Complex sentence: Following the Japanese surrender in 1945, original partner Eric Watson restarted the firm in early 1946 and soon operation expanded with branches in Kuala Lumpur (1947) and Hong Kong (1949), encouraged by extensive post-war reconstruction work in the region.
Split into simpler sentences: Following the Japanese surrender in 1945, original partner Eric Watson restarted the firm in early 1946 and soon operation expanded. Branch offices were established in Kuala Lumpur in 1947 and then in Hong Kong 1949, encouraged by extensive post-war reconstruction work in the region.