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Killed in Action
Malaya-Singapore
8th-9th December 1941
On the 4th December 1941, Yamishita’s preparations were put to the test as the Japanese convoy left Samah harbour heading for Malaya. On the 6th December a British Hudson aircraft from Kota Bharu spotted the convoy, after a slight skirmish it escaped to warn of the convoys presence. Luck was on the Japanese side however and bad weather gave them cover, so air reconnaissance became impossible. At 7pm they changed course and travelled north into the Gulf of Siam. On the 7th at 10.10am the convoy split up to reach their landing positions and early on the 8th with the waves up to three feet high the landing craft were launched. Major-General Takumi had the worst of the conditions at Khota Bharu, the waves were up to six feet high causing havoc as the troops tried to board the landing craft from the ships sides. Then as the craft neared the shore, shots were fired at the Japanese by 11 Indian troops under Brigadier Key. These troops had been put on standby to launch Matador by Brooke-Popham, they were defending the beaches in the Kotu Bharu area and consisted of the 3/17th Dogra and the 2/10th Buluch. The Dogra´s had ten mile of beach to cover and the Buluch twenty-five, so they were overstretched.
Takumi was told to call off the landings, before he could make a decision his ship was hit and after being taken on board a launch decided to head for shore, This very courageous act against the odds began a hard fought fight on the shoreline to gain a footing against heavy fire from the defending Dogra troops who fought with great gallantry. The Dogra´s took the full force of the Japanese landings and were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of landing enemy troops.
At 2.15am Yamishita received a message saying Takumi had succeeded in the landing, Yamishita was now aboard ship in Singora harbour and he wrote in his diary:
0800 hours. Entered the Governor’s residence and ordered the police to be disarmed.
1300 hours. Succeeded in reaching a compromise agreement with the Thailand government.
2300 hours. Formalities completed allowing us to pass through Thailand.
While Yamishita was negotiating, his staff were busying themselves for the attack on Malaya. Tsuji sent troops dressed as civilians across the Malayan border to take control of vital bridges before the British could destroy them.
While all this was going on the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour and successfully put the United States Air Force out of action in the Pacific. The Japanese now controlled the air space over Malaya.
The first air attack on Singapore took place at 4.15am on the 8th December on the Chinese quarter, after the air craft had dropped their bombs they machine gunned the streets for two hours, killing sixty-one and injuring 133, no reaction by British Command to the reporting of the convoy by a Hudson aircraft, had put Singapore in a vulnerable position, no blackout was in force and the city gas lights were still on.
It was now that Brooke-Popham decided that the plan code named ‘Matador’ would not work but he could not get in touch with Percival as he was out of his office.
The Kota Bharu airfield was prematurely evacuated in panic. Rumours were the source of the panic, somebody wrongly reporting Japanese troops on the fringe of the airport. Nothing was destroyed in the rush to leave, any vehicle was used to escape, leaving a workable airfield with bombs and fuel in tact. Without air cover the Indian troops were up against it. The 1st Hyderabads wanted to leave, in trying to stop them Liet.-Col. C.A. Hendricks was shot and killed, a promised inquiry into this incident never materialised.
When eventually Percival was contacted, he phoned Major-General Murray-Lyon and told him to and defend Jitra with his 11th Indian Division, it was now 1300 hours, ten hours after the Japanese had landed. This late decision had caused many problems as the troops were being held in positions to launch Matador and not defend a line in Malaya.
After the war it was reported that ‘Matador’ would have only been successful if launched on the 6th when the Japanese convoy was first sighted.
Killed in Action
Death Toll for 8-9th December 1941
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Australian:-
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8
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Indian:-
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78
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United Kingdom:-
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46
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Total:-
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132
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Death Roll for 8-9th December 1941
(Click on  below to open information)
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Name
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Regiment
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Abbas Bin Husain,
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Malayan Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
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Abdul Khader Bintury,
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Mysore Infantry, Indian States Forces
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Ahmad Bin Saleh, (1)
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Malayan Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
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Akbar Khan,
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8th Punjab Regiment
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Alam Khan,
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16th Punjab Regiment
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Arif Bin Haji Ehksan,
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Malayan Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
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Bakhshi Ram,
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Balak Ram,
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Banka,
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Bansi,
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Banta Singh,
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13th Frontier Force Rifles
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Barrah, Thomas John
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Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
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Barton, Walter Frederick
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Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
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Belt, Robert William
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Royal Artillery
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Bhagat Chand,
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Bhagat Ram,
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13th Frontier Force Rifles
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Bhagwan Das,
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Birbal Khan,
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10th Baluch Regiment
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Bishan Singh,
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13th Frontier Force Rifles
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Buckley, Arthur James
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Royal Artillery
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Chhalku Ram,
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Clarke, Thomas Lewis
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Royal Air Force
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Clarricoates, Tom William
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Leicestershire Regiment
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Coldrey, Jeffrey Cyril
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Royal Australian Air Force
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Collier, William Thomas
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Leicestershire Regiment
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Cooke, Kenneth Crossley
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Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
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Dobson, Joseph Adlington Ballantyne
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Royal Air Force
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Duni Chand,
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Finn, Hugh
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Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
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Fowler, Ernest Frederick William
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Royal Air Force
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Gell, Paul Brian
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13th Frontier Force Rifles
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Gian Singh,
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Gopi,
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13th Frontier Force Rifles
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Govinda Rajulu,
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Mysore Infantry, Indian States Forces
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Gulu,
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Hari Singh,
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13th Frontier Force Rifles
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Harnam Singh,
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Harun Bin Haji Kari,
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Malay Regiment
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Harun Bin Muhammad Ali,
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Malayan Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
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Hashim Bin Usman,
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Royal Army Service Corps
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Headland, Alfred John
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Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
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Hedges, Graham John
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Royal Australian Air Force
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Hetherington, John Gofton
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Royal Air Force
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Hill, Joseph Hubert
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Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
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Iqbal Khan, (01)
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12th Frontier Force Regiment
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Iqbal Khan, (02)
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13th Frontier Force Rifles
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Jai Bahadur Thapa,
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2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles)
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Jantan Bin Saleh,
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Malayan Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
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Jaya Raju,
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Mysore Infantry, Indian States Forces
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Jones, John Graham Leighton
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Royal Australian Air Force
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Kali Das,
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Kehar Singh,
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Kesar Singh,
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Khan Adam,
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12th Frontier Force Regiment
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Khuda Bakhsh,
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13th Frontier Force Rifles
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Lachhman,
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13th Frontier Force Rifles
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Lal Singh,
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13th Frontier Force Rifles
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Launga Ram,
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13th Frontier Force Rifles
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Lee Kim Teck, Raymond
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Straits Settlements Volunteer Force
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Logan, Whitmore Alexander Bailey
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Royal Australian Air Force
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Maghi Ram,
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Mahmud Bin Muhammad,
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Malayan Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
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Modan Singh,
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13th Frontier Force Rifles
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Mohar Singh,
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16th Punjab Regiment
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Muhammad Amin Bin Abdul Jalil,
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Malayan Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
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Muhammad Bashir Ahmad,
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Mysore Infantry, Indian States Forces
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Muhammad Din,
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Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners
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Muhammad Ibrahim,
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Mysore Infantry, Indian States Forces
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Muhammad Jawan,
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16th Punjab Regiment
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Muhammad Kamal,
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Mysore Infantry, Indian States Forces
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Muhammad Shafiq,
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13th Frontier Force Rifles
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Muhammad Sharif,
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Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery
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Muhammad Yasin Bin Othman,
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Royal Artillery
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Muhammad Yusuf,
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Mysore Infantry, Indian States Forces
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Mukhtiyar Singh,
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Munshi Ram, (01)
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16th Punjab Regiment
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Munshi Ram, (02)
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Munshi Ram, (03)
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Nand Lal,
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Nawin Chandra,
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Niranjan Singh,
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13th Frontier Force Rifles
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Nur Ahmad Khan,
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8th Punjab Regiment
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Parker, Stephen
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East Surrey Regiment
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Prabhu,
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Prem Singh,
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13th Frontier Force Rifles
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Proctor, David
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Royal Artillery
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Pyle, Robert Joseph Henry
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Royal Air Force
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Ramshaw, John Christopher
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Royal Australian Air Force
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Ratan Singh,
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Rhodes, Ronald Mckenzie
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Royal Air Force
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Richardson, Bernard Ian
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Rowe, Norman Francis
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Royal Air Force
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Rudriayya,
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Mysore Infantry, Indian States Forces
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Rup Singh,
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Sahib Shah,
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13th Frontier Force Rifles
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Sahib Singh,
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Saleh Bin Ahmad,
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Malayan Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
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Sali Ram,
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Samundar Khan,
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Royal Indian Army Service Corps
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Sanawar Khan,
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12th Frontier Force Regiment
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Sant Ram, (01)
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Sant Ram, (02)
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Sant Ram, (03)
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Santokh Singh,
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13th Frontier Force Rifles
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Santokha,
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Scarf, Arthur Stewart King
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Royal Air Force
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Sher Baz,
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16th Punjab Regiment
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Sher Singh,
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Shiv Das,
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Shores, George Cyril
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Royal Air Force
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Siggins, Ronald Hewitt
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Royal Australian Air Force
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Smith, George Robert
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Royal Air Force
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Sohan Singh, (01)
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Sohan Singh, (02)
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17th Dogra Regiment
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Squires, William
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Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
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Stephens, William Kenneth
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Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
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Suba Khan,
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12th Frontier Force Regiment
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Subramania,
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Mysore Infantry, Indian States Forces
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Sultan Ahmad,
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Royal Indian Army Service Corps
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Sundaram Parshad,
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Mysore Infantry, Indian States Forces
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Taylor, William George
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Royal Air Force
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Walters, David Ward
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Royal Australian Air Force
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Waryam Singh,
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13th Frontier Force Rifles
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Webb, Ronald Arthur
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Royal Air Force
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Westropp-Bennett, George Patrick
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Royal Air Force
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White, Garet Sidney
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Royal Australian Air Force
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Willis, John Lewis Francis
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Royal Air Force
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Willows, Michael Ransford
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Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
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Wilson, William Meiklem
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Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
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Wood, Joseph Milton
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Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
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Wright, Walter Herbert
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Leicestershire Regiment
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Yahman Bin Haji Ehksan,
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Malayan Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
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