Arthur Ernest Percival

Arthur Ernest Percival was a senior British Army officer who served in the First and Second World Wars. He is best known for his role as the commander of the British and Commonwealth forces in Malaya and Singapore during the Japanese invasion in 1941-1942. He was forced to surrender to the Japanese on 15 February 1942, which was the largest capitulation in British military history and a major blow to the British prestige in Asia. Percival spent the next three and a half years as a prisoner of war, enduring harsh conditions and mistreatment. After the war, he returned to England and retired from the army in 1946. He faced criticism and controversy for his conduct in Malaya and Singapore, but he also had defenders who argued that he was not solely responsible for the defeat and that he faced overwhelming odds and inadequate resources. He wrote a book about his experiences, The War in Malaya, which was published in 1949. He also served as a deputy lieutenant of Hertfordshire and was involved in various veterans' associations and charitable causes. He died in 1966 at the age of 78.