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{{short description|British Army officer}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox military person
|honorific_prefix = [[Lieutenant general (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant-General]]
|name = Arthur Percival
|honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CB|DSO*|OBE|MC|OStJ|DL}}
|image= Arthur Percival.jpg{{!}}border
|image_size=
|alt=
|caption= Percival, pictured here as [[General officer commanding|GOC]] [[Malaya Command]], December 1941
|nickname=
|birth_date= {{birth date|1887|12|26|df=yes}}
|birth_place= [[Aspenden]], [[Hertfordshire]]
|death_date= {{death date and age|1966|1|31|1887|12|26|df=yes}}
|death_place= [[Westminster]], [[London]]
|placeofburial=
|allegiance= United Kingdom
|branch= [[British Army]]
|serviceyears= 1914–1946
|servicenumber= 8785
|rank= [[Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant-General]]
|unit= [[Essex Regiment]]<br/>[[Cheshire Regiment]]
|commands= [[Malaya Command]] (1941–1942)<br/>[[44th (Home Counties) Division|44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division]] (1940–1941)<br/>[[43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division]] (1940)<br/>2nd Battalion, [[Cheshire Regiment]] (1932–1934)<br/>7th (Service) Battalion, [[Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment|Bedfordshire Regiment]] (1918)
|battles= [[First World War]]
* [[Battle of the Somme]]
* [[German spring offensive]]
[[Russian Civil War]]
* [[North Russia Campaign]]
[[Anglo-Irish War]]<br/>[[Second World War]]
* [[Malayan Campaign]]
* [[Battle of Singapore]]{{surrendered}}
|awards= [[Companion of the Order of the Bath]]<br/>[[Distinguished Service Order]] & [[Medal bar|Bar]]<br/>[[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]]<br/>[[Military Cross]]<br/>[[Mentioned in Despatches]] (3)<br/>[[Croix de guerre 1914–1918 (France)|Croix de guerre]] (France)
| memorials =
| spouse = {{marriage|Margaret Elizabeth MacGregor Greer|27 July 1927|5 October 1953|end=died}}
| children = {{unbulleted list|Dorinda Margery Percival (daughter)|Alfred James MacGregor Percival (son)}}
| relations =
| laterwork =
| signature =
| signature_size =
| signature_alt =
| module={{Infobox Chinese|child=yes|t={{linktext|lang=zh|白|思|華}}<ref>{{cite news|title=僑領紛紛反駁白思華誹謗報告政府不信華僑豈是華僑未盡衛土之責|url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/nysp19480306-1.2.67|page=5|date=6 March 1948|work=[[Nanyang Siang Pau]]|lang=zh}}</ref>|s={{linktext|lang=zh|白|思|华}}|p=Báisīhuá|j=baak6 si1 waa4 }}
}}
[[Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant-General]]
Percival's surrender to the invading [[Imperial Japanese Army]], which was the largest of its kind in [[Military history of the United Kingdom|British military history]], significantly undermined Britain's prestige and military position in [[East Asia]].<ref>Taylor, ''English History 1914–1945'', p657</ref><ref name="Morris">Morris, ''Farewell the Trumpets'', p452</ref> Some historians, such as [[Sir John Smyth, 1st Baronet|Sir John Smyth]], have argued that under-funding of [[British Malaya]]'s defences and the inexperienced, under-equipped nature of the Commonwealth forces in Malaya, not Percival's leadership, were ultimately to blame for the defeat.<ref>Smyth, ''Percival and the Tragedy of Singapore''</ref>
==Early days==
===Childhood and employment===
Arthur Ernest Percival was born on 26 December 1887 in Aspenden Lodge, [[Aspenden]] near [[Buntingford]] in [[Hertfordshire]], England, the second son of Alfred Reginald and Edith Percival (née Miller). His father was the [[land agent]] of the Hamel's Park estate and his mother came from a [[Lancashire]] [[cotton]] family.<ref name="Officers of the British Army">{{cite web|url=http://www.unithistories.com/officers/Army_officers_P02.html#Percival_AE|title=British Army officer histories|publisher=Unit Histories|access-date=2017-06-23}}</ref> By 1891 the family was living in nearby Thundridge at "Sprangewell" on Poles Lane, his father being listed as "Land Agent" in the 1891 census, although it is unclear if this is still for Hamel's Park, or for E.S. Hanbury's Poles estate (now "[[Hanbury Manor]]"), which is adjacent to Sprangewell.<ref>Census of England and Wales, 1891. Public Record Office</ref>
Percival was initially schooled locally in [[Bengeo]]. Then in 1901, he was sent to [[Rugby School|Rugby]] with his more academically successful brother, where he was a boarder in School House. A moderate pupil, he studied [[Ancient Greek|Greek]] and [[Latin]] but was described by a teacher as "not a good classic".<ref>Kinvig, ''Scapegoat: General Percival of Singapore'', p. 5</ref> Percival's only qualification on leaving in 1906 was a higher school certificate. He was a more successful sportsman, playing [[cricket]] and [[tennis]] and running [[cross-country running|cross country]].<ref>Smith, ''Singapore Burning: Heroism and Surrender in World War II'', p. 23</ref> He also rose to [[Colour Sergeant|colour sergeant]] in the school's Volunteer Rifle Corps. However, his military career began at a comparatively late age: although a member of Youngsbury Rifle Club, he was working as a clerk for the iron ore merchants Naylor, Benzon & Company Limited in London, which he had joined in 1914, when the [[First World War]] broke out.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SfTQDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT402 |title=Hirohito's War: The Pacific War, 1941–1945|first=Francis |last=Pike|publisher=Bloomsbury|year=2015|isbn=978-1472596703}}</ref>
===Enlistment and First World War===
Percival enlisted on the first day of the war as a [[Private (rank)|private]] in the [[Officer Training Corps]] of the [[Inns of Court]], at the age of 26, and was promoted after five weeks' basic training to temporary [[second lieutenant]].<ref name=commission>{{London Gazette|issue=29058 |supp=y|pages=1176–1179|date=2 February 1915}}</ref> Nearly one third of his fellow recruits would be dead by the end of the war. By November Percival had been promoted to [[captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29050|page=802|date=26 January 1915}}</ref> The following year he was dispatched to [[Western Front (World War I)|France]] with the newly formed 7th (Service) Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment (later the [[Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment]]),<ref name=commission /> which became part of the [[54th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|54th Brigade]], [[18th (Eastern) Division]], in February 1915. The [[First day on the Somme|first day]] of the [[Battle of the Somme]] (1 July 1916) left Percival unscathed, but in September he was badly wounded in four places by [[Shrapnel shell|shrapnel]], as he led his company in an assault on the [[Schwaben Redoubt]], beyond the ruins of [[Thiepval]] village, and was awarded the [[Military Cross]] (MC), the citation for which reads:
{{Quote|For conspicuous gallantry in action. During the advance he showed fine leadership and determination under heavy shell and machine-gun fire. He worked unceasingly, with absolute disregard of danger, in completing every detail in the consolidation of the captured position.<ref name="Officers of the British Army" /><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29824 |supp=y|pages=11044–11063|date=14 November 1916}}</ref>}}
[[File:Wiltshire Regiment Thiepval 7 August 1916.jpg|thumb|left|Near [[Thiepval]], 7 August. Photo by [[Ernest Brooks (photographer)|Ernest Brooks]].]]
Percival took a regular commission as a captain with the [[Essex Regiment]] in October 1916,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29783|page=9864|date=13 October 1916}}</ref> whilst recovering from his injuries in hospital. He was appointed a temporary [[major (United Kingdom)|major]] in his original regiment.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=30038 |supp=y|page=4042|date=27 April 1917}}</ref> In 1917, he became a battalion commander with the temporary rank of [[Lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|lieutenant-colonel]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=30632 |supp=y|page=4550|date=12 April 1918}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=31003 |supp=y|page=13282|date=8 November 1918}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=31035 |supp=y|page=14044|date=26 November 1918}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=31220 |supp=y|page=3257|date=7 March 1919}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=32233 |supp=y|page=1434|date=18 February 1921}}</ref> During [[German Empire|Germany]]'s [[German spring offensive|Spring Offensive]], Percival led a counter-attack that saved a unit of French artillery from capture, winning a [[Croix de guerre 1914–1918 (France)|Croix de Guerre]].<ref>Smith, p. 24</ref> For a short period in May 1918, he acted as commander of the 54th Brigade. He was given [[brevet (military)|brevet]] promotion to major,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=31092 |supp=y|pages=15–16|date=24 June 1921}}</ref> and awarded the [[Distinguished Service Order]] (DSO), with his citation stating the following:
{{Quote|For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty during recent operations. He handled his battalion cleverly, showing power of command and knowledge of tactics. He set a fine example during several critical periods.<ref name="Officers of the British Army" /><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=32371 |supp=y|page=5096|date=24 June 1921}}</ref>}}
He ended the war, which came to an end on 11 November 1918 due to the [[Armistice of 11 November 1918|Armistice with Germany]], as a respected soldier, described as "very efficient" and was recommended for the [[Staff College, Camberley|Staff College]].<ref>Keegan, ''Churchill's Generals'', p. 257</ref>
==Interwar period==
===Russia===
Percival's studies were delayed in 1919 when he decided to volunteer for service with the [[Arkhangelsk|Archangel]] Command of the British Military Mission during the [[North Russia intervention]] of the [[Russian Civil War]]. Acting as second-in-command of the 45th [[Royal Fusiliers]], he earned a bar to his DSO in August, when his attack in the Gorodok operation along the [[Northern Dvina]] resulted in the British capture of 400 [[Red Army]] troops. The citation reads:
<blockquote>He commanded the Gorodok column on 9–10 August 1919, with great gallantry and skill, and owing to the success of this column the forces on the right bank of the Dvina were able to capture all its objectives. During the enemy counter-attack from [[Selmenga]] on Gorodok he handled his men excellently. The enemy were repulsed with great loss, leaving 400 prisoners in our hands.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=31745 |supp=y|page=923|date=20 January 1920}}</ref></blockquote>
===Ireland===
[[File:Major Arthur Percival in Ireland 1921.jpg|thumb|Percival in Ireland]]
In 1920, Percival was deployed to [[Ireland]] and fought against the [[Irish Republican Army (1919–1922)|Irish Republican Army]] (IRA) during the [[Irish War of Independence]], first as a company commander and later as the [[intelligence officer]] of the 1st [[Essex Regiment]]. He was stationed in [[Bandon, County Cork|Bandon]] and [[Kinsale]] in [[County Cork]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nam.ac.uk/research/famous-units/essex-regiment|title=Essex Regiment|publisher=National Army Museum|access-date=19 October 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161020040854/http://www.nam.ac.uk/research/famous-units/essex-regiment|archive-date=20 October 2016}}</ref> In December 1920 the Commander in Chief of British forces in Ireland ([[Nevil Macready]]) informed the British Cabinet that "official reprisals" had been authorized in areas under [[martial law]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Townshend |first=Charles |author-link= |date=2006 |title=Easter 1916 The Irish Rebellion |url= |___location= |publisher=Penguin UK/Penguin Books Ltd |page=149 |isbn=0141012161}}</ref> Percival proved to be an energetic [[counterinsurgency]] commander who was noted for his aptitude for intelligence-gathering and establishment of [[bicycle infantry]] formations which acted as [[flying column]]s. He was also accused by several IRA prisoners of using [[torture]] during interrogations.{{sfn|Thompson|2005|p=69}}<ref name="O'Brien">Statement by witness Patrick O'Brien, Bureau of Military History, http://www.bureauofmilitaryhistory.ie/r{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} ... WS0812.pdf</ref> As a result, Percival became one of the most hated British commanders in Ireland at the time and survived three assassination attempts by the IRA.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Killeen |first1=Richard |title=A Short History of the Irish Revolution, 1912 to 1927: From the Ulster Crisis to the Formation of the Irish Free State |date=2007 |publisher=Gill Books}}</ref> The IRA had promised a £1,000 reward to whomever captured or killed Percival.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://historylearning.com/world-war-two/military-commanders-of-world-war/general-arthur-percival/ |title=Arthur Percival |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2024 |website=History Learning |publisher= |access-date=26 June 2024 |quote=}}</ref>
Following the IRA killing of a [[Royal Irish Constabulary]] sergeant outside a Bandon church in July 1920, Percival captured [[Tom Hales (Irish republican)|Tom Hales]], the commander of the IRA's [[3rd Cork Brigade]], and Patrick Harte, the brigade's [[quartermaster]], for which he was given an [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]]. Both Hales and Harte subsequently claimed they had been tortured while in custody, and according to IRA commander [[Tom Barry (Irish republican)|Tom Barry]], Harte received a severe blow with a rifle butt to his temple causing a brain injury and died in a mental hospital in 1925 as a result.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Barry |first=Tom |title=Guerilla Days In Ireland |date=2013 |publisher=Mercier Press |isbn=9781781171714 |edition=2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Coogan |first=Tim Pat |author-link= |date=1990 |title=Michael Collins A Biography |url= |___location= |publisher=Palgrave |page=146 |isbn=0-312-29511-1}}</ref> British intelligence officer [[Ormonde Winter]] subsequently stated that Hales had informed on the IRA while in British custody and had invented his allegations to deflect attention away from his decision to provide the names of fellow IRA members in return for a lesser sentence.<ref>''Narratives: British Intelligence in Ireland 1920–21 – The Final Reports'' edited by Peter Hart, p. 82, {{ISBN|1-85918201-1}}</ref><ref>''A Winter's Tale'' by Sir Ormonde Winter p. 300</ref>
On 4 February 1921, while participating a raid carried out by British forces between Bandon and [[Kilbrittain]], Percival shot and killed IRA volunteer Patrick Crowley Jr. When Crowley, who was being treated for [[appendicitis]], tried to flee from a house in Maryboro, Percival chased him on foot and shot him in the back.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=O'Brien |first=Denis |date= |title=The Life and Death of Lieutenant Patrick Crowley Jr. |journal=Kilbrittain Historical Society |volume=7, 2023/2024 |pages=153}}</ref> Barry later wrote that Percival was "easily the most vicious anti-Irish of all serving British officers".<ref>Guerilla Days in Ireland, pp. 57–58</ref> [[David Lloyd George]] and [[Winston Churchill]] met Percival in 1921, when he was called as an expert witness during an inquiry into the Irish War of Independence.{{sfn|Thompson|2005|pp=69—70}}
Percival would later deliver a series of lectures on his experiences in Ireland in which he stressed the importance of surprise and offensive action, intelligence-gathering, maintaining security and co-operation between different [[security forces]].<ref>Sheehan, William (2005). ''British Voices from the Irish War of Independence 1918–1921: the words of British servicemen who were there''. Collins Press, p. 167. {{ISBN|1903464897}}</ref> Historian [[J. B. E. Hittle]] wrote that of all the British officers in Ireland "Percival stood out for his violent, sadistic behaviour towards IRA prisoners, suspects and innocent civilians... He also participated in reprisals, burning farms and businesses in response to IRA attacks.<ref>{{cite book |url =https://books.google.com/books?id=jeP_lM2vnk0C&q=arthur+percival+michael+collins+and+the+anglo+irish+war&pg=PA124 |title=Michael Collins and the Anglo Irish War: Britain's Counter Insurgency Failure|isbn=978-1597975353|last1=Hittle|first1=J. B. E.|date=October 2011|publisher=Potomac Books }}</ref> Percival was said to regularly drive in the countryside in an open touring car so he could "have cockshots at farmers working in the fields".<ref>Coogan, pg. 146</ref> It is possible that Percival was influenced by the then British Army Captain [[Bernard Montgomery]] who wrote to Percival regarding tactics he used to combat the Irish rebels: "My own view is that to win a war of this sort, you must be ruthless. [[Oliver Cromwell]], or the Germans, would have settled it in a very short time.<ref>{{cite news |last=McGreevy |first=Ronan |date=10 January 2021 |title=Montgomery and the War of Independence – ‘I regarded all civilians as Shinners’ |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/montgomery-and-the-war-of-independence-i-regarded-all-civilians-as-shinners-1.4454489 |work=Irish Times |___location= |access-date=25 July 2024}}</ref> Clifford Kinvig, Percival's biographer considers him to have been unfairly vilified by [[Irish republicanism|Irish republican]] propaganda due to being "tireless in his attempt to destroy the spirit of the people and the organisation of the IRA".<ref>''Scapegoat: General Percival of Singapore'' by Clifford Kivnig p. 75 {{ISBN|185753171X}} Hardcover</ref>
===Staff officer===
Percival attended the [[Staff College, Camberley]], from 1923<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=32790|page=608|date=26 January 1923}}</ref> to 1924, which had Major-General [[Edmund Ironside, 1st Baron Ironside|Edmund Ironside]] as its Commandant, where he was taught by [[J. F. C. Fuller]], who was one of the few sympathetic reviewers of his book, ''The War in Malaya'', twenty-five years later. He impressed his instructors, who picked him out as one of eight students for accelerated promotion, and his fellow students who admired his cricketing skills. Following an appointment as [[Major (rank)|major]] with the [[Cheshire Regiment]], he spent four years with the [[Nigeria Regiment]] of the [[Royal West African Frontier Force]] in [[West Africa]] as a [[staff officer]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33043|page=2921|date=1 May 1925}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33470|page=1345|date=26 February 1929}}</ref> He was given brevet promotion to [[Lieutenant-Colonel (United Kingdom)|lieutenant-colonel]] in 1929.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33454|page=152|date=4 January 1929}}</ref>
[[File:United Kingdom - England - London - Greenwich - Old Royal Naval College.jpg|thumb|right|The Royal Naval College, where Percival studied in 1930]]
In 1930, Percival spent a year studying at the [[Royal Naval College, Greenwich]]. From 1931 to 1932, Percival was a General Staff Officer Grade 2, an instructor at the Staff College. The college's commandant was by now Major-General [[John Dill|Sir John Dill]], who became Percival's mentor over the next decade, helping to ensure his protégé's advancement. Dill regarded Percival as a promising officer and wrote that "he has an outstanding ability, wide military knowledge, good judgment and is a very quick and accurate worker" but added "he has not altogether an impressive presence and one may therefore fail, at first meeting him, to appreciate his sterling worth".{{sfn|Thompson|2005|p=71}} With Dill's support, Percival was appointed to command the 2nd Battalion, the Cheshire Regiment from 1932<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33846|page=4627|date=15 July 1932}}</ref> to 1936, initially in [[Malta]]. In 1935, he attended the [[Royal College of Defence Studies|Imperial Defence College]] in London.<ref name="Officers of the British Army" />
Percival was made a full [[colonel (United Kingdom)|colonel]] in March 1936,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34264|page=1657|date=13 March 1936}}</ref> and until 1938<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34557|pages=6139–6140|date=30 September 1938}}</ref> he was General Staff Officer Grade 1 in [[British Malaya|Malaya]], the [[Chief of staff (military)|Chief of Staff]] to [[General (United Kingdom)|General]] [[William Dobbie|Dobbie]], the [[General Officer Commanding]] in Malaya. During this time, he recognised that Singapore was no longer an isolated fortress.<ref>Hack and Blackburn, ''Did Singapore Have to Fall?: Churchill and the Impregnable Fortress'', p. 39</ref> He considered the possibility of the [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] landing in [[Thailand]] to "burgle Malaya by the backdoor<ref>Kinvig, p. 106</ref> and conducted an appraisal of the possibility of an attack being launched on Singapore from the North, which was supplied to the [[War Office]], and which Percival subsequently felt was similar to the plan followed by the Japanese in 1941.<ref name="percival1">Percival, ''The War in Malaya'', Chapter 1</ref> He also supported Dobbie's unexecuted plan for the construction of fixed defences in Southern [[Johore]]. In March 1938, Percival returned to Britain and was (temporarily) promoted to [[Brigadier (United Kingdom)|brigadier]] on the General Staff, [[Aldershot Garrison|Aldershot Command]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34503|page=2594|date=19 April 1938}}</ref>
==Second World War==
{{further|South-East Asian theatre of World War II}}
[[File:British Generals 1939-1945 O398.jpg|thumb|left|General [[John Dill|Sir John Dill]], GOC I Corps, inspecting soldiers digging trenches at Flines, France. Stood three away from is his BGS, Brigadier Arthur Percival.]]
Percival was appointed brigadier, General Staff, of the [[I Corps (United Kingdom)|I Corps]], [[British Expeditionary Force (World War II)|British Expeditionary Force]], commanded by General Dill, from 1939 to 1940. He was then promoted to acting [[Major general (United Kingdom)|major-general]],<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34800 |supp=y|page=1151|date=23 February 1940}}</ref> and in February 1940 briefly became General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the [[43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division]].{{sfn|Mead|2007|p=345}} He was made [[Assistant Chief of the General Staff (United Kingdom)|Assistant Chief of the Imperial General Staff]] at the [[War Office]] in 1940 but asked for a transfer to an active command after the [[Operation Dynamo|Dunkirk evacuation]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34855 |supp=y|page=3091|date=21 May 1940}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34895 |supp=y|page=4273|date=9 July 1940}}</ref> Given command of the [[44th (Home Counties) Division]], he spent 9 months organising the [[British anti-invasion preparations of World War II|protection of {{convert|62|mi|km}}]] of the [[England|English]] coast from invasion.<ref name="percival2">Percival, Chapter 2</ref>{{sfn|Mead|2007|p=345}} He was appointed a Companion of the [[Order of the Bath]] (CB) in the 1941 [[King's Birthday Honours]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=35204 |supp=y|pages=3735–3736|date=27 June 1941}}</ref>
===Percival's early assessment of the vulnerability of Singapore===
[[File:Lieutenant General Arthur Percival.jpg|thumb|right|Lieutenant-General Percival arriving by aircraft in Singapore in 1941 as the new General Officer Commanding Malaya]]
In 1936, Major-General [[William Dobbie]], then General Officer Commanding ([[Malaya Command|Malaya]]), had made an inquiry into whether more forces were required on mainland Malaya to prevent the Japanese from establishing forward bases to attack Singapore. Percival, then his Chief Staff Officer, had been tasked to draw up a tactical assessment of how the Japanese were most likely to attack.
In late 1937, his analysis had duly confirmed that north [[Malay Peninsula|Malaya]] might become the critical battleground.{{sfn|Mead|2007|p=345}} The Japanese were likely to seize the east coast landing sites on [[Thailand]] and Malaya in order to capture aerodromes and achieve air superiority. This could serve as a prelude to further Japanese landings in [[Johore]] to disrupt communications northwards and enable the construction of another main base in North Borneo. From there, the final sea and air assault could be launched against eastern Singapore – in particular the [[Changi]] area.<ref>Ong, Chit Chung (1997) ''Operation Matador : Britain's war plans against the Japanese 1918–1941''. Singapore : Times Academic Press.</ref>
===General Officer Commanding (Malaya)===
In April 1941 Percival was promoted to acting [[Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant-General]],<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=35160 |supp=y|page=2731|date=9 May 1941}}</ref> and was appointed General Officer Commanding (GOC) Malaya.{{sfn|Mead|2007|p=345}} This was a significant promotion for him as he had never commanded an army [[corps]] although he had previous experience there.{{sfn|Mead|2007|p=345}}
He left Britain in a [[Sunderland flying boat]] and embarked on an arduous [[fortnight]]-long, multi-stage flight via [[Gibraltar]], [[Malta]], [[Alexandria]] (where he was delayed by the [[Anglo-Iraqi War]]), [[Basra]], [[Karachi]], and [[Yangon|Rangoon]], where he was met by an [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] transport.<ref name="percival1" />
For much of the interwar period, Britain's defensive plan for Malaya had centred on the dispatch of a [[Royal Navy|naval]] fleet to the newly built [[Singapore Naval Base]]. Accordingly, the army's role was to defend Singapore and Southern [[Johore]]. While this plan had seemed adequate when the nearest Japanese base had been {{convert|1700|mi|km}} away, the outbreak of war in [[European Theatre of World War II|Europe]], combined with the partial Japanese occupation of the northern part of [[French Indochina]] and the signing of the [[Tripartite Pact]] by [[Nazi Germany|Germany]], [[Kingdom of Italy|Italy]], and [[Empire of Japan|Japan]] in September 1940, had underlined the difficulty of a sea-based defence. Instead it was proposed to use the RAF to defend Malaya, at least until reinforcements could be dispatched from Britain. This led to the building of airfields in northern Malaya and along its east coast and the dispersal of the available army units around the peninsula to protect them.<ref>Percival, Chapter 3</ref>
On arrival, Percival set about training his inexperienced army; his Indian troops were particularly raw, with most of their experienced officers having been withdrawn to support the formation of new units as the Indian army expanded.{{sfn|Mead|2007|pp=345–346}} Relying upon commercial aircraft or the Volunteer air force to overcome the shortage of RAF planes, he toured the peninsula and encouraged the building of defensive works around [[Jitra]].<ref>Percival, Chapter 4</ref> A training manual approved by Percival, ''Tactical Notes on Malaya'', was distributed to all units.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p4OFNAAACAAJ|title=Tactical Notes on Malaya|publisher=Government of Indian Press|year=1941}}</ref>
In July 1941 when the Japanese occupied southern Indochina, Britain, the [[United States]] and the [[Netherlands]] imposed economic [[international sanctions|sanctions]], freezing Japanese financial assets and cutting Japan from its supplies of [[petroleum|oil]], [[tin]] and [[rubber]]. The sanctions were aimed at pressuring Japan to abandon its [[Second Sino-Japanese War|involvement in China]]; instead, the Japanese government planned to seize the resources of South-East Asia from the European nations by force. Both the Japanese navy and army were mobilised, but for the moment an uneasy state of cold war persisted. British Commonwealth reinforcements continued to trickle into Malaya. On 2 December, the [[battleship]] [[HMS Prince of Wales (53)|HMS ''Prince of Wales'']] and the [[battle-cruiser]] [[HMS Repulse (1916)|HMS ''Repulse'']], escorted by four [[destroyer]]s, arrived in Singapore, the first time a battle fleet had been based there. (They were to have been accompanied by the aircraft carrier {{HMS|Indomitable|92|6}} to provide air cover but she had run aground in the Caribbean en route.) The following day [[Rear-Admiral]] [[Ernest John Spooner|Spooner]] hosted a dinner attended by the newly arrived Commander-in-Chief [[Eastern Fleet]], [[Admiral (Royal Navy)|Admiral]] [[Thomas Phillips (Naval officer)|Sir Tom Phillips]], and Percival.<ref>Percival, Chapter 7</ref>
===
{{main article|Japanese invasion of Malaya|Battle of Singapore}}
[[File:Pacific War - Malaya 1941-42 - Map.jpg|thumb|350px|Malaya Command and the [[Japanese invasion of Malaya]]]]
On 8 December 1941 the [[Twenty-Fifth Army (Japan)|Japanese 25th Army]] under the command of Lieutenant-General [[Tomoyuki Yamashita]] launched an [[amphibious assault]] on the Malay Peninsula (one hour before the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]]; the difference in date was because the two places lie on opposite sides of the [[International Date Line]]). That night the first Japanese invasion force arrived at [[Kota Bharu]] on Malaya's east coast. This was just a diversionary force, and the main landings took place the next day at [[Singora]] and [[Pattani (town)|Pattani]] on the south-eastern coast of [[Thailand]], with troops rapidly deploying over the border into northern Malaya.
On 10 December Percival issued a stirring, if ultimately ineffective, Special Order of the Day:
<blockquote>In this hour of trial the General Officer Commanding calls upon all ranks Malaya Command for a determined and sustained effort to safeguard Malaya and the adjoining British territories. The eyes of the Empire are upon us. Our whole position in the Far East is at stake. The struggle may be long and grim but let us all resolve to stand fast come what may and to prove ourselves worthy of the great trust which has been placed in us.<ref>Percival, chapter 9</ref></blockquote>
[[File:Royal Engineers prepare to blow up a bridge in Malaya.jpg|thumb|[[Royal Engineers]] prepare to blow up a bridge during the retreat.]]
The Japanese advanced rapidly, and on 27 January 1942 Percival ordered a general retreat across the [[Johore Strait]] to the island of [[Singapore]] and organised a defence along the length of the island's {{convert|70|mi|km|adj=on}} coast line. But the Japanese did not dawdle, and on 8 February Japanese troops landed on the northwest corner of Singapore island. After a week of fighting on the island, Percival held his final command conference at 9 am on 15 February in [[the Battle Box]] of [[Fort Canning]]. The Japanese had already occupied approximately half of Singapore and it was clear that the island would soon fall. Having been told that ammunition and water would both run out by the following day, Percival agreed to surrender. The Japanese at this point were running low on artillery shells, but Percival did not know this.{{sfn|Thompson|2005|p=356}}
The Japanese insisted that Percival himself march under a [[white flag]] to the [[Old Ford Motor Factory]] in [[Bukit Timah]] to negotiate the surrender. A Japanese officer present noted that he looked "pale, thin and tired".<ref>Warren, p. 265</ref> After a brief disagreement, when Percival insisted that the British keep 1,000 men under arms in Singapore to preserve order, which Yamashita finally conceded, it was agreed at 6:10 pm that all British Commonwealth troops would lay down their arms and cease resistance at 8:30 pm. This was in spite of instructions from Prime Minister [[Winston Churchill]] for prolonged resistance.<ref name="Morris"/>
A common view holds that 129,704 [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] personnel surrendered or were killed by fewer than 30,000 Japanese. However, the former figure includes nearly 50,000 troops captured or killed during the [[Battle of Malaya]], and perhaps 15,000 base troops. Many of the other troops were tired and under-equipped following their retreat from the [[Malayan peninsula]]. Conversely, the latter number represents only the front-line troops available for the invasion of Singapore. British Commonwealth casualties in battle since 8 December amounted to 7,500 killed and 11,000 wounded. Japanese losses totalled more than 3,507 killed and 6,107 wounded.{{sfn|Thompson|2005|pp=9 & 424}}
===Culpability for the fall of Singapore===
[[File:Singaporesurrender.jpg|thumb|Lieutenant-General Percival led by [[Kazushi Sugita]], marches under a flag of [[truce]] to negotiate the capitulation of Allied forces in Singapore, on 15 February 1942. It was the largest surrender of British-led forces in history.]]
Churchill viewed the fall of Singapore to be "the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history." However, the British defence was that the [[Middle East]] and the [[Soviet Union]] had all received higher priorities in the allocation of men and material, so the desired [[air force]] strength of 300 to 500 aircraft was never reached, and whereas the Japanese invaded with over two hundred [[tank]]s, the British Army in Malaya did not have a single tank.<ref>Kinvig.</ref> In ''The War in Malaya'' Percival himself cites this as the major factor for the defeat stating that the 'war material which might have saved Singapore was sent to Russia and the Middle East'. However he also concedes that Britain was engaged in 'a life and death struggle in the West' and that 'this decision, however painful and regrettable, was inevitable and right'.<ref>The War in Malaya; Authur Percival p. 306</ref>
In 1918, Percival had been described as "a slim, soft spoken man... with a proven reputation for bravery and organisational powers"<ref>Kinvig, p. 47.</ref> but by 1945 this description had been turned on its head with even Percival's defenders describing him as "something of a damp squib".<ref>Kinvig, p. 242.</ref> The fall of Singapore switched Percival's reputation to that of an ineffective "staff wallah", lacking ruthlessness and aggression. Over six feet in height and lanky, with a clipped moustache and two protruding teeth, and unphotogenic, Percival was an easy target for a caricaturist, being described as "tall, bucktoothed and lightly built".<ref>Warren, p. 29.</ref> There was no doubt his presentation lacked impact as "his manner was low key and he was a poor public speaker with the cusp of a lisp".<ref>Kinvig, ''General Percival and the Fall of Singapore'', p. 241.</ref>
[[File:Yamashita and Percival discuss surrender terms.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Lieutenant-General Yamashita (seated, centre) and Lieutenant-General Percival sitting between his officers, his clenched hand to his mouth.{{refn|group="notes"|The story that in the negotiation Yamashita thumped the table with his fists to intimidate for the Malaya Command to surrender is widely circulated but by 1991 at the latest it turned out to be a fiction. After declaration of death by hanging at the military tribunals in Philippines in 1945 Yamashita was interviewed by a Japanese journalist and mentioned the story in it.<ref name="hosaka512">{{Cite book|author=Masayasu Hosaka (保阪正康) |chapter=シンガポール攻略とその歪んだ影|title=昭和陸軍の研究・上巻|publisher=[[w:ja:朝日新聞出版|朝日新聞出版]]|series=[[w:ja:朝日文庫|朝日文庫]]|date=28 February 2006 |isbn=978-4-02-261500-8|page=512}}</ref> He denied clearly the story that he coerced and/or intimidated Percival and asked the journalist to correct the fiction to the truth.<ref name="hosaka512"/> Besides we have another testimony by [[Kazushi Sugita]], who was a staff officer of intelligence in the Japanese 25th Army at the time of Malayan campaign. <ref>{{Cite book|author=Masayasu Hosaka (保阪正康)|chapter=シンガポール攻略とその歪んだ影|title=昭和陸軍の研究・上巻|publisher=[[w:ja:朝日新聞出版|朝日新聞出版]]|series=[[w:ja:朝日文庫|朝日文庫]]|date=28 February 2006 |isbn=978-4-02-261500-8|page=509}}</ref> Sugita, the standing figure with moustache next to Yamashita in the photograph, served as a translator in the negotiation. {{ill|Masayasu Hosaka|ja|保阪正康}}, the well-known Japanese writer specializing to the history in wartime Japan of Shōwa period, interviewed him in 1991.
In the interview Sugita also denied the story. According to him Yamashita asked Percival a question if Malaya command surrendered unconditionally, on the other hand, Percival repeatedly wanted for stationing 1,500 British soldiers to prevent from pillaging without answering it.<ref name="hosaka512"/> Because Percival did not reply to his question Yamashita finally asked Percival to answer it in Yes or No to make the discussion clear.<ref name="hosaka512"/>
}}]]
Air Chief Marshal Sir [[Henry Robert Moore Brooke-Popham|Robert Brooke-Popham]], the [[Commander-in-Chief]] of the [[British Far East Command]], refused Percival permission to launch [[Operation Matador (1941)|Operation Matador]], a pre-emptive invasion of Thailand, in advance of the Japanese landings there; he did not wish to run any risk of provoking the coming war. Brooke-Popham was accused by his detractors of not arguing forcefully for air reinforcements required to defend Malaya.<ref>Cox 2014, p. 45</ref>
[[Peter Wykeham]] suggested that the government in London was more to blame than any of the British commanders in the Far East. Despite repeated requests, the British government did not provide the necessary reinforcements and they denied Brooke-Popham – and therefore Percival – permission to enter neutral Thailand before it was too late to put in place forward defences.<ref name="ODNB">{{cite ODNB| last =Wykeham| first =Peter| author2 =Thomas Paul Ofcansky| title =Popham, Sir (Henry) Robert Moore Brooke| url =http://www.oxforddnb.com/index/32/101032096/| date =January 2008| doi =10.1093/ref:odnb/32096}}</ref>
Moreover, Percival had difficulties with his subordinates [[Lewis Heath|Sir Lewis "Piggy" Heath]], commanding [[Indian III Corps]], and the independent-minded [[Gordon Bennett (general)|Gordon Bennett]], commanding the [[Australian 8th Division]]. The former officer had been senior to Percival prior to his appointment as GOC (Malaya).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/2016/06/17/general-percival-a-convenient-scapegoat/|title=General Arthur Percival: a Convenient Scapegoat?|first=Jon |last=Diamond|date=17 June 2016 |publisher=Warfare History Network|access-date=27 May 2020}}</ref>{{sfn|Mead|2007|pp=346–348}}
Percival was ultimately responsible for the men who served under him, and with other officers – notably Major-General [[David Murray-Lyon]], commander of the [[Indian 11th Infantry Division]] – he had shown a willingness to replace them when he felt their performance was not up to scratch. Perhaps his greatest mistake was to resist the building of fixed defences in either Johore or the north shore of Singapore, dismissing them in the face of repeated requests to start construction from his Chief Engineer, Brigadier [[Ivan Simson]], with the comment "Defences are bad for morale – for both troops and civilians".{{sfn|Thompson|2005|p=182}}{{sfn|Mead|2007|pp=348–349}}
Percival also insisted on defending the north-eastern shore of Singapore most heavily, against the advice of the [[American-British-Dutch-Australian Command|Allied supreme commander in South East Asia]], General [[Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell|Sir Archibald Wavell]]. Percival was perhaps fixed on his responsibilities for defending the Singapore Naval Base.<ref>Dixon, ''[[On the Psychology of Military Incompetence]]'', p. 143.</ref> He also spread his forces thinly around the island and kept few units as a strategic reserve. When the Japanese attack came in the west, the [[Australian 22nd Brigade]] took the brunt of the assault.{{sfn|Thompson|2005|p=414}} Percival refused to reinforce them as he continued to believe that the main assault would occur in the north east.{{sfn|Thompson|2005|p=430}} The attacking Japanese were down to the last of their ammunition when Percival surrendered. Before surrendering, besides taking his own counsel, he consulted his own officers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6xt7k3-omU |title=Operation Uranus: The Soviet Plan To Trap The Nazis At Stalingrad |website=[[YouTube]] |date=22 March 2020 }}</ref>
In the post-war Percival Report (written in 1946, published in 1948) the "imminent collapse" of the water supply, estimated by [[David J. Murnane]], the Municipal Water Engineer, on 14 February to occur within 24–48 hours, was highlighted as a direct cause for surrender.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pows-of-japan.net/articles/107.html |title=Prisoners of War of the Japanese 1942–1945 |publisher=Pows-of-japan.net |access-date=28 November 2016}}</ref> According to oral history records, quoted by Louis Allen (author of Singapore 1941–42), Murnane asked for and was promised by General Percival "ten lorries and a hundred Royal Engineers" so he could fix the water supply leaks caused by Japanese bombing and shelling. He never got what he needed: Louis Allen says Murnane got 'one lorry and ten frightened Sikhs'. When confronted again, all that Percival delivered (on 14 February) was one lorry and ten Royal Engineers but it was too late.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ddL9AQAAQBAJ&q=murnane+municipal+engineer+percival+water+supply+singapore&pg=PA11 |title=Singapore 1941–1942: Revised Edition |author=Louis Allen |page=11 |date= 2013|publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1135194185 |access-date=28 November 2016}}</ref>
===Captivity===
Percival himself was briefly held prisoner in [[Changi Prison]], where "the defeated GOC could be seen sitting head in hands, outside the married quarters he now shared with seven brigadiers, a colonel, his ADC and cook-sergeant. He discussed feelings with few, spent hours walking around the extensive compound, ruminating on the reverse and what might have been".<ref>Kinvig, p. 221</ref> In the belief that it would improve discipline, he reconstituted a Malaya Command, complete with staff appointments, and helped occupy his fellow prisoners with lectures on the [[Battle of France]].<ref>MacArthur, ''Surviving the Sword: Prisoners of the Japanese 1942–45'', p. 188</ref>
[[File:Douglas MacArthur signs formal surrender.jpg|left|thumb|The signing of the Japanese surrender; [[Douglas MacArthur|MacArthur]] (sitting), behind him are Generals Percival (background) and [[Jonathan M. Wainwright (general)|Wainwright]] (foreground)]]
Along with the other senior British captives above the rank of colonel, Percival was removed from Singapore in August 1942. First he was imprisoned in [[Taiwan|Formosa]] and then sent on to [[Manchuria]], where he was held with several dozen other VIP captives, including the [[United States|American]] General [[Jonathan M. Wainwright (general)|Jonathan Wainwright]], in a [[prisoner-of-war camp]] near [[Xi'an District, Mudanjiang|Hsian]], about {{convert|100|mi|km}} to the north east of [[Mukden]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/2016/09/07/the-oss-operation-cardinal-locating-general-jonathan-wainwright/|title=The OSS' Operation Cardinal: Locating General Jonathan Wainwright|first=John|last=Mancini|date=7 September 2016 |publisher=Warfare History Network|access-date=27 May 2020}}</ref>
As the war drew to an end, an [[Office of Strategic Services|OSS]] team removed the prisoners from Hsian. Percival was then taken, along with Wainwright, to stand immediately behind General [[Douglas MacArthur]] as he confirmed the terms of the Japanese surrender aboard {{USS|Missouri|BB-63|6}} in [[Tokyo Bay]] on 2 September 1945.<ref>''Battleship Missouri Memorial'', {{cite web|url=http://www.ussmissouri.org/surrender.aspx |title=Surrender |access-date=2006-02-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051109061015/http://ussmissouri.org/surrender.aspx |archive-date=9 November 2005}} , accessed 2 February 2006</ref>{{sfn|Mead|2007|p=348}} Afterwards, MacArthur gave Percival a pen he had used to sign the treaty.<ref>Warren, p. 286</ref>
Percival and Wainwright then returned together to the [[Philippines]] to witness the surrender of the Japanese army there, which in a twist of fate was commanded by General Yamashita. Yamashita was momentarily surprised to see his former captive at the ceremony; on this occasion Percival refused to shake Yamashita's hand, angered by the mistreatment of POWs in Singapore. The flag carried by Percival's party on the way to Bukit Timah was also a witness to this reversal of fortunes, being flown when the Japanese formally surrendered Singapore back to Lord [[Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma|Louis Mountbatten]].<ref>Morris, p. 458</ref>
==Later life==
Percival returned to the United Kingdom in September 1945 to write his despatch at the [[War Office]] but this was revised by the [[Her Majesty's Government|UK Government]] and published only in 1948.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=38215|pages=1245–1346|date=20 February 1948}}</ref> He retired from the army in 1946 with the honorary rank of lieutenant-general but the pension of his substantive rank of major-general.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=37706|page=4347|date=27 August 1946}}</ref> Thereafter, he held appointments connected with the county of Hertfordshire, where he lived at Bullards in [[Widford, Hertfordshire|Widford]]: he was Honorary Colonel of [[479th (Hertfordshire Yeomanry) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery]], ([[Territorial Army (United Kingdom)|T.A.]]) from 1949 to 1954<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=38762|page=5465|date=18 November 1949}}</ref><ref>Col J.D. Sainsbury, ''The Hertfordshire Yeomanry Regiments, Royal Artillery, Part 2: The Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment 1938–1945 and the Searchlight Battery 1937–1945; Part 3: The Post-war Units 1947–2002'', Welwyn: Hertfordshire Yeomanry and Artillery Trust/Hart Books, 2003, {{ISBN|0-948527-06-4}}.</ref> and acted as one of the [[Deputy Lieutenant]]s of Hertfordshire in 1951.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=39412|page=6600|date=18 December 1951}}</ref> He continued his relationship with the Cheshire Regiment being appointed Colonel of the Cheshire Regiment between 1950 and 1955;<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=38940 |supp=y|page=3037|date=13 June 1950}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=40680 |supp=y|page=208|date=6 January 1956}}</ref> an association continued by his son, [[Brigadier]] James Percival who became Colonel of the Regiment between 1992 and 1999.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/022Ches.htm |title=The Cheshire Regiment |publisher=regiments.org |access-date=11 July 2016 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061231053245/http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/022Ches.htm |archive-date=31 December 2006 }}</ref>
Percival was respected for the time he had spent as a Japanese [[prisoner of war]]. Serving as life president of the [[Far East Prisoners of War]] Association (FEPOW), he pushed for compensation for his fellow captives, eventually helping to obtain a token £5 million of frozen Japanese assets for this cause. This was distributed by the FEPOW Welfare Trust, on which Percival served as chairman.<ref name = "MacArthur442">MacArthur, p. 442.</ref> He led protests against the film ''[[The Bridge on the River Kwai]]'' when it was released in 1957, obtaining the addition of an on-screen statement that the movie was a work of fiction. He also worked as president of the Hertfordshire [[British Red Cross]] and was made an Officer of the [[Venerable Order of Saint John]] in 1964.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=43367|pages=5540–5542|date=26 June 1964}}</ref>
Percival died at the age of 78 on 31 January 1966, in [[King Edward VII's Hospital Sister Agnes|King Edward VII's Hospital for Officers]], Beaumont Street in [[City of Westminster|Westminster]], and is buried in the churchyard at [[Widford, Hertfordshire|Widford]] in Hertfordshire.<ref>{{cite web|author=David Boey |url=http://kementah.blogspot.com.au/2017/06/battle-for-malaya-and-fall-of-singapore.html |title=Senang Diri: Battle for Malaya and Fall of Singapore 75th anniversary: Lieutenant General Arthur Ernest Percival remembered |publisher=Kementah.blogspot.com.au |date=2017-06-10 |access-date=2020-05-27}}</ref>
===Family===
On 27 July 1927 Percival married Margaret Elizabeth "Betty" MacGregor Greer in [[Holy Trinity Brompton Church|Holy Trinity Church]], [[Brompton, London|Brompton]]. She was the daughter of Thomas MacGregor Greer of Tallylagan Manor, a [[Protestantism|Protestant]] [[linen]] merchant from [[County Tyrone]] in [[Northern Ireland]]. They had met during his tour of duty in Ireland but it had taken Percival several years to propose. They had two children. A daughter, Dorinda Margery, was born in Greenwich and became [[Baron Dunleath|Lady Dunleath]]. Alfred James MacGregor, their son, was born in [[Singapore]] and served in the British Army.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=51919|date=30 October 1989|page=12507|sup=y}}</ref>
==Honours==
* [[File:Military cross BAR.svg|50px]] [[Military Cross]] (MC) (1916)<ref name="MC">{{London Gazette|issue=29824|supp=y|page=11063|date=14 November 1916}}</ref>
* [[File:Croix de Guerre 1914-1918 ribbon.svg|50px]] [[Croix de Guerre]] (1918)
* [[File:Dso-ribbon.svg|50px]] [[Distinguished Service Order]] (DSO) (1918)<ref name="DSO">{{London Gazette|issue=30901|supp=y|page=10871|date=13 September 1918}}</ref>
* [[Distinguished Service Order]] (DSO*) (1920)<ref name="DSO*">{{London Gazette|issue=31745|supp=y|page=923|date=20 January 1920}}</ref>
* [[File:Order of the British Empire (Military) Ribbon.svg|50px]] (OBE (Mil)) (1921)<ref name="OBE">{{London Gazette|issue=32231|supp=y|page=1361|date=15 February 1921}}</ref>
* [[File:Order of the Bath UK ribbon.svg|50px]] Companion of the [[Order of the Bath]] (CB (Mil)) (1941)<ref name="CB">{{London Gazette|issue=35204|supp=y|page=3736|date=1 July 1941}}</ref>
* [[Deputy Lieutenant]] (DL) (1951)<ref name="DL">{{London Gazette|issue=39412|supp=y|page=6600|date=18 December 1951}}</ref>
* [[File:Order of St John (UK) ribbon -vector.svg|50px]] Officer of the [[Order of Saint John (chartered 1888)|Order of Saint John]] (OStJ) (1964)
==See also==
* [[Operation Krohcol]]
* [[Shenton Thomas|Sir Shenton Thomas]]
==Notes==
{{Reflist|group="notes"}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==
{{refbegin}}
* Barry, Tom, ''
* Bose, Romen, "Secrets of the Battlebox: The role and history of Britain's Command HQ during the Malayan Campaign", Marshall Cavendish, Singapore, 2005 {{ISBN|978-9814328548}}
* Coogan, Tim Pat. "Michael Collins". {{ISBN|0-09-968580-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Cox|first=Jeffrey|title=Rising Sun, Falling Skies: The disastrous Java Sea Campaign of World War II |publisher=Osprey|year=2014|isbn=978-1780967264}}
* Dixon, Norman F, ''On the Psychology of Military Incompetence'', London, 1976 {{ISBN|978-0712658898}}
* Hack, Karl and Blackburn, Kevin, ''Did Singapore Have to Fall?: Churchill and the Impregnable Fortress'', Routledge Curzon, 2003, {{ISBN|0-415-30803-8}}
* [[John Keegan|Keegan, John]] (editor), ''Churchill's Generals'', Abacus History, 1999, {{ISBN|0-349-11317-3}}
* Kinvig, Clifford, ''General Percival and the Fall of Singapore'', in ''60 Years On: the Fall of Singapore Revisited'', Eastern University Press, Singapore, 2003 {{ISBN|978-9812102027}}
*{{cite book|last=Kingvig|first=Major-General Clifford|author-link=Clifford Kinvig|title=Scapegoat: General Percival of Singapore|publisher=[[Brassey's]]|year=1996|isbn=978-1857531718}}
* ''[[London Gazette]]''
* MacArthur, Brian, ''Surviving the Sword: Prisoners of the Japanese 1942–45'', Abacus, {{ISBN|0-349-11937-6}}
* ''[[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]]'', Volume 43, available at [http://www.oxforddnb.com/ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography website]
*{{cite book|first=Richard|last=Mead|title=Churchill's Lions: A Biographical Guide to the Key British Generals of World War II|___location=Stroud|publisher=Spellmount|year=2007|isbn=978-1-86227-431-0}}
* [[Jan Morris|Morris, James]] ''Farewell the Trumpets'', Penguin Books, 1979 {{ISBN|978-0151304042}}
* Percival, Arthur Ernest ''The War in Malaya'', London, Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1949. Extracts from the report used as the basis of this book are at [http://www.fepow-community.org.uk/arthur_lane/Percivals_Report/] accessed 2 February 2006 and the references here are to this report
* Ryan, Meda. ''Tom Barry: IRA Freedom Fighter'', Cork, 2003 {{ISBN|978-1856354806}}
* Smith, Colin, ''Singapore Burning: Heroism and Surrender in World War II'', Penguin Books, {{ISBN|0-14-101036-3}}
* [[Sir John Smyth, 1st Baronet|Smyth, John George]], ''Percival and the Tragedy of Singapore'', MacDonald and Company, 1971. {{ASIN|B0006CDC1Q}}
* [[A. J. P. Taylor|Taylor, A. J. P.]] ''English History 1914–1945'', Oxford University Press, 1975 {{ISBN|978-0198217152}}
* {{cite book | last=Thompson | first=Peter | title=The battle for Singapore : the true story of Britain's greatest military disaster | publisher=Portrait | year=2005 | isbn=0-7499-5068-4 | oclc=61701639}}
* Warren, Alan, ''Singapore 1942: Britain's Greatest Defeat'', Hambledon Continuum, 2001, {{ISBN|1-85285-328-X}}
{{refend}}
==External
{{Commons category|Arthur Ernest Percival}}
*[http://www.unithistories.com/officers/Army_officers_P02.html#Percival_AE British Army Officers 1939–1945]
*[http://www.generals.dk/general/Percival/Arthur_Ernest/Great_Britain.html Generals of World War II]
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