Arthur Varley Brigadier Arthur Leslie Varley MC & Bar ( 13 October 1893 – 13 September 1944 ) was an Australian soldier who served in the First and the Second World Wars . He was commander of the 22nd Infantry Brigade during the final stages of the Battle of Singapore in the Second World War . Having surrendered to the Japanese , he was responsible for over 9 , 000 prisoners of war engaged in the construction of the Burma - Thailand Railway . He is presumed to have been killed in September 1944 , shortly after the transport ship taking him and several hundred fellow prisoners to Japan was sunk . Early life . Arthur Varley was born on 13 October 1893 in Rookwood , Sydney . After completing his schooling , he gained employment as a clerk . First World War . At the age of 21 , he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force ( AIF ) and was shipped in Egypt in October 1915 . He was assigned to 45th Battalion , a unit formed largely from men from New South Wales as the AIF expanded following the Gallipoli Campaign . By August 1916 , he had been promoted to lieutenant and was serving with the battalion on the Western Front . In 1917 , Varley was recommended for the Military Cross ( MC ) by his commanding officer , Lieutenant Colonel Edmund Herring , for his actions in June 1917 , during the Battle of Messines . On 7 June , he had taken command of two companies in forward positions that had lost all its officers . The following day , he organised and executed a successful counterattack on trenches that had been lost to the Germans . The award of his MC was duly gazetted in August 1917 , by which time Varley had been promoted to captain . In August 1918 , and now on the staff of 12th Brigade , Varley was recommended and awarded for a Bar to his MC for his actions in ensuring forward positions were kept supplied despite being exposed to artillery fire . In January 1919 , he was mentioned in dispatches . His service with the AIF ended later that year . Interwar period . In December 1919 , Varley married Linda , with whom he would have three children . Linda died in 1925 , and a year later , he became married to Ethel . He owned a grazing property , and also worked with Ethel ' s brother at a stock and station agency . He had an interest in the militia , the Citizens Force , and was commander of 35th Battalion from September 1939 . By the end of the year he had been promoted to temporary lieutenant colonel . Second World War . Varley was seconded to the AIF in 1940 and placed in command of 2 / 18th Battalion , part of 22nd Brigade and destined for Malaya . His son , Jack , was also present in Malaya as part of 2 / 19th Battalion . Once stationed in Mersing , the brigade engaged in training more suitable to the jungle environment than it had experienced to date . Following the invasion of Malaya by the Japanese Empire , the brigade was forced into fighting a series of rear guard actions against the advancing Japanese . Varley ' s command did not engage the Japanese until 26 January 1942 , when it implemented an ambush near Jemaluang . While successful , the ambush did result in nearly 100 men being killed or captured . The brigade later withdrew to Singapore Island , taking up positions on the north western coast of the island . On the night of 8 February , the Japanese launched landings on the sector held by Varley ' s battalion , and it was forced into a fighting withdrawal . By 12 February , the Japanese were well established on Singapore Island and advancing on all fronts . The commander of 22nd Brigade , Brigadier Harold Burfield Taylor , was extremely fatigued and asked Varley to take over temporary command of the brigade . The following day , the divisional commander , Major General Gordon Bennett , promoted Varley to brigadier and made him the permanent commander of the brigade , a command would last only a few more days before the surrender of Singapore on 15 February . Life as a prisoner of war . After the surrender , Varley , along with the majority of his fellow AIF captives were imprisoned at Selarang Barracks near Changi Prison . When the first major contingent of Australian prisoners , totaling around 3 , 000 men and designated " A Force " departed Changi , Varley was placed in command . " A Force " was shipped in cramped conditions to Burma where it was engaged in the construction of airfields . Initially , conditions were good and men were paid for their work ( although the Japanese deducted expenses ) which allowed them to buy rations . Consequently , the prisoner ' s general condition improved from what it was in Changi . To capitalise on this , Varley endeavoured to keep as many men as possible working . Eventually , the airfield work was completed , and in September 1942 , " A Force " was shipped to Thanbyuzayat to start work on the Burma - Thailand Railway . At Thanbyuzayat , other groups of prisoners would gradually be brought into the camp , and these would come under Varley ' s jurisdiction such that he was eventually responsible for 9 , 000 men in total . To manage " A Force " , he had a small headquarters , with departments responsible for food , medical care and so forth . During his time in Burma , Varley constantly agitated to improve conditions as much as possible for the men under his command . He also tried to keep as many men as possible working . This meant that a possibly more cordial relationship existed with the Japanese at Thanbyuzayat than elsewhere , to the benefit of the welfare of the men under his charge . The Japanese commander also seemed to be more lenient than other commandants in charge of prison camps in the region . In June 1943 , the camp at Thanbyuzayat , adjacent a railway yard , was bombed by Allied planes during which Varley was slightly wounded . The camp was evacuated the next day and the prisoners moved to a more remote site . Despite his best efforts , the quality of food began to decline and this impacted on the health of the men , and the death rate . By early 1944 , and the railway now completed , most prisoners had been moved to Thailand . At this stage , the death rate of " A Force " was a little over 13 % , a much lower rate than in other prisoner of war parties . Much of this is attributed to Varley ' s efforts on behalf of his men . Death . It had been intended that the surviving prisoners of " A Force " be transported to Japan . However , the Japanese were experiencing difficulty in getting shipping to Japan and so it was decided to initially return the prisoners , including Varley , to Singapore . In September , after a few months in Singapore , Varley was placed in command of a party of 2 , 300 prisoners to be transported to Japan from Singapore . However , on 12 September his transport , the " Rakuyo Maru " , carrying around 1 , 250 prisoners , was amongst those torpedoed off Hainan by the United States submarine USS " Sealion " . The prisoners all successfully abandoned ship but the escorting destroyers only recovered the Japanese crew of the sunken ship . The prisoners were left to their own devices although were able to board eleven abandoned life boats . The life boats split into two groups , one sailing to the west and the other to east . The easterly party , Varley amongst them , were not seen again . When the westerly party were picked up by passing Japanese shipping , they reported hearing gunfire coming from the east . It was assumed that Japanese navy vessels destroyed the lifeboats of the easterly party , killing all on board . Arthur Varley was survived by his second wife and his children from his first marriage , a daughter and two sons . His elder son , Jack , was awarded a Military Cross for his exploits during the Malayan Campaign and survived the war . Robert , the younger son , also joined the AIF but was killed in action in New Guinea in April 1945 .