Churchill on the Far East in The Second World War
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Churchill on the Far East in The Second World War Hiding the History of the Special Relationship Cat Wilson Independent Scholar, UK Palgrave macmillan
Catherine A.V. Wilson 2014 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2014 978-1-137-36394-7 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6 10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2014 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave and Macmillan areregisteredtrademarksintheunitedstates, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-47316-8 DOI 10.1057/9781137363954 ISBN 978-1-137-36395-4 ( ebook) A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Wilson, Cat, 1970 Churchill on the Far East in the Second World War : hiding the history of the special relationship / Cat Wilson. pages cm Includes bibliographical references. Summary: Churchill s portrayal of the war the British Empire fought against Japan, as set out in his six-volume memoir entitled The Second World War, was so successful that the boundaries and limitations which he placed on the historical narrative of the war in the Far East are, to some extent, still discernable today. Drawn from extensive archival research, this superbly written and highly engaging work examines Churchill s depiction of the advent of war with Japan; the fall of Hong Kong, Malaya, and Singapore; the series of crises in India between 1942 and 1943; and the Indian Army, and their role in the reconquest of Burma. Concluding with a survey of the length to which Churchill went to protect his narrative, this work highlights how Churchill mythologised wartime Anglo-American relations in his memoirs in order to foster a united post-war special relationship. In brief, this book asks what, if anything, did Churchill hide behind history?" Providedbypublisher. 1. World War, 1939 1945 Historiography. 2. World War, 1939 1945 East Asia Historiography. 3. Churchill, Winston, 1874 1965. Second World War. 4. Churchill, Winston, 1874 1965 Criticism and interpretation. 5. Churchill, Winston, 1874 1965 Relations with Americans. 6. Great Britain Foreign relations United States. 7. United States Foreign relations Great Britain. 8. World War, 1939 1945 Military intelligence Great Britain. I. Title. D743.42.W55 2014 940.53 5 dc23 2014024387
In Memoriam: John Henry Wilson (1939 2008)
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Contents Acknowledgements Author s Note viii xi Introduction 3 1 From Memoir to History 12 2 Churchill s British Empire 24 3 Churchill s Imperial War with Japan 44 4 Churchill s Imperial Losses: Hong Kong, Malaya, Singapore 70 5 Churchill s India, 1942 to 1943 90 6 Churchill s Indian Army and the Reconquest of Burma 116 7 From Memoir to History, Part II 138 Conclusion 147 Dramatis Personae 154 A Note on Sources 162 Notes 164 Select Bibliography 225 Index 255 vii
Acknowledgements Within a few months of starting this research, I was lucky enough to attend the Second Joint Imperial War Museum/King s College, London, Military History Conference. The subject of the conference, held in May 2009, was The Indian Army, 1939 1947, a subject about which Churchill held strong views. I had only just begun to engage with the work of some of the speakers who presented their research academics such as Professor Emeritus Raymond Callahan, Professor Ashley Jackson, Dr Robert Johnson, Dr Tim Moreman, and Professor Daniel Marston. All the speakers at this one-day international conference set what was then, and what remains, an incredibly high standard to emulate. Overawed by the conference, and a little overwhelmed by the realisation that a PhD would be an academic marathon, I took comfort in the knowledge that one of the speakers at the conference had already begun to supervise my research. I am greatly indebted therefore to Dr David E. Omissi (Hull University) for his endless counsel and inspiring supervision of my doctoral thesis upon which this book is closely based. Hull University s History Department is home to some outstanding teachers. Their internationally and nationally renowned research ceaselessly motivates its student body, and I thank the department for its constant and unwavering support. When we first met at Churchill Archive Centre, I did not realise the extent to which Jim Goodchild and I would become such great friends. From that day, he has always been generous with his time, knowledge and patience. Together we have found the quest for archive gold both memorable and pleasurable. My friendship with Dr Goodchild will endure. I am grateful to Professors David Reynolds and Simon Smith who dispelled the myth that a doctoral viva is akin to torture. Their calm demeanour and temperate questioning were much appreciated both at the time and after the fact, as were their suggestions for developing the work further. Each of the following has been supremely generous in providing me with constructive criticism, gentle direction, sound guidance and, when needed, some not-so-gentle academic taser-ing. I extend my thanks to: Professor William Philpott (in his role as convenor for the Military viii
Acknowledgements ix History Seminars (IHR, London) and as Secretary General of the British Commission for Military History); Professor Richard Toye; Alan Jeffreys (Senior Curator, Social History at the Imperial War Museum, London); Professor Ashley Jackson (as co-convenor with Dr Yasmin Khan of the British Empire at War Research Group); Tim Hicks; David Ankerson; Dr Chandar S. Sundaram; Dr Steve Morewood; Dr Robert Lyman; and Dr Martyn Colebrook. Research is always a pleasure. It is a joy, however, when it is undertaken in archives that are welcoming and supportive but which, above all, help foster a breadth and depth of knowledge. I therefore join many other researchers in thanking Allen Packwood, Director of the Churchill Archives Centre, and his expert staff for their help and guidance. I am equally grateful to Patricia Methven, Director of Archives & Information Management, and her expert staff in the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives at King s College, London for their help and guidance also. I have enjoyed undertaking research in other archives and have found the University of East Anglia Archive, Hull History Centre, Exeter University Special Collections, John Rylands University Library Manchester, the National Archives, Kew and the Imperial War Museum Archives, London, all to be fascinating sources. I wish to thank the following for permission to reproduce copyright material: extracts from the Churchill Papers are reproduced with the permission of Curtis Brown, London on behalf of the Estate of Sir Winston Churchill Copyright Winston S. Churchill. My thanks to the Scouloudi Foundation in association with the Institute of Historical Research who awarded a grant to cover the costs of quoting from this material. Extracts from the Ismay Papers are reproduced with the permission of The Trustees of the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. Permission to quote from other sources has also been sought, and I am grateful to The Viscount Slim, Mr Andrew Pownall-Gray, Mrs A. Kelly and descendents, Mildred Yuan (associate to Caradoc King) on behalf of Sir Martin Gilbert, and Churchill College, Cambridge on behalf of Mr Leo Amery. Finally, I would like to thank Mr. Andrew Smart (managing Director) of A.C. Cooper (Colour) Ltd, London, for granting me copyright permission to use the photograph of Sir Winston Churchill, photographed at his desk in 1948, on the cover. I would like to thank Clare Mence (Commissioning Editor, History, Scholarly Division) and Emily Russell (Editorial Assistant) at Palgrave Macmillan, and Alec McAulay (Editorial Services Controller) for guiding me through unfamiliar territory as well as for their enthusiasm
x Acknowledgements and patience. I also thank the reviewer for Palgrave Macmillan who suggested that they accept my work for publication. I was told to brace myself against those who will vociferously argue against the research and conclusions presented herein, and the warning has been heeded most carefully. Despite all the invaluable assistance I have received, however, any omissions or errors of fact that remain are my own. Finally, I would like to thank both my mother and brother to whom I owe everything. This book is as much theirs as it is mine.
Author s Note At the end of the text the reader will find Dramatis Personae, a section of brief biographical sketches of key individuals mentioned in this volume. Individuals included in this section are keyed in the text by italicisation of their names at their first appearance. Abbreviations ADM Admiralty papers (The National Archives) CAB Cabinet office papers (The National Archives) CCAC Churchill College Archives Centre, Cambridge CHAR Chartwell Papers, pre-27 July 1945 CHUR Churchill Papers, post-27 July 1945 LHCMA Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, King s College, London PREM Prime Minister s papers (The National Archives) TNA The National Archives, Kew xi
Historians, when they have time, will select their documents to tell their stories. We have to think of the future and not of the past. Winston S. Churchill, 18 June 1940. It will be found much better by all Parties to leave the past to history, especially as I propose to write that history myself. Winston S. Churchill, 23 January 1948.