Dalforce

A 3,000 strong Singapore Chinese Anti-Japanese Volunteer Battalion, formed on Christmas Day 1941 and named after its chief instructor and commander, Lieutenant Colonel John Dalley of the Federated Malay States police force.

Origins
Dalforce was initiated by the Chung Kuo Mobilisation Council which was headed by Tan Kah Kee. Formed on 30 December 1941, the Council brought together both ends of the Chinese political spectrum, the Kuomintang and the Communists. The Chinese were determined to resist the Japanese invaders, having seen their mainland brothers fight the Japanese since the 1930s. The Council met daily attempting to maintain law and order, provide a supply of labourers to the British army and ensure the defence of Singapore. As the Japanese invasion was imminent, it became apparent that the recruitment of the local Chinese against the Japanese was essential, despite the fact that the majority of these Chinese were allied to the Communists. The British Government relented and on 25 December 1941, Dalforce was established.

Development
Volunteers of Dalforce comprised of Chinese from all occupations: students, clerks, labourers, rickshaw pullers, nationalists and communists. Their headquarters was based at the Southsea Chinese Normal School in Kim Yam Road. Volunteers were given only 10 days' of training and were issued with uniforms. They had simple weapons like shotguns, parangs, hand grenades and pre-World War I rifles. They fought bravely alongside the Commonwealth troops to defend Singapore against the Japanese invaders at Kranji, in the Bukit Timah area, at Pasir Panjang and at Jurong.

On 13 February 1942, surviving members of Dalforce assembled at their Kim Yam Road Headquarters and were told to disband by their Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Dalley. Each volunteer was paid S$10.00 for his services. When Singapore fell, some of these volunteers escaped into the jungles and formed a guerrilla group against the Japanese. They evolved into the Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) which were pro-Communists and after the war proved to be anti-British.



Author
Wong Heng



References
Montgomery, B. (1984). Shenton of Singapore: Governor and prisoner of war (p. 130). London: Leo Cooper & Secker & Warburg
(Call no.: SING 941.0840924 SHE.M)

Percival, A. E. (1949). The war in Malaya (pp. 263-268). London: Eyre & Spottiswoode.
(Call no.: R SEA 940.53595 PER)

Turnbull, C. M. (1989). A history of Singapore, 1819-1988 (pp. 172, 176, 179, 185, 191). Singapore: Oxford University Press.
(Call no. RSING 959.57 TUR)

Ward, I. (1992). The killer they called a god. (pp. 218-219). Singapore: Media Masters.
(Call no.: SING 959.57023 WAR)


Further Readings
Kirby, S. W., et al. (1957). The war against Japan (Vol. 1, pp. 364-371). London: H. M. Stationery Office.
(Call no.: RSING 940.542 KIR)  

The information in this article is valid as at 1999 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

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