Arthur Percival

Arthur Percival

Surname	Percival
Given Name	Arthur
Born	26 Dec 1887
Died	31 Jan 1966
Country	United Kingdom
Category	Military-Ground
Gender	Male

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseArthur Percival was a veteran of WW1, volunteered in the British Army at the age of 27. At the rank of first lieutenant, he participated in the Battle of the Somme with the Bedfordshire Regiment, and earned the Military Cross award. At the onset of WW2, he was evacuated from Dunkerque, France as the commander of the 44th Division. He was transferred to Asia to command the Commonwealth troops (British, Australian, and Indian) in British Malaya. On 15 Feb 1942 he surrendered Singapore to Lieutenant General Tomoyuki Yamashita after his 130,000-strong army was overwhelmed by Yamashita's smaller 30,000-strong force. Percival would be relocated to northeastern China and became a prison of war until the end of WW2. Emaciated from years of captivity, Percival would be present at the Japanese surrender.

ww2dbasePercival published the book The War in Malaya in 1949. He passed away on 31 Jan 1966.

ww2dbaseSources:
Dan van der Vat, The Pacific Campaign
Wikipedia

Last Major Revision: Feb 2005

Arthur Percival Interactive Map

Photographs

British Army Lieutenant General Arthur Percival leaving a plane on his arrival to Singapore as the new commander of British forces in Malaya and Singapore, 13 Aug 1941

British Army Lieutenant General Arthur Percival welcoming US envoy Averell Harriman at Sembawang Airfield, Singapore, 30 Oct 1941

Lieutenant General Arthur Percival in Malaya, Dec 1941

British Army Lieutenant General Arthur Percival meeting with war correspondents shortly before the surrender of Singapore, circa late Jan 1942

See all 13 photographs of Arthur Percival

Arthur Percival Timeline

26 Dec 1887	Arthur Percival was born.
31 Jan 1966	Arthur Percival passed away.

Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you.

Share this article with your friends:

Facebook
Reddit
Twitter

Stay updated with WW2DB:

RSS Feeds

Visitor Submitted Comments

1. Anonymous says:
3 Oct 2013 11:19:15 PM

Percival never published a book called "the war in malaysia" you idiot it was called "the war in Malaya"

All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB.

Posting Your Comments on this Topic

Your Name
Your Email
	Your email will not be published
Comment Type
Your Comments

Notes:

1. We hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking. Please refrain from using strong language. HTML tags are not allowed. Your IP address will be tracked even if you remain anonymous. WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. All comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB.

2. For inquiries about military records for members of the World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ.

Search WW2DB

World War II Database

Arthur Percival