British commanders SIngapore

[Peter H]

Pratten goes into some details on the strengths and failings of these Battalion Commanders.

William Jeater of the 2/20 Battalion is a sad story.One officer under him called him 'a slave driver",his battalion also having the highest court martial rates in the AIF in Malaya.Jeater soon developed a chronic tropical skin rash much to the amusement of his troops and had a nervous collapse in June 1941 losing command of his unit.Bennett then appointed him commander of the AIF General Base Depot at Johore Bahru even though "Blamey passing through Singapore in December 1941 described Jeater as 'mental' ".


Further,page 359:

Jeater remained 'mental' during his time in captivity following the fall of Singapore.Lloyd Cahill,the 2/19th Battalion's MO shared a hut with Jeater at Changi and described him as being 'mad as a meat axe' and a 'bloody nuisance'.

[Peter H]

Lt Colonel Roland "Roly" Frank Oakes of the Australian 2/26th Battalion had a very interesting military career.....pilot in WW1,CMF interwar,then infantry commander.

According to here: http://cas.awm.gov.au/item/MSS1037

...a Duntroon cadet, his enlistment at the outbreak of war in 1914, action in France, transfer to the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) to train as pilot, subsequent secondment to Australian Flying Corps (AFC) to train Australian pilots. The inter war years are documented and then Oakes discusses his active service in the 1939-1945 war. His service in Malaya with 2/19 Infantry Battalion, command of the 2/26 Infantry Battalion and incarceration in Changi as a prisoner of war of the Japanese (POW).

[Peter H]

Seeking a photo of 'WhizzBang' Barstow---Major-General Arthur Edward Barstow,commander of the 9th Indian Division.Bennett praised him as a dynamic British Indian Army commander.Other sources give him the nickname "Bustling Bill".

After Tom Phillips,the second highest British commander killed in action in the Malayan Campaign.

[Zaf1]

Hi Peter

You can see his photo here http://books.google.ba/books?id=_Wxsgt6 ... &q&f=false on page 61

Regards

Zaf

[Steen Ammentorp]

Hi Peter

You can see his photo here http://books.google.ba/books?id=_Wxsgt6 ... &q&f=false on page 61

Regards

Zaf

Hi Zaf,

This is not the same man. The photo shows a Lt-Col H. Barstow.

[Zaf1]

Thank you for this information Steen

Regards

Zaf

[Graham B]

Lt Colonel Roland "Roly" Frank Oakes of the Australian 2/26th Battalion had a very interesting military career.....pilot in WW1,CMF interwar,then infantry commander.

According to here: http://cas.awm.gov.au/item/MSS1037

...a Duntroon cadet, his enlistment at the outbreak of war in 1914, action in France, transfer to the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) to train as pilot, subsequent secondment to Australian Flying Corps (AFC) to train Australian pilots. The inter war years are documented and then Oakes discusses his active service in the 1939-1945 war. His service in Malaya with 2/19 Infantry Battalion, command of the 2/26 Infantry Battalion and incarceration in Changi as a prisoner of war of the Japanese (POW).

Interesting Peter. Haven't seen any post on the Darwin bombings, but of similar interest, the Brigadier in charge of Darwin defence (Brigadier Blake) was also a former AFC pilot of WW1 and commanding officer of 3 Squadron AFC in France.