Lieutenant-General Arthur Ernest Percival, CB, DSO and Bar, OBE, MC, DL, OStJ (December 26, 1887 - January 31, 1966) was a British Army officer and a World War I hero. He built a successful military career between the wars but is most noted for his involvement in World War II, when he commanded the British and Commonwealth army during the Battle of Malaya and the subsequent Battle of Singapore. Percival's surrender to the smaller invading Japanese Army is the largest capitulation in British military history and fatally undermined Britain's prestige as an imperial power in the Far East. However, the years of under-funding of Malaya's defences combined with the inexperienced, under-equipped nature of the British and Commonwealth army makes it possible to hold a more sympathetic view of his command. (More...)
Nomination by Nickhk 23:42, 6 June 2006 (UTC)