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The Fall of Singapore

Wed 17 May, 10:30 am - 12:30 pm

Zoom Presentation,

Overview

February 15th this year, marked the 81st anniversary of when General Arthur Percival, the commander of all Allied forces in Singapore, formally surrendered to the Imperial Japanese Army, under the command of General Yamashita.

This was a disaster on an epic massive scale, that is unimaginable today. Churchill was totally shocked and called it the “worst disaster” in British military history. Indeed, it was the largest surrender of British led forces in history.  About 80,000 British, Indian, Australian and Malay Straits troops in Singapore became prisoners of war, joining 50,000 taken by the Japanese in the earlier Malayan campaign. That’s a total of some 130,000 persons. Many would later die performing forced labour in horrific conditions.

The talk will cover the following areas: –

  • Brief background history of the establishment and development of Singapore as a trading port and a Naval base
  • The Singapore strategy
  • Invasion of Malay Peninsular and the ensuing battle of Singapore
  • The surrender by Allied forces and the aftermath for POW’s
  • Conclusions and reflections – 81 years on

Presenter – Nigel RogersNigel Rogers at WA Chapter 50th anniversary dinner 13 November 2021

Nigel Rogers spent most of his career, some thirty years, with Citi/Citibank, the US Global Bank Headquartered in New York. Nigel worked in various senior positions and was based in London, Zürich, Switzerland and Edinburgh, and he travelled extensively with work throughout the world. Nigel retired and emigrated from the UK to Perth, Western Australia, following his marriage to Dr Heather Rogers in July 2012, after the loss of his first wife.

In retirement, one of Nigel’s main interests is in Naval and Military History. Nigel was elected President of the Naval Historical Society of Australia – WA Chapter, in September 2020, following the retirement of Dr George Carter (RAN Rtd).

Nigel is the `Resident Historian’ at Capital Community Radio in Perth: https://capitalcommunityradio.com/interviews.html and undertakes research to give Naval and Military History talks on the radio, as well as at meetings of various Societies and Institutions. Nigel is a Knight of Grace of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem Knights Hospitaller in the WA Priory, whose main objective is to raise funds for the homeless in Perth, WA.

Nigel’s father joined the British Diplomatic Service after the War in 1946, with a first posting to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where Nigel was born. Nigel then spent many years living in and visiting many countries in the world with his parents. Nigel’s interest in Naval History stems from inheriting his father’s collection of Naval History books and hearing his father’s stories about his Royal Navy Service throughout World War II, that included serving in the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and on the island of Malta during the Siege in World War II.

The Fall of Singapore

Zoom Presentation: 11:00am. Wednesday, 17th. May 2023  (Sydney Time)

Zoom Link

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Details

Date:
Wed 17 May
Time:
10:30 am - 12:30 pm
Event Category:

Venue

Zoom Presentation