Forgotten Wars_ Freedom and Revolution in Southeast Asia - Christopher Bayly [1]
4. Mountbatten announces the surrender of the Japanese in Singapore, September, 1945 (Corbis)
5. A forgotten army: surrendered Japanese in north Malaya, November 1945 (Empics)
6. Seagrave’s return, 1945 (Getty)
7. Leclerc and Gracey with Japanese sword of surrender, Saigon, 1945 (Corbis)
8. Soldiers of the Parachute Regiment, Java, 1945 (Imperial War Museum)
9. Bengal sappers and miners watch the reprisal burning of the village of Bekassi, Java, 1945 (Imperial War Museum)
10. Imperialism’s return? Christison in Java, 1946 (Getty)
11. Sukarno addresses an ‘ocean’ rally, Java, 1946 (Getty)
12. Charisma and revolution: Sukarno, Java, 1946 (Getty)
13. Nehru’s arrival at Kalling Airport, Singapore, April 1946 (Imperial War Museum)
14. Macdonald inspects the Malay Regiment, Kuala Lumpur, 1946 (Imperial War Museum)
15. Dorman Smith leaves Burma, June 1946 (Imperial War Museum)
16. Muslim rioters and the corpse of a Hindu, Calcutta, August 1946 (Corbis)
17. India’s interim government at their swearing in, Delhi 1946 (Corbis)
18. Aung San and Attlee, London, January 1947 (Getty)
19. Aung San and family, 1947 (Popperfoto)
20. The Mountbattens in Delhi, eve of independence, August 1947 (Getty)
21. Celebrating independence in Calcutta, August 1947 (Getty)
22. Ending the Burmese days: Rance and Burma’s president, January 1948 (Corbis)
23. Communist suspect, Malaya c. 1949 (Imperial War Museum)
24. Bren gun and stengah: rubber planter in Malaya, 1949 (Getty)
25. Chinese peasants being arrested by Malay policemen, April 1949 (Getty)
26. Dyak trackers in Malaya, c. 1949 (Imperial War Museum)
27. The sultan expects: the ruler of Selangor inspects Malay special constables on rubber estate, 1949 (Imperial War Museum)
28. Hearts and minds: a propaganda leaflet drop, 1948 (Imperial War Musuem)
29. Imperial Twilight: Drinks party at Malcolm MacDonald’s residence, Bukit Serene, 1949 (Getty)
30. Fighting during the Karen insurgency, 1949 (Getty)
31. The quiet man: Ne Win in London for military training, 1949 (Corbis)
32. The man with the plan: Templer with the Home Guard, Kinta, 1942 (Getty)
33. Bandung spirits: Nasser, Nu and Nehru celebrating the Burmese Water Festival, 1955 (Corbis)
34. Chin Peng at Baling, December 1955, with his old Force 136 ally, John Davis (Corbis)
Some Key Characters
Abdul Razak bin Hussein (b. 1922). Malay politician. Served in the war as a district officer; studied law in London, where he became a close associate and political ally of Tunku Abdul Rahman. Succeeded him to become second prime minister of Malaysia, 1970–76.
Amery, Rt Hon. Leopold, MP (b. 1873). Conservative politician. Secretary of state for India and Burma, 1940–45.
Attlee, Rt Hon. Clement Richard (b. 1883). Labour politician. Deputy prime minister, 1942–5; prime minister, July 1945–1952; defence minister to 1946.
Auchinleck, General Claude (b. 1884). Commander North African Front, 1940–42, Commander-in-Chief, India, 1943–7; co-ordinated India base for the Burma campaign.
Aung San, Thakin or ‘Bogyoke’ (General) (b. 1916). Leading Burmese revolutionary. Commander of Burma Independence Army, 1942; defence minister under Ba Maw, 1943–5. President of Anti-Fascist People’s Front Freedom League; member of Governor’s Executive Council 1946–7. Assassinated July 1947.
Ba Maw (b. 1893). Lawyer, politician and prime minister of Burma, 1937–9. Emerged as main collaborator with Japanese in 1942 and became ‘Adipadi’ (first man) of independent Burma in 1943. Fled to Tokyo; imprisoned by Allies 1945; returned to Burma in 1946; interned following 1947 assassinations.
Boestamam, Ahmad (b. 1920). Born Abdullah Sani bin Raja Kechil. Malay novelist, journalist and politician. Founder and leader of Angkatan Pemuda Insaf, 1946–8. Detained 1948–55. Founder Partai Rakyat and leader of Socialist Front in parliament after 1959. Detained again during ‘Confrontation’ with Indonesia.
Bose, Subhas Chandra (b. 1897). Bengali politician and radical leader within Forward Bloc of Congress. Arrested by British 1940, fled to Berlin 1941. Took over