Figure 1.--The Japanese began landing in the Malay Peninsula immediatly after Pearl Harbor (December 8, 1941). Civilians were surprised that the British military forces proved unable to contain the numerically smaller and poorly supplied Japanese invasion force. Civilians began evacuating to the south toward the Singapore bastion. Here is a press report about the ongoing evacuation. The public in Britain and America were stunned with the Japanese successes. The caption read, "Swept Down Malaya by Jap Tide: In their haste to leave their homes in and near Penang, Malya, British refugees crowd an evacuatiomn depot for departure to safety in the south and the protection of the Singapore defenses. Here they have arrived at Ipon by train. Mothers and children around a mobile canteen." The photo was released by the AP on February 5, 1942. It was proably taken a few days earlier. The Japanese created a submarine base at Penang which German and Italian submarines also used.

The Panzers were stopped by the English Channel. As a result there wre realtively few English World War II rfugees other than the children and other evacuees from the cities. The British in the East Asia territories of the Empire were not so lucky. Small numbers of British subjects lived in the colonial possessions occupied by Japan. There were also British businessmen in China even after Japan invaded China (1937). In addition to businessmen, diplomats, and colonial officials, there wre also missionaries. Evacuating Britions was not a priority of the British Government. Commerce and the resulting income in the Far East was importannt to the cash starved British war time Government. British Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax implored Bitish businesses in 1940 to stay and insited that 'the time has not yet come to scupper our Far East interests'. [UK National Archives F0369/2675.] Finnaly the Foreign Office increasingly aware of Japanese intentiomns in 1941 began to plan to evacuate non-essential British civilians, especially the women and children. The plan was to evacuate them to Australia which seem the safest and cloest refuge. The effort was sidetracke by the Australian Government (October 1941). The Australian Government refused to accept anyone that was of mixed blood as it would violated the 'White Australia' policy. Money was also a problem. There were differences as to who would pay for the ship passages to Australia. And also who would support the women and children if a Japanese declaration of war would prevent husbands from sending money to support ther family. [UK National Archives F0369/2676 and F0369/26776.] As it became increasingly obvious that the Japanese were going to launch a war, many British fmilies who could afford to do so voluntarily evacuated. But many did not. The territories included Shanghai, Hong Kong, Malaya, Singapore, Borneeo, and Burma. The Japanese interned all the British and other citizens of the Allied powers. This was done immeditely after the conquest, except in Shanghai. They were held in concentration camps throughout Southeast Asia under deplorable condituoins. The men were separated from the women, including rather young boys, and used for slave labor. This involved hard labor eveb though denied adequate food. Anyonw who faltered in work assignments was brutalized. The internees were denied adequate food and medical supplies. The death rates were very high at these camps.

Sources

UK National Archives F0369/2675.

UK National Archives F0369/2676.

UK National Archives F0369/2677.

Created: 1:43 AM 1/9/2017
Last updated:5:18 AM 5/15/2022