent work of the Australians, Brigadier Cecil Callaghan and Colonel Kent Hughes, who made the Australians the leading formation among the prisoners of war. My own view is that Major-

general Bennett should have stayed behind.” Commenting upon Lord Wavell’s recent description of the defence of„ Singapore as “ half-hearted.” General Percival said: “If Lord Wavell says this now, why did he in his last message to me before the surrender say, ‘ Whatever happens, I thank you and all your troops for their gallant efforts of the last few days?’ ” General Percival also denied that, as Mr Churchill was reported to have asserted to a secret session of the House of Commons. 100,000 British troops surrendered in Malaya to 30,000 Japanese. “Mr Churchill got his information about the strength of the Japanese from the War Office, and the War Office had very wrong information about the number of Japanese,” said General Percival. “The number of Japanese engaged in Malava was 200.000, with 300 tanks. At the fall of Singapore I had no more than 85.000 men under my command, and the most I had at any one time was 125 000.” Asked whether the delay in publication of his despatches was due to pressure being brought to bear by interested parties seeking to change some of its contents. General Percival said: “One British Government department held un publication for a period, but apart from small corrections on questions of fact and certain omissions for security reasons, the despatch contains what I intended to say, and in my opinion presents a fair picture. Certainly no pressure was brought to beat from Australia.” Asked about the quality of the Australian troops under his command. Gerjpral Percival said they were excellent material but; suffered from the wrong kind of training and lack of leaders with experience of the type of warfare in which they were engaged in Malaya.