Commonwealth Ordnance Services in Malaya and Singapore

With the adoption of the Singapore strategy in the 1920s as a key cornerstone of Imperial Defence, Singapore and Malaya became the major British bases in the East, not only to defend British possessions in Asia, but also the Dominions of Australia and New Zealand, who also contributed a large portion of the construction costs.[1]

Up to the 1920s Malaya and Singapore were seen as benign areas, and as such only a small Ordnance Depot was located in Singapore.[2] By 1937 a New Base Ordnance Depot and Workshops had been completed in Alexandra, Singapore. In the early 1940s tensions with Japan were rising, so a steady but insufficient reinforcement of Malaya command was undertaken, and by the start of hostilities in December 1941 many units of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC), Indian Army Ordnance Corps (IAOC) and Australian Army Ordnance Corps (RAAOC) had been dispatched to the region.

Singapore would capitulate in February 1942 in what was to be the largest loss of manpower, resources and stature in the Empire's history and it would not be until late 1945 the British forces returned. Post war, Britain and other Commonwealth nations retained military forces in the region to fight the communist insurgency, deal with the confrontation with Indonesia and nurture the independence of Malaysia and Singapore until 1989 when the New Zealand forces departed Singapore.

From the beginning of the commitment to the defence of Malaya and Singapore, the RAOC, IAOC, AAOC and the Royal New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps (RNZAOC) were working behind the scenes keeping the forces supplied, and during the 1950s and 60s working with and handing over their responsibility and facilities to their Singaporean and Malaysian counterparts as their nations became self-sufficient.


Badge of the RAOC 1918–1947

Malaya Command 1924–1942

Malaya/Malaysia 1945–1972

ANZUK Force 1971–1974

New Zealand Forces South East Asia 1974–1989

From 1974 to 1989 the RNZAOC maintained the New Zealand Advanced Ordnance Depot (NZAOD) in Singapore as part of New Zealand Force South East Asia (NZFORSEA).[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ McIntyre, W. David (1979). The Rise and Fall of the Singapore Naval Base, 1919–1942. Cambridge Commonwealth Series. London: MacMillan Press. ISBN 0333248678.
  2. ↑ Steer, Brigadier Frank (1993). To the Warrior His Arms. Pen and Sword. ISBN 1844153290.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "British and Dominion Armed Forces Pacific Theater Far East Command Malaya Command 8th December 1941". World War II Armed Forces — Orders of Battle and Organizations. Retrieved 12 Nov 2016.
  4. 1 2 "III INDIAN CORPS HISTORY & PERSONNEL" (PDF). britishmilitaryhistory.co.uk. Retrieved 18 Oct 2016.
  5. 1 2 "From Percy Main to Sumatra via France". aotn.dvrdns.org/. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  6. ↑ "Private Papers of R R Rogers". iwm.org.uk. Retrieved 24 Nov 2016.
  7. ↑ Tilbrook, Major John D (1989). To the Warrior His Arms (PDF). RAOC. p. 227. ISBN 0731674863.
  8. ↑ Tilbrook, Major John D (1989). To the Warrior His Arms (PDF). RAOC. p. 279. ISBN 0731674863.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 "Royal Army Ordnance Corps". British Army units from 1945 on British Army units from 1945 on. Retrieved 24 Nov 2016.
  10. ↑ Bolton, Major J.S (1992). A History of the RNZAOC. RNZAOC. pp. 211–212. ISBN 0477015816.
  11. ↑ Tilbrook, Major John D (1989). To The Warrior His Arms. RAAOC. p. 466. ISBN 0731674863.
  12. ↑ Steer, Brigadier Frank (2005). To The Warrior His Arms, History of the RAOC. 1844153290. p. 211.
  13. ↑ "Continued South-East Asian presence". Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand.

Sources

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