Ronald McCrum is a retired British army colonel who served in Malaya and Singapore. He served over two years as the Defence Attache in the High Commission in Singapore and as Defence Attache in Israel at the beginning of the Palestinian intifada.
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"This is a balanced and useful updating of arguments that the civil side let themselves, Malayans, and the empire, down."-- "Journal of Southeast Asian Studies" "While the fall of Singapore in February 1942 has enjoyed much scholarly attention, Colonel Ronald McCrum zeroes in on an oft-neglected aspect: the role of the civilian administration in the disaster. . . . For its focus on civil governance and civil defense, elements often overshadowed by grand strategy, this book is critical reading for any student of the fall of the 'Impregnable Fortress.'"-- "H-Net" "McCrum's emphasis on the civilian leadership represents an unexpectedly original approach to a story that has been told many times before, and for that alone he deserves high marks...Certainly, anyone in future doing scholarly work on the actions of the colonial authorities in Singapore during the Japanese invasion will need to take into account McCrum's findings."--Brian Bertosa "Canadian Military History" (10/2/2019 12:00:00 AM) "A must-read for anyone wishing to understand why Singapore's fall occurred in the manner it did."--Greg Kennedy, King's College, London