Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival CB DSO* OBE MC DL
Percival, pictured here asGOCMalaya Command, December 1941
Born	(1887-12-26)26 December 1887 Aspenden,Hertfordshire
Died	31 January 1966(1966-01-31) (aged 78) Westminster,London
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Years of service	1914–1946
Rank	Lieutenant-General
Service number	8785
Unit	Essex Regiment Cheshire Regiment
Commands	Malaya Command (1941–1942) 44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division (1940–1941) 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division (1940) 2nd Battalion,Cheshire Regiment (1932–1934) 7th (Service) Battalion,Bedfordshire Regiment (1918)
Battles / wars	First World War Battle of the Somme German spring offensive Russian Civil War North Russia Campaign Anglo-Irish War Second World War Malayan Campaign Battle of Singapore
Awards	Companion of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order &Bar Officer of the Order of the British Empire Military Cross Mentioned in Despatches (3) Croix de guerre (France)
Spouse	Margaret Elizabeth MacGregor Greer ​ ​ (m. 1927; died 1953)​
Children	Dorinda Margery Percival (daughter) Alfred James MacGregor Percival (son)
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	白思華[1]
Simplified Chinese	白思华
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Báisīhuá Yue: Cantonese Jyutping baak6 si1 waa4

Lieutenant-GeneralArthur Ernest Percival,CB, DSO &Bar, OBE, MC, DL (26 December 1887 – 31 January 1966) was aBritish Army officer. He saw service in theFirst World War and built a successful military career during theinterwar period, but is best known for his defeat in theSecond World War, when Percival commandedBritish Commonwealth forces during theMalayan campaign, which culminated in a catastrophic defeat at theBattle of Singapore.

Percival's surrender to the invadingImperial Japanese Army, which was the largest of its kind inBritish military history, significantly undermined Britain's prestige and military position inEast Asia.^[2][3] Some historians, such asSir John Smyth, have argued that under-funding ofBritish Malaya's defences and the inexperienced, under-equipped nature of the Commonwealth forces in Malaya, not Percival's leadership, were ultimately to blame for the defeat.^[4]

Arthur Ernest Percival was born on 26 December 1887 in Aspenden Lodge,Aspenden nearBuntingford inHertfordshire, England, the second son of Alfred Reginald and Edith Percival (née Miller). His father was theland agent of the Hamel's Park estate and his mother came from aLancashirecotton family.^[5] By 1891 the family was living in nearby Thundridge at "Sprangewell" on Poles Lane, his father being listed as "Land Agent" in the 1891 census, although it is unclear if this is still for Hamel's Park, or for E.S. Hanbury's Poles estate (now "Hanbury Manor"), which is adjacent to Sprangewell.^[6]

Percival was initially schooled locally inBengeo. Then in 1901, he was sent toRugby with his more academically successful brother, where he was a boarder in School House. A moderate pupil, he studiedGreek andLatin but was described by a teacher as "not a good classic".^[7] Percival's only qualification on leaving in 1906 was a higher school certificate. He was a more successful sportsman, playingcricket andtennis and runningcross country.^[8] He also rose tocolour sergeant in the school's Volunteer Rifle Corps. However, his military career began at a comparatively late age: although a member of Youngsbury Rifle Club, he was working as a clerk for the iron ore merchants Naylor, Benzon & Company Limited in London, which he had joined in 1914, when theFirst World War broke out.^[9]

Percival enlisted on the first day of the war as aprivate in theOfficer Training Corps of theInns of Court, at the age of 26, and was promoted after five weeks' basic training to temporarysecond lieutenant.^[10] Nearly one third of his fellow recruits would be dead by the end of the war. By November Percival had been promoted tocaptain.^[11] The following year he was dispatched toFrance with the newly formed 7th (Service) Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment (later theBedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment),^[10] which became part of the54th Brigade,18th (Eastern) Division, in February 1915. Thefirst day of theBattle of the Somme (1 July 1916) left Percival unscathed, but in September he was badly wounded in four places byshrapnel, as he led his company in an assault on theSchwaben Redoubt, beyond the ruins ofThiepval village, and was awarded theMilitary Cross (MC), the citation for which reads:

For conspicuous gallantry in action. During the advance he showed fine leadership and determination under heavy shell and machine-gun fire. He worked unceasingly, with absolute disregard of danger, in completing every detail in the consolidation of the captured position.^[5][12]

Percival took a regular commission as a captain with theEssex Regiment in October 1916,^[13] whilst recovering from his injuries in hospital. He was appointed a temporarymajor in his original regiment.^[14] In 1917, he became a battalion commander with the temporary rank oflieutenant-colonel.^{[15][16][17][18][19]} DuringGermany'sSpring Offensive, Percival led a counter-attack that saved a unit of French artillery from capture, winning aCroix de Guerre.^[20] For a short period in May 1918, he acted as commander of the 54th Brigade. He was givenbrevet promotion to major,^[21] and awarded theDistinguished Service Order (DSO), with his citation stating the following:

For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty during recent operations. He handled his battalion cleverly, showing power of command and knowledge of tactics. He set a fine example during several critical periods.^[5][22]

He ended the war, which came to an end on 11 November 1918 due to theArmistice with Germany, as a respected soldier, described as "very efficient" and was recommended for theStaff College.^[23]

Percival's studies were delayed in 1919 when he decided to volunteer for service with theArchangel Command of the British Military Mission during theNorth Russia intervention of theRussian Civil War. Acting as second-in-command of the 45thRoyal Fusiliers, he earned a bar to his DSO in August, when his attack in the Gorodok operation along theNorthern Dvina resulted in the British capture of 400Red Army troops. The citation reads:

He commanded the Gorodok column on 9–10 August 1919, with great gallantry and skill, and owing to the success of this column the forces on the right bank of the Dvina were able to capture all its objectives. During the enemy counter-attack fromSelmenga on Gorodok he handled his men excellently. The enemy were repulsed with great loss, leaving 400 prisoners in our hands.^[24]

In 1920, Percival was deployed toIreland and fought against theIrish Republican Army (IRA) during theIrish War of Independence, first as a company commander and later as theintelligence officer of the 1stEssex Regiment. He was stationed inBandon andKinsale inCounty Cork.^[25] In December 1920 the Commander in Chief of British forces in Ireland (Nevil Macready) informed the British Cabinet that "official reprisals" had been authorized in areas undermartial law.^[26] Percival proved to be an energeticcounterinsurgency commander who was noted for his aptitude for intelligence-gathering and establishment ofbicycle infantry formations which acted asflying columns. He was also accused by several IRA prisoners of usingtorture during interrogations.^[27][28] As a result, Percival became one of the most hated British commanders in Ireland at the time and survived three assassination attempts by the IRA.^[29] The IRA had promised a £1,000 reward to whoever captured or killed Percival.^[30]

Following the IRA killing of aRoyal Irish Constabulary sergeant outside a Bandon church in July 1920, Percival capturedTom Hales, the commander of the IRA's3rd Cork Brigade, and Patrick Harte, the brigade'squartermaster, for which he was given anOBE. Both Hales and Harte subsequently claimed they had been tortured while in custody, and according to IRA commanderTom Barry, Harte received a severe blow with a rifle butt to his temple causing a brain injury and died in a mental hospital in 1925 as a result.^[31][32] British intelligence officerOrmonde Winter subsequently stated that Hales had informed on the IRA while in British custody and had invented his allegations to deflect attention away from his decision to provide the names of fellow IRA members in return for a lesser sentence.^[33][34]

On 4 February 1921, while participating a raid carried out by British forces between Bandon andKilbrittain, Percival shot and killed IRA volunteer Patrick Crowley Jr. When Crowley, who was being treated forappendicitis, tried to flee from a house in Maryboro, Percival chased him on foot and shot him in the back.^[35] Barry later wrote that Percival was "easily the most vicious anti-Irish of all serving British officers".^[36]David Lloyd George andWinston Churchill met Percival in 1921, when he was called as an expert witness during an inquiry into the Irish War of Independence.^[37]

Percival would later deliver a series of lectures on his experiences in Ireland in which he stressed the importance of surprise and offensive action, intelligence-gathering, maintaining security and co-operation between differentsecurity forces.^[38] HistorianJ. B. E. Hittle wrote that of all the British officers in Ireland "Percival stood out for his violent, sadistic behaviour towards IRA prisoners, suspects and innocent civilians... He also participated in reprisals, burning farms and businesses in response to IRA attacks.^[39] Percival was said to regularly drive in the countryside in an open touring car so he could "have cockshots at farmers working in the fields".^[40] It is possible that Percival was influenced by the then British Army CaptainBernard Montgomery who wrote to Percival regarding tactics he used to combat the Irish rebels: "My own view is that to win a war of this sort, you must be ruthless.Oliver Cromwell, or the Germans, would have settled it in a very short time.^[41] Clifford Kinvig, Percival's biographer considers him to have been unfairly vilified byIrish republican propaganda due to being "tireless in his attempt to destroy the spirit of the people and the organisation of the IRA".^[42]

Percival attended theStaff College, Camberley, from 1923^[43] to 1924, which had Major-GeneralEdmund Ironside as its Commandant, where he was taught byJ. F. C. Fuller, who was one of the few sympathetic reviewers of his book,The War in Malaya, twenty-five years later. He impressed his instructors, who picked him out as one of eight students for accelerated promotion, and his fellow students who admired his cricketing skills. Following an appointment asmajor with theCheshire Regiment, he spent four years with theNigeria Regiment of theRoyal West African Frontier Force inWest Africa as astaff officer.^[44][45] He was given brevet promotion tolieutenant-colonel in 1929.^[46]

In 1930, Percival spent a year studying at theRoyal Naval College, Greenwich. From 1931 to 1932, Percival was a General Staff Officer Grade 2, an instructor at the Staff College. The college's commandant was by now Major-GeneralSir John Dill, who became Percival's mentor over the next decade, helping to ensure his protégé's advancement. Dill regarded Percival as a promising officer and wrote that "he has an outstanding ability, wide military knowledge, good judgment and is a very quick and accurate worker" but added "he has not altogether an impressive presence and one may therefore fail, at first meeting him, to appreciate his sterling worth".^[47] With Dill's support, Percival was appointed to command the 2nd Battalion, the Cheshire Regiment from 1932^[48] to 1936, initially inMalta. In 1935, he attended theImperial Defence College in London.^[5]

Percival was made a fullcolonel in March 1936,^[49] and until 1938^[50] he was General Staff Officer Grade 1 inMalaya, theChief of Staff toGeneralDobbie, theGeneral Officer Commanding in Malaya. During this time, he recognised that Singapore was no longer an isolated fortress.^[51] He considered the possibility of theJapanese landing inThailand to "burgle Malaya by the backdoor^[52] and conducted an appraisal of the possibility of an attack being launched on Singapore from the North, which was supplied to theWar Office, and which Percival subsequently felt was similar to the plan followed by the Japanese in 1941.^[53] He also supported Dobbie's unexecuted plan for the construction of fixed defences in SouthernJohore. In March 1938, Percival returned to Britain and was (temporarily) promoted tobrigadier on the General Staff,Aldershot Command.^[54]

Percival was appointed brigadier, General Staff, of theI Corps,British Expeditionary Force, commanded by General Dill, from 1939 to 1940. He was then promoted to actingmajor-general,^[55] and in February 1940 briefly became General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division.^[56] He was madeAssistant Chief of the Imperial General Staff at theWar Office in 1940 but asked for a transfer to an active command after theDunkirk evacuation.^[57][58] Given command of the44th (Home Counties) Division, he spent 9 months organising theprotection of 62 miles (100 km) of theEnglish coast from invasion.^[59][56] He was appointed a Companion of theOrder of the Bath (CB) in the 1941King's Birthday Honours.^[60]

In 1936, Major-GeneralWilliam Dobbie, then General Officer Commanding (Malaya), had made an inquiry into whether more forces were required on mainland Malaya to prevent the Japanese from establishing forward bases to attack Singapore. Percival, then his Chief Staff Officer, had been tasked to draw up a tactical assessment of how the Japanese were most likely to attack.In late 1937, his analysis had duly confirmed that northMalaya might become the critical battleground.^[56] The Japanese were likely to seize the east coast landing sites onThailand and Malaya in order to capture aerodromes and achieve air superiority. This could serve as a prelude to further Japanese landings inJohore to disrupt communications northwards and enable the construction of another main base in North Borneo. From there, the final sea and air assault could be launched against eastern Singapore – in particular theChangi area.^[61]

In April 1941 Percival was promoted to actingLieutenant-General,^[62] and was appointed General Officer Commanding (GOC) Malaya.^[56] This was a significant promotion for him as he had never commanded an armycorps although he had previous experience there.^[56]He left Britain in aSunderland flying boat and embarked on an arduousfortnight-long, multi-stage flight viaGibraltar,Malta,Alexandria (where he was delayed by theAnglo-Iraqi War),Basra,Karachi, andRangoon, where he was met by anRAF transport.^[53]

Percival had mixed feelings about his appointment, noting that "In going to Malaya I realised that there was the double danger either of being left in an inactive command for some years if war did not break out in the East or, if it did, of finding myself involved in a pretty sticky business with the inadequate forces which are usually to be found in the distant parts of ourEmpire in the early stages of a war."^[59]

For much of the interwar period, Britain's defensive plan for Malaya had centred on the dispatch of anaval fleet to the newly builtSingapore Naval Base. Accordingly, the army's role was to defend Singapore and SouthernJohore. While this plan had seemed adequate when the nearest Japanese base had been 1,700 miles (2,700 km) away, the outbreak of war inEurope, combined with the partial Japanese occupation of the northern part ofFrench Indochina and the signing of theTripartite Pact byGermany,Italy, andJapan in September 1940, had underlined the difficulty of a sea-based defence. Instead it was proposed to use the RAF to defend Malaya, at least until reinforcements could be dispatched from Britain. This led to the building of airfields in northern Malaya and along its east coast and the dispersal of the available army units around the peninsula to protect them.^[63]

On arrival, Percival set about training his inexperienced army; his Indian troops were particularly raw, with most of their experienced officers having been withdrawn to support the formation of new units as the Indian army expanded.^[64] Relying upon commercial aircraft or the Volunteer air force to overcome the shortage of RAF planes, he toured the peninsula and encouraged the building of defensive works aroundJitra.^[65] A training manual approved by Percival,Tactical Notes on Malaya, was distributed to all units.^[66]

In July 1941 when the Japanese occupied southern Indochina, Britain, theUnited States and theNetherlands imposed economicsanctions, freezing Japanese financial assets and cutting Japan from its supplies ofoil,tin andrubber. The sanctions were aimed at pressuring Japan to abandon itsinvolvement in China; instead, the Japanese government planned to seize the resources of South-East Asia from the European nations by force. Both the Japanese navy and army were mobilised, but for the moment an uneasy state of cold war persisted. British Commonwealth reinforcements continued to trickle into Malaya. On 2 December, thebattleshipHMSPrince of Wales and thebattle-cruiserHMSRepulse, escorted by fourdestroyers, arrived in Singapore, the first time a battle fleet had been based there. (They were to have been accompanied by the aircraft carrierHMS Indomitable to provide air cover but she had run aground in the Caribbean en route.) The following dayRear-AdmiralSpooner hosted a dinner attended by the newly arrived Commander-in-ChiefEastern Fleet,AdmiralSir Tom Phillips, and Percival.^[67]

On 8 December 1941 theJapanese 25th Army under the command of Lieutenant-GeneralTomoyuki Yamashita launched anamphibious assault on the Malay Peninsula (one hour before theattack on Pearl Harbor; the difference in date was because the two places lie on opposite sides of theInternational Date Line). That night the first Japanese invasion force arrived atKota Bharu on Malaya's east coast. This was just a diversionary force, and the main landings took place the next day atSingora andPattani on the south-eastern coast ofThailand, with troops rapidly deploying over the border into northern Malaya.

On 10 December Percival issued a stirring, if ultimately ineffective, Special Order of the Day:

In this hour of trial the General Officer Commanding calls upon all ranks Malaya Command for a determined and sustained effort to safeguard Malaya and the adjoining British territories. The eyes of the Empire are upon us. Our whole position in the Far East is at stake. The struggle may be long and grim but let us all resolve to stand fast come what may and to prove ourselves worthy of the great trust which has been placed in us.^[68]

The Japanese advanced rapidly, and on 27 January 1942 Percival ordered a general retreat across theJohore Strait to the island ofSingapore and organised a defence along the length of the island's 70-mile (110 km) coast line. But the Japanese did not dawdle, and on 8 February Japanese troops landed on the northwest corner of Singapore island. After a week of fighting on the island, Percival held his final command conference at 9 am on 15 February inthe Battle Box ofFort Canning. The Japanese had already occupied approximately half of Singapore and it was clear that the island would soon fall. Having been told that ammunition and water would both run out by the following day, Percival agreed to surrender. The Japanese at this point were running low on artillery shells, but Percival did not know this.^[69]

The Japanese insisted that Percival himself march under awhite flag to theOld Ford Motor Factory inBukit Timah to negotiate the surrender. A Japanese officer present noted that he looked "pale, thin and tired".^[70] After a brief disagreement, when Percival insisted that the British keep 1,000 men under arms in Singapore to preserve order, which Yamashita finally conceded, it was agreed at 6:10 pm that all British Commonwealth troops would lay down their arms and cease resistance at 8:30 pm. This was in spite of instructions from Prime MinisterWinston Churchill for prolonged resistance.^[3]

A common view holds that 129,704Allied personnel surrendered or were killed by fewer than 30,000 Japanese. However, the former figure includes nearly 50,000 troops captured or killed during theBattle of Malaya, and perhaps 15,000 base troops. Many of the other troops were tired and under-equipped following their retreat from theMalayan peninsula. Conversely, the latter number represents only the front-line troops available for the invasion of Singapore. British Commonwealth casualties in battle since 8 December amounted to 7,500 killed and 11,000 wounded. Japanese losses totalled more than 3,507 killed and 6,107 wounded.^[71]

Churchill viewed the fall of Singapore to be "the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history." However, the British defence was that theMiddle East and theSoviet Union had all received higher priorities in the allocation of men and material, so the desiredair force strength of 300 to 500 aircraft was never reached, and whereas the Japanese invaded with over two hundredtanks, the British Army in Malaya did not have a single tank.^[72] InThe War in Malaya Percival himself cites this as the major factor for the defeat stating that the 'war material which might have saved Singapore was sent to Russia and the Middle East'. However he also concedes that Britain was engaged in 'a life and death struggle in the West' and that 'this decision, however painful and regrettable, was inevitable and right'.^[73]

In 1918, Percival had been described as "a slim, soft spoken man... with a proven reputation for bravery and organisational powers"^[74] but by 1945 this description had been turned on its head with even Percival's defenders describing him as "something of a damp squib".^[75] The fall of Singapore switched Percival's reputation to that of an ineffective "staff wallah", lacking ruthlessness and aggression. Over six feet in height and lanky, with a clipped moustache and two protruding teeth, and unphotogenic, Percival was an easy target for a caricaturist, being described as "tall, bucktoothed and lightly built".^[76] There was no doubt his presentation lacked impact as "his manner was low key and he was a poor public speaker with the cusp of a lisp".^[77]

Air Chief Marshal SirRobert Brooke-Popham, theCommander-in-Chief of theBritish Far East Command, refused Percival permission to launchOperation Matador, a pre-emptive invasion of Thailand, in advance of the Japanese landings there; he did not wish to run any risk of provoking the coming war. Brooke-Popham was accused by his detractors of not arguing forcefully for air reinforcements required to defend Malaya.^[80]

Peter Wykeham suggested that the government in London was more to blame than any of the British commanders in the Far East. Despite repeated requests, the British government did not provide the necessary reinforcements and they denied Brooke-Popham – and therefore Percival – permission to enter neutral Thailand before it was too late to put in place forward defences.^[81]

Moreover, Percival had difficulties with his subordinatesSir Lewis "Piggy" Heath, commandingIndian III Corps, and the independent-mindedGordon Bennett, commanding theAustralian 8th Division. The former officer had been senior to Percival prior to his appointment as GOC (Malaya).^[82][83]

Percival was ultimately responsible for the men who served under him, and with other officers – notably Major-GeneralDavid Murray-Lyon, commander of theIndian 11th Infantry Division – he had shown a willingness to replace them when he felt their performance was not up to scratch. Perhaps his greatest mistake was to resist the building of fixed defences in either Johore or the north shore of Singapore, dismissing them in the face of repeated requests to start construction from his Chief Engineer, BrigadierIvan Simson, with the comment "Defences are bad for morale – for both troops and civilians".^[84][85]

Percival also insisted on defending the north-eastern shore of Singapore most heavily, against the advice of theAllied supreme commander in South East Asia, GeneralSir Archibald Wavell. Percival was perhaps fixed on his responsibilities for defending the Singapore Naval Base.^[86] He also spread his forces thinly around the island and kept few units as a strategic reserve. When the Japanese attack came in the west, theAustralian 22nd Brigade took the brunt of the assault.^[87] Percival refused to reinforce them as he continued to believe that the main assault would occur in the north east.^[88] The attacking Japanese were down to the last of their ammunition when Percival surrendered. Before surrendering, besides taking his own counsel, he consulted his own officers.^[89]

In the post-war Percival Report (written in 1946, published in 1948) the "imminent collapse" of the water supply, estimated byDavid J. Murnane, the Municipal Water Engineer, on 14 February to occur within 24–48 hours, was highlighted as a direct cause for surrender.^[90] According to oral history records, quoted by Louis Allen (author of Singapore 1941–42), Murnane asked for and was promised by General Percival "ten lorries and a hundred Royal Engineers" so he could fix the water supply leaks caused by Japanese bombing and shelling. He never got what he needed: Louis Allen says Murnane got 'one lorry and ten frightened Sikhs'. When confronted again, all that Percival delivered (on 14 February) was one lorry and ten Royal Engineers but it was too late.^[91]

Percival himself was briefly held prisoner inChangi Prison, where "the defeated GOC could be seen sitting head in hands, outside the married quarters he now shared with seven brigadiers, a colonel, his ADC and cook-sergeant. He discussed feelings with few, spent hours walking around the extensive compound, ruminating on the reverse and what might have been".^[92] In the belief that it would improve discipline, he reconstituted a Malaya Command, complete with staff appointments, and helped occupy his fellow prisoners with lectures on theBattle of France.^[93]

Along with the other senior British captives above the rank of colonel, Percival was removed from Singapore in August 1942. First he was imprisoned inFormosa and then sent on toManchuria, where he was held with several dozen other VIP captives, including theAmerican GeneralJonathan Wainwright, in aprisoner-of-war camp nearHsian, about 100 miles (160 km) to the north east ofMukden.^[94]

As the war drew to an end, anOSS team removed the prisoners from Hsian. Percival was then taken, along with Wainwright, to stand immediately behind GeneralDouglas MacArthur as he confirmed the terms of the Japanese surrender aboardUSS Missouri inTokyo Bay on 2 September 1945.^[95][96] Afterwards, MacArthur gave Percival a pen he had used to sign the treaty.^[97]

Percival and Wainwright then returned together to thePhilippines to witness the surrender of the Japanese army there, which in a twist of fate was commanded by General Yamashita. Yamashita was momentarily surprised to see his former captive at the ceremony; on this occasion Percival refused to shake Yamashita's hand, angered by the mistreatment of POWs in Singapore. The flag carried by Percival's party on the way to Bukit Timah was also a witness to this reversal of fortunes, being flown when the Japanese formally surrendered Singapore back to LordLouis Mountbatten.^[98]

Percival returned to the United Kingdom in September 1945 to write his despatch at theWar Office but this was revised by theUK Government and published only in 1948.^[99] He retired from the army in 1946 with the honorary rank of lieutenant-general but the pension of his substantive rank of major-general.^[100] Thereafter, he held appointments connected with the county of Hertfordshire, where he lived at Bullards inWidford: he was Honorary Colonel of479th (Hertfordshire Yeomanry) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, (T.A.) from 1949 to 1954^[101][102] and acted as one of theDeputy Lieutenants of Hertfordshire in 1951.^[103] He continued his relationship with the Cheshire Regiment being appointed Colonel of the Cheshire Regiment between 1950 and 1955;^[104][105] an association continued by his son,Brigadier James Percival who became Colonel of the Regiment between 1992 and 1999.^[106]

Percival was respected for the time he had spent as a Japaneseprisoner of war. Serving as life president of theFar East Prisoners of War Association (FEPOW), he pushed for compensation for his fellow captives, eventually helping to obtain a token £5 million of frozen Japanese assets for this cause. This was distributed by the FEPOW Welfare Trust, on which Percival served as chairman.^[107] He led protests against the filmThe Bridge on the River Kwai when it was released in 1957, obtaining the addition of an on-screen statement that the movie was a work of fiction. He also worked as president of the HertfordshireBritish Red Cross and was made an Officer of theVenerable Order of Saint John in 1964.^[108]

Percival died at the age of 78 on 31 January 1966, inKing Edward VII's Hospital for Officers, Beaumont Street inWestminster, and is buried in the churchyard atWidford in Hertfordshire.^[109]

On 27 July 1927 Percival married Margaret Elizabeth "Betty" MacGregor Greer inHoly Trinity Church,Brompton. She was the daughter of Thomas MacGregor Greer of Tallylagan Manor, aProtestantlinen merchant fromCounty Tyrone inNorthern Ireland. They had met during his tour of duty in Ireland but it had taken Percival several years to propose. They had two children. A daughter, Dorinda Margery, was born in Greenwich and becameLady Dunleath. Alfred James MacGregor, their son, was born inSingapore and served in the British Army.^[110]

• Military Cross (MC) (1916)^[111]
• Croix de Guerre (1918)
• Distinguished Service Order (DSO) (1918)^[112]
• Distinguished Service Order (DSO*) (1920)^[113]
• (OBE (Mil)) (1921)^[114]
• Companion of theOrder of the Bath (CB (Mil)) (1941)^[115]
• Deputy Lieutenant (DL) (1951)^[116]
• Officer of theOrder of Saint John (OStJ) (1964)

• Operation Krohcol
• Sir Shenton Thomas

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