ARGYLL & SUTHERLAND HIGHLANDERS · GORDON HIGHLANDERS
The Battles of Malaya
From the first landings at Kota Bharu to the surrender of Singapore — ten weeks that broke an empire, and the Scottish regiments who fought every mile of the retreat.
8 Dec
INVASION BEGINS
70
DAYS TO SURRENDER
500+
MILES FOUGHT OVER
130,000
ALLIED TROOPS LOST
8TH DECEMBER 1941
The Invasion Begins
Japanese forces come ashore at Kota Bharu, over an hour before Pearl Harbor — the opening move of a campaign the Allies badly underestimated.
11TH – 13TH DECEMBER 1941
The Battle of Jitra
The first major battle of the campaign collapses within two days, setting the pattern for the long fighting withdrawal that followed.
DECEMBER 1941
The Argylls on the Grik Road
The 2nd Argylls fight a gruelling jungle rearguard to protect the flank of the retreating 11th Indian Division — and earn a new name.
5TH – 7TH JANUARY 1942
The Battle of Slim River
Japanese tanks break through in the dark at Trolak. Barely ninety Argylls answer the roll call afterwards — one of the campaign's heaviest losses.
JANUARY – FEBRUARY 1942
The Road to Singapore
Kampar, Muar, the “Plymouth Argylls,” the Gordons in the garrison, and the surrender that sent 130,000 Allied troops into captivity.
THE ROAD SOUTH
From Kota Bharu to Captivity
8 DEC 1941 — Invasion at Kota Bharu
11–13 DEC — Battle of Jitra
5–7 JAN 1942 — Battle of Slim River
14–22 JAN — Kampar & Muar
31 JAN 1942 — Johore Causeway
15 FEB 1942 — Fall of Singapore
“It was a fighting withdrawal of five hundred miles, pressed by an enemy who never let the pressure slacken for a single day.”
— OFFICIAL HISTORY OF THE MALAYAN CAMPAIGN, 1941–42