Hi I have just found another ancestor that was killed in Singapore. Can anybody give me any other information on him or the events surrounding his death? Ronald Jeffries Dunbar Private 3322779 Died 13th January 1942 Age 27 2nd Bn Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Son of William and Jane Ann Dunbar of Seaton Burn, Northumberland. Commemorated Panel 82 - Singapore War Memorial. Thanks Darin.
A very quick check suggests that your ancestor was probably mortally wounded in the Battle of Slim River (7 January) or killed in the rearguard actions in the days after the battle to cover the evacuation of Kuala Lumpur. The Argylls were cut to pieces at Slim River, many of the survivors being forced to exfiltrate from behind Japanese lines. A great many more were killed or captured in the process. The surviving fragment of the unit did participate in some further rearguard actions over the next few days, but on 13 January it went back briefly to Singapore. Re-equipped and partially rebuilt with a strong Royal Marine attachment, the 2nd Argylls were soon back in action and covered the army's withdrawal over the causeway to Singapore. There is at least one book about the 2nd in Malaya ("Moon Over Malaya," can't recall the author) and possibly others. I am sure the Argylls have a regimental history also. The war diary is always the best place to start if you want information about a unit's actions and movements, but many war diaries of Malaya Command were lost and/or had to be reconstructed later via the memories of the participants. We have some people here who specialize in copying war diaries, if a trip to the PRO at Kew is too difficult for you.
The books starts at £8 in the link below: http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/SearchResults?sts=t&tn=Moon+Over+Malaya Regarding the war diary mentioned above unfortunately it stops at November 1941 and starts again back in the UK during May 1942. The following one may be of interest if you want to see where he was and what his unit was doing before his death. WO 172/113 2 Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louises's) 1939 Aug.- 1941 Nov
