Churchill to blame for fall of Singapore? Churchill largely to blame I REFER to the report from London "Fight to death, Churchill told British army in Singapore" (ST, Jan 30) and Mr Chan Kwee Sung's letter of Feb 3. The report cited a Feb 10, 1942, telegram sent by Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister, to Singapore: "There must at this stage be no thought of saving the troops or sparing the population. The battle must be fought to the bitter end at all costs. The 18th Division has a chance to make its name in history. Commanders and senior officers should die with their troops. The honour of the British Empire and of the British Army is at stake ..." The report claimed that this was part of previously unseen documents revealed for the first time. I wish to point out that the same telegram was published in full in 1951 by Churchill in his memoirs, The Second World War, Vol IV, pages 87 to 88. This telegram revealed that Churchill was out of touch with the prevailing conditions in Malaya and Singapore, and was issuing orders blindly from London, thousands of miles away. Churchill consistently underestimated the Japanese threat. In retrospect, the battle for Malaya was lost, even before the first shot was fired, in Downing Street. The commanders in Malaya were not without fault. They were weak and indecisive. But the fact remains that Malaya and Singapore were starved of the necessary reinforcements, in particular, left without a fleet and without air power. The commanders were expected to make bricks without straw. The main responsibility must, therefore, rest squarely on the shoulders of Churchill. It was Churchill who placed Malaya below Europe, the Middle East and Russia in terms of priorities and the allocation of resources. Reading Churchill's telegram, one wonders why he was so gungho about defending Singapore, only at the 11th hour. It was too little, too late. This letter appeared in The Straits Times forum page on Feb 17, 1998. Fall of Singapore: Should Churchill take the rap? Cornelli Barnett, former keeper of the Churchill archives Dr Ong Chit Chung Chan Kwee Sung Dr Brian P. Farrell Chan Kwee Sung (second letter) Dr Ong Chit Chung (second letter) Roger Boniface Roger Boniface (second letter) Fight to death, Churchill told British Army Moses' start page Copyright © 1998 Singapore Press Holdings. All Rights Reserved.