Ceremonial parades for British military withdrawal are held

The withdrawal of the British Far East Command from Singapore and Malaysia was commemorated by a massive parade held on 29 October 1971 featuring the military vanguard of the British army, followed by a spectacular sea parade by the navy of the Far East Command on 31 October two days later. The parades essentially marked the end of more than a century of British military presence in the region.^[1]

The Far East Command of the British military was formed in November 1962,^[2] and tasked with protecting British assets in Southeast Asia after World War II. The successful end of the Indonesian Confrontation (1963–1966) and the quashing of communist threat within Malaysia and Singapore, along with the process of decolonisation and the subsequent reduction in funding from the United Kingdom for sustaining a massive military outfit overseas, were some of the reasons for British withdrawal from the region.^[3]

Although Britain’s decision to withdraw its troops was already made known since January 1968, the withdrawal came two months ahead of the original scheduled date of 31 December 1971.^[4] The parades held on 29 and 31 October marked the official cessation of the Far East Command on 1 November 1971.^[5]

The ground parade, which was held at Kanggaw Barracks in Sembawang, was overseen by then commander-in-chief of the Far East Command, Air Chief Marshal Brian Burnett, and his three single-service commanders: Rear Admiral Anthony Troup (Far East Fleet), Major-General Walter Thomas (Far East Land Forces) and Air Vice Marshal Nigel Maynard (Far East Air Force). The parade took place in the evening of 29 October 1971 with the setting sun symbolic of the departure of British forces in the region.^[6]

The Royal Air Force salute marked the start of the parade, followed by a gun salute and a flypast of 17 helicopters and nine planes. The march-past, which was accompanied by a combined band, included Australian and New Zealand military personnel in addition to British military officers from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Royal Highland Fusiliers, Royal Air Force and Royal Artillery.^[7]

On 31 October, an armada of 16 ships led by the guided missile destroyer HMS Glamorgan from the Royal Navy’s Far East Fleet added to the pomp, with the steam-past travelling from east to west through the Strait of Singapore. Flying in formation above the ships were 26 Royal Navy aircraft and 24 helicopters, which had taken off from the aircraft carrier, HMS Eagle, waiting off Johor. The single-column formation of ships split into two when they came close to St John’s Island, with the heavier ships going south of Raffles Lighthouse before dispersing, while the rest turned towards the Strait of Malacca. Thereafter, all but four of the ships headed directly to Britain. The four remaining warships were taken over by the new ANZUK military force, which replaced the British Far East Command.^[8] ANZUK was the five-nation defence arrangement comprising British, Australian and New Zealand forces as well as those from Singapore and Malaysia.^[9]

Several other ceremonies had preceded the two main parades. On 18 March 1971, one of the largest British military parades was reviewed for the first and last time by Burnett – the full strength of the 3rd Commando Brigade Royal Marines, totalling about 2,500 men, marched to the Fleet Amphibious Forces Base in Sembawang.^[10] On 16 September 1971, a march-out parade by the Royal Air Force headed by Air Vice Marshal Maynard, followed by a march-in parade by the Singapore Air Defence Command (SADC) headed by Colonel Kirpa Ram Vij, were held to mark the handing  over of Tengah Airbase to the SADC.^[11]

At a farewell dinner hosted by then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew at the Istana on 16 October 1971, Lee exchanged gifts with Burnett and conveyed his gratitude to the Far East Command especially for its role in determining the outcome of Confrontation with Indonesia.^[12] The cessation of operations of the Far East Command  also marked Burnett’s retirement; he was the last four-star British commander-in-chief in the Far East, and the one with the shortest tenure, having just served 17 months prior to his departure.^[13]

References
1. Anzuk force ‘will play its part’. (1971, October 18). The Straits Times, p. 17. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
2. The Straits Times, 18 Oct 1971, p. 17.
3. Millar, T. B. (Ed.). (1967). Britain’s withdrawal from Asia: Its implications for Australia; Proceedings of a seminar conducted by the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, the Australian National University, 29–30 September, 1967 (p. 2). Canberra: Australian National University. Call no.: RCLOS 355 MIL; Chandran, R. (1971, October 17). Lee’s tribute to British peace-keeping role in S-E Asia. The Straits Times, p. 1. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
4. Chandran, R. (1971, August 11). Big pullout of British top brass from S’pore. The Straits Times, p. 15. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; The Straits Times, 17 Oct 1971, p. 1; The Straits Times, 18 Oct 1971, p. 17.
5. Four commanders for the parade. (1971, October 19). The Straits Times, p. 3. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
6. The Straits Times, 19 Oct 1971, p. 3; Chandran, R. (1971, October 30). Their last parade. The Straits Times, p. 1. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
7. The Straits Times, 30 Oct 1971, p. 1.
8. A steam-past to mark the end of FE Command. (1971, October 23). The Straits Times, p. 8; Chandran, R. (1971, November 1). The Royal Navy says ‘farewell’. The Straits Times, p. 1. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
9. The Straits Times, 11 Aug 1971, p. 15.
10. The last parade for commandos before pull-out. (1971, March 19). The Straits Times, p. 9. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
11. Chandran, R. (1971, September 16). The SADC takes over Tengah. The Straits Times, p. 1. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
12. The Straits Times, 17 Oct 1971, p. 1; Sir Brian presents clock to Mr. Lee. (1971, October 17). The Straits Times, p. 6. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
13. Chandran, R. (1971, October 29). We’d prefer Anzuk presence to go on: C-in-C. The Straits Times, p. 7. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; The Straits Times, 11 Aug 1971, p. 15.