Cecil Callaghan Major General Cecil Arthur Callaghan CB , CMG , DSO ( 31 July 1890 – 1 January 1967 ) was an Australian Army officer who served during the First and the Second World War s . He was the commander of the 8th Division when it surrendered to the Japanese Empire at the end of the Battle of Singapore . Early life . Cecil Arthur Callaghan was born in Sydney , New South Wales , to a merchant and his wife on 31 July 1890 . He worked in his father ' s footwear business after completing his education at Sydney Grammar School . He joined the Citizens Militia Force ( CMF ) in 1910 by enlisting in the Australian Field Artillery , and was commissioned the following year . Military career . First World War . After Britain ' s declaration of war against Germany , Callaghan joined the Australian Imperial Force ( AIF ) and was shipped to the Middle East with the 2nd Battery of the 1st Field Artillery Brigade . He participated in the Gallipoli landings on 25 April 1915 . He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his actions in July , when he advanced with infantry to Turkish trenches from where he dispatched reports back to his battery . He was evacuated in December 1915 , with the rest of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps , from Gallipoli to Egypt and transferred to the 5th Divisional Artillery . In March 1916 , he was made commander of the 25th Howitzer Battery and promoted to major . Posted to the Western Front , Callaghan commanded a battery in the 13th Field Artillery Brigade in the Somme and Ypres sectors during 1917 . After being promoted to temporary lieutenant colonel and being placed in command of the 4th Field Artillery Brigade , he spent a month as a liaison officer to French troops in June 1918 . He returned to his command in time to lead it during the Hundred Days Offensive . Appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George , the last of his four Mentions in Despatches that were earned in the war was gazetted on 11 July 1919 . He was also awarded the French Legion of Honour . Returning to Australia in July 1919 , his service with the AIF was terminated on 22 January 1920 . Interwar period . Callaghan remained in the Citizens Militia Force and in this capacity commanded Field Artillery Brigades from 1920 to 1926 , as well as working in his family ' s footwear business ( which would earn him the nickname " Boots " ) . From 1926 , he was made temporary colonel and commander of the artillery of 2nd Division ( a CMF unit at the time ) for several years under the then Brigadier General Gordon Bennett . His rank made permanent , he commanded the 8th Infantry Brigade , another CMF unit , from 1934 to 1938 . Second World War . Following the outbreak of the Second World War , Callaghan was returned to active service in the Royal Australian Artillery , promoted to brigadier general , and assigned to command of the artillery of Eastern Command . When the 8th Division was formed in July 1940 as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force , he was made commander of its artillery . When the divisional commander , Major General Vernon Sturdee , was appointed Chief of General Staff following the death of General Sir Brudenell White in August 1940 , Callaghan once again came under the command of Bennett ( now a major general ) , the new divisional commander . Malayan campaign . Originally intended for the Middle East , one brigade ( the 22nd ) of the 8th Division embarked to Malaya in February 1941 to counter the growing threat from the Japanese Empire . Callaghan remained in Australia with the remainder of the division , eventually arriving in Singapore with the 27th Brigade in August . When the Japanese invaded Malaya on 8 December 1941 , Callaghan was temporarily in command of the division while Bennett was in transit from a three week visit to the Middle East , relinquishing command of the division to Bennett upon his return on 10 December . By early 1942 , the Australians had retreated to Singapore Island , with Callaghan personally controlling the artillery supporting the defence of the northern side of the island . However , he was struck down with malaria on 5 February and had to be evacuated to hospital . He eventually returned to his headquarters on 12 February , although command of the divisional artillery remained with a subordinate . The Allied position on Singapore was now untenable , and on 15 February , General Officer Commanding , Malaya Lieutenant General Arthur Percival decided to surrender . Bennett , rather than surrender with his command , opted to try and escape and handed command of the division to Callaghan . The division was surrendered to the Japanese the following day , Callaghan reporting personally to Japanese military authorities . Percival promoted him to temporary major general to ensure Callaghan had sufficient status with the Japanese as commander of all Australian forces in Singapore . Callaghan was made a prisoner of war and was held in former British Army barracks near Changi Prison , along with the other Allied soldiers that had surrendered to the Japanese in Singapore . He was later held in camps in Formosa , Japan and lastly in Manchuria , from which he was liberated by the Russian Army in August 1945 . As a result of malaria , dysentery and the generally harsh conditions experienced by most prisoners of the Japanese , he lost a considerable amount of weight . As a prisoner of war , he endeavoured to maintain morale and discipline amongst his fellow prisoners . He was rewarded for his efforts by being made a Companion of the Order of the Bath after the war . He also provided evidence in investigations of Bennett ' s escape from Singapore , of which he did not approve . Later life . Callaghan retired from the Australian Army on 10 April 1947 , having been made a major general earlier year ( with effect from 1 September 1942 ) . After his retirement , he became involved with the Returned Sailors ' , Soldiers ' and Airmen ' s Imperial League of Australia . Ill for some time , he died on 1 January 1967 . The 8th Division Association honoured his death with a memorial service , and his remains were cremated .