Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Faculty Profiles
         
 

PROFESSOR BRIAN PADAIR FARRELL
PROFESSOR OF MILITARY HISTORY
DEPARTMENT of HISTORY
National University of Singapore
10 Kent Ridge Crescent, Singapore 119260

       
Appointment: PROFESSOR
Office: AS1/05-38
Email: hisbpf@nus.edu.sg
Tel: 6874 3845
Fax: 6774 2528
Homepage: http://profile.nus.edu.sg/fass/hisbpf/
  
 
:::::::::::::::::::::::::
   
:::::::::::::::::::::::::
LINKS:
| Brief Introduction | Teaching Areas | Thesis Supervised | Current Research | Research Interests | Publications | Other Information

Brief Introduction Top

I have been teaching here at the Department of History at NUS since 1993. My main areas of research interest are the military history of the British Empire, especially in the 20th century; the modern history of empires and imperialism, especially in Asia; the history of Western military power in Asia; and problems related to collective security and coalition warfare. I have taught courses in all aspects of modern miltary history, the history of empires and imperialism, and European history, at all levels ranging from first year through the MA level.


Teaching Areas Top

  • Modern Military History
  • Modern European History
  • Modern World History
  • Imperialism and Empires


Thesis Supervised Top

PhD theses:

Yamamoto Fumihito: The Japanese Road to Singapore: Perceptions of the Singapore Naval Base 1921-41. NUS. 2010.

Benjamin Freud: The Politics of the French Colonial Administration in Indochina 1940-1945. NUS. 2013 (supervision committee member).

MA theses:

Tan Chye Guan: Outplayed but not Outclassed: Interwar Australia’s Independent Approach to Defence. NUS. 2008.

Denyse Tessensohn: The British Military Administration’s Treason Trial of Dr. Charles Joseph Pemberton Paglar, 1946. NUS. 2006.

Malcolm Tan: The British Military System and the Malayan Campaign 1941-1942. NUS. 2011.

Tan Kia Lih: Nationalism and the Indian National Army 1942-1946. NUS. 2011.

DeVan Shannon: Changing while standing still: The US Army in Korea 1951-53. NUS. 2013.

Tan Xu En: British Naval Policy in the Mediterranean 1932-39. NUS. 2013.


Current Research Top

I am currently working on three projects:

A military history of Confrontation, the violent conflict between Indonesia and the Commonwealth from 1962 to 1966;

A study of the misuse of special forces in Malaya during the Malayan Campaign of 1941-42;

A broad study of the historical experience of empires and imperialism in modern Asia, as the PI of an externally funded major research project titled Empire in Asia: A New Global History.


Research Interests Top

The military history of the British Empire, especially in the 20th century;

the modern history of empires and imperialism, especially in Asia;

the history of Western military power in Asia;

problems related to collective security and coalition warfare.


Publications Top

BOOKS/MONOGRAPHS AUTHORED

  • The Defence and Fall of Singapore 1940-1942. Gloucestershire. Tempus Publishing Group. 2005.
  • The Basis and Making of British Grand Strategy 1940-1943: Was There a Plan? Lewiston NY. Edwin Mellen Press. 1998.
  • Between Two Oceans: A Military History of Singapore From 1275 to 1971, 2nd edition. (co-authored) Singapore. Marshall Cavendish. 2011 [OUP, 1999].
  • Malaya 1942 (co-authored). Canberra. Army History Unit. 2009.

CHAPTERS IN BOOKS

  • ‘By the Seat of the Pants? Allied Strategy and the Japanese Onslaught in Southeast Asia December 1941-May 1942,’ in Miyake Masaki et al, The Study of the Pacific War and its Strategies, Vol. 3. Tokyo. Chukoron-shinsha. 2013. [Japanese translation of book chapter published in English in 2010.]

     

     “Alphabet Soup and Nuclear War: SEATO, China and the Cold War in Southeast Asia.” In M.H. Murfett (editor). Cold War Southeast Asia. Singapore. Marshall Cavendish. 2012.

     “What do they want and how can we respond? Commonwealth Intelligence and Confrontation with Indonesia 1963.” In M.H. Murfett (editor). Imponderable but Not Inevitable: Warfare in the 20th Century. Westport. Praeger. 2010.

     “By the Seat of the Pants? Allied Strategy and the Japanese Onslaught in Southeast Asia December 1941-May 1942.” In Strategy in the Pacific War: NIDS International Forum on War History: Proceedings. Tokyo. National Institute for Defence Studies. 2010.

     “Coalition of the usually willing: The Dominions and Imperial Defence 1856-1919.” In G. Kennedy (editor). The British System of Imperial Defence: The Old World Order. London. Routledge. 2008.

     “The British Defence of Singapore in the Second World War: Implications for the SAF.” In Malayan Campaign 1941-42 Lessons for ONE SAF, Pointer Monograph No. 6. Singapore. Pointer. 2008.

     “Escalate to Terminate: Far East Command and the Need to End Confrontation.” In P. Dennis, J. Grey (eds.). Entangling Alliances: Coalition War in the Twentieth Century. Sydney. Australian Military History Publishing. 2005.

     

  • Grand Strategy and the 'Second Front' Debate." In Loyd Lee (editor). World War II in Europe, Africa and the Americas, with General Sources: A Handbook of Literature and Research .Westport, CT. Greenwood Press. 1997.

EDITORIAL WORK ON BOOKS

  • Leadership and Responsiblity in the Second World War: Essays in Honour of Robert Vogel
  • Sixty Years On: The Fall of Singapore Revisited
  • Churchill and the Lion City: Shaping Modern Singapore

ARTICLES IN JOURNAL

  • “High command, irregular forces, and defending Malaya 1941-1942.” In Global War Studies Quarterly, volume 8, number 2, 2011.

     

     “Mind and Matter: The Practice of Military History with Reference to Britain and Southeast Asia.” In The Journal of American History, vol. 93, #4, March 2007.

     “What do we do now? British Commonwealth and American Reactions to the Separation of Malaysia and Singapore.” In Australian Defence Force Journal, vol. 170, 2006.

     “The Power of Myth: The Fall of Singapore and its Legends.” In Wartime (Official Magazine of the Australian War Memorial), Issue 17, Autumn 2002.

     Yes, Prime Minister: Barbarossa, Whipcord and the basis of British grand strategy, Autumn 1941." In The Journal of Military History, vol. 57, #4, October 1993.

     Symbol of Paradox: the Casablanca Conference, January 1943.” In The Canadian Journal of History, vol. XVIII, #1, April 1993.

SHORTER ARTICLES/COMMENTS IN JOURNAL

  • “Japanese Early Attack.” In A Companion to World War II, vol. 1. Oxford. Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2012.

     “Algerian War of Independence 1954-62.” In The Encyclopedia of War. Malden MA. Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2012.

    “Chindits.” In The Encyclopedia of War. Oxford. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2011.

    “Giap, Vo Nguyen.” In The Encyclopedia of War. Oxford. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2011.

    “Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation, 1963-1966.” In The Encyclopedia of War. Oxford. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2011.

     “Malayan Emergency.” In The Encyclopedia of War. Oxford. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2011.

    “SEATO.” In The Encyclopedia of War. Oxford. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2011.

    “Singapore, Fall of.” In The Encyclopedia of War. Oxford. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2011.

     “Togo Heihachiro.” In The Encyclopedia of War. Oxford. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2011.

     “Togo Shigenori.” In The Encyclopedia of War. Oxford. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2011.

     “Tojo Hideki.” In The Encyclopedia of War. Oxford. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2011.

     “Vietcong & Vietminh.” In The Encyclopedia of War. Oxford. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2011.

     “Yamamoto Isoroku.” In The Encyclopedia of War. Oxford. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2011.

     “Yamashita Tomoyuki.” In The Encyclopedia of War. Oxford. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2011.

     “Percival, Lieutenant-General Arthur.” Singapore: The Encyclopedia. Singapore. Editions Didier Millet. 2006.

     “World War Two, The Fall of Singapore.” Singapore: The Encyclopedia. Singapore. Editions Didier Millet. 2006.

     “Yamashita Tomoyuki, Lieutenant-General.” Singapore: The Encyclopedia. Singapore. Editions Didier Millet. 2006.

     “Admiral Sir Geoffrey Layton.” The New Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford. University Press. 2004.

     “Admiral of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound.” The New Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford. University Press. 2004.

     “Admiral Sir Bertram Home Ramsay.” The New Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford. University Press. 2004.

     “Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy.” Encyclopedia of the Wars of the United States:

    World War II: The Pacific War. New York. Garland Publishing. 2000.

     “Singapore, Fall of.” Encyclopedia of the Wars of the United States: World War II: The Pacific War. New York. Garland Publishing. 2000.

     

     

BOOK REVIEWS

  • Tan Chong Tee. Force 136: Story of a WWII Resistance Fighter. Singapore. Asiapac Press, 1996. For The Straits Times. Singapore, 17 February 1996.

     

    C.J. Lee.  Sunset of the Raj:  Fall of Singapore 1942.  Edinburgh. Pentland Press. 1994.  For Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, vol. 27, number 1, 1996.

     

    P. Elphick. Singapore: The Pregnable Fortress; A Study of Deception, Discord and Desertion. London. Hodder and Stoughton. 1995. For Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, vol. 27, number 1, 1996.

     

    N. Tarling. Britain, Southeast Asia and the Onset of the Pacific War. Cambridge.  University Press, 1996. For Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, vol. 28, number 1, 1997.

     

    R. Tanner. A Strong Showing: Britain’s Struggle for Power and Influence in Southeast Asia 1942-1950. Stuttgart. Franz Steiner Verlag, 1994. For Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, vol. 28, 2, 1997.

     

    P. Elphick. Far Eastern File:  The Intelligence War in the Far East 1930-1945.  London. Hodder and Stoughton. 1997. For Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, vol. 29, number 1, 1998.

     

    M. Harrison (editor). The Economics of World War II: Six great powers in international comparison. Cambridge. University Press. 1998. For Studies in Conflict, vol. 23, 3, 2000.

     

    D. French. Raising Churchill’s Army: The British Army and the War Against Germany 1919-1945. Oxford. University Press. 2000. For The Journal of Military History, vol. 65, 1, 2001.

     

    J. Uhr. Against the Sun: The AIF in Malaya 1941-42. Sydney. Allen & Unwin. 1998. For Studies in Conflict, vol. 24, 1, 2001.

     

    Lim P.H. and Wong, D (editors). War and Memory in Malaysia and Singapore. Singpapore. Singapore. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. 2000. For Journal of the Royal Society for Asian Affairs, 2001.

     

    R.J. Aldrich. Intelligence and the War Against Japan: Britain, America and the Politics of Secret Service. Cambridge. University Press. 2000. For Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, vol. 32, 3, 2001.

     

    K. Hack. Defence and Decolonisation in Southeast Asia: Britain, Malaya and Singapore 1941-68. Surrey. Curzon Press. 2001. For Asian Journal of Political Science, vol. 9, 2001.

     

    R.B. Frankum Jr. The United States and Australia in Vietnam 1954-1968: Silent Partners. Lewiston, N.Y. The Edwin Mellen Press. 2001. For Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, vol. 33, 2, 2002.

     

    T. Jones. Postwar Counterinsurgency and the SAS 1945-1952: A Special Type of Warfare. London. Frank Cass Publishers. 2001. For Journal of Defence Studies, vol. 3, 2, 2003.

     

    C. Bayly, T. Harper. Forgotten Armies: The Fall of British Asia 1941-1945. London. Allen Lane. 2004. For The Journal of Military History, vol. 69, 4, 2005.

     

    A.L. Smith (editor). Southeast Asia and New Zealand: A History of Regional and Bilateral Relations. Singapore. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. 2005. For New Zealand International Review, vol. XXX, no. 6, 2005.

     

    C. Bayly, T. Harper. Forgotten Armies: The Fall of British Asia 1941-1945. London. Allen Lane. 2004. For Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 37, 1, 2006.

     

    C. Bayly, T. Harper. Forgotten Wars: The End of Britain’s Asian Empire. London. Allen Lane. 2007. For Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 39, 3, 2008.

     

    Mark Peattie, Edward Drea, Hans van de Ven (editors). The Battle for China: Essays on the Military History of the Sino-Japanese War of 1937-1945. For War in History, vol. 18, 2, 2011.

     

    Augustine Meaher IV. The Road to Singapore: The Myth of British Betrayal. North Melbourne. Australian Scholarly Publishing. 2010. For The Journal of Military History, vol. 76, 2, 2012.

     

    S.R. Joey Long. Safe for Decolonization: The Eisenhower Administration, Britain, and Singapore. Kent, OH. Kent State University Press. 2011. For Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 43, 3, 2012.

     

    F. Logevall. Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America’s Vietnam. New York. Random House. 2012. For The Journal of Military History, vol. 77, 2, 2013.

     

    George J. Veith. Black April: The Fall of South Vietnam 1973-75. New York. Encounter Books. 2012. For Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 2013.

     

    Emrys Chew. Arming the Periphery: The Arms Trade in the Indian Ocean during the Age of Global Empire. London. Palgrave Macmillan. 2012. For Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 2013.

Other Information Top


  Last Modified: 2014-02-22         Total Visits: