Gen. Sir Archibald Cameron has vacated the Scottish Command and left the Army. Lieut-Gen. Sir Wile liam Bartholomew, Chief of the General Staff in India, is promoted Gener Mal and continues nis ost Howard, "5th in from India. Col, Geoffrey New Delhi {s made a major-general and remains in_his post. os cavalry visor to the General Staff. Lieut. Gen. Sir Charles Grant has assumed command in Scotland.
Operations at Singai Combnéd operations are carried out from tine to time with a view fo testing the defences of Singapore Base. The February operations were of a very comprehensive nature, de-Signed to enable all available units of the Navy, Army and Ale Force In the Pacific to be exercised in the! defence of Singapore. There was afforded an opportunity to study par ticular problems affecting each arm.
"The exercise, however, as is inevitable in such cases," containned several artificial" clements, which prevented any. precise conclusions being drawn, 'The forces taking part consisted of ships of the China Station, Royal Navy. Army units in the Singapore area and squadrons of the Far East Commend. Royal Air Force, supplemented by certain Air Force' Squadrons "from India and 'The attacking force was under the command of Vice-Admiral Sir Char-{es "Little, C-in-C. China Station, consisting' of the cruisers Cumber-and and. Dorsetshire five destroyers of the 8th Destroyer Flotilla, submarines and the submarine.' depot ship of the 4th Flotilla and the aircraft carrier Hermes, which repre-fented (we carriers with a simulated {otal striking force of over 100 aircraft. A detachment of the Johore military forces was also included:
Tu view of the constitution of this! force the first attempts to attack Singapore were by air and naval vessels delivered their blow later. There were followd by some landing operations, carried out by naval Parties. This naval force was 250 fulles away from Singapore when the 1 force, under Maj.- Gen. W. G. Dobbie, comprised the regular' garrison at Singapore, con~ sisting Of Royal Artillery, "Royal Engineers, Royal Corps of Signal Units, 1st Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, Ist The Middlesex Regiment, Ist Battalion 2nd Punjab Regiment from Taiping, Malay Regiment from Port Dickson, the intelligence section of the Singapore Volunteer Corps, the Johore military forces, Hongkong and Singapore artillery and eight RAP. squadrons.
The destroyers H.M.S. Decoy, Defender, Delight and Duchess, "HM. submarines Rainbow, Regent, Regulus and Pandora of Singapore and China were also used.
The Immediate object of the defending forces was to prevent attacks whether by air or by sea being Undertaken against Singapore and was successfully demonstrated. The ure of the force was designed to rmit alr reconnaissance and air allacks to be carried out against aval vestals, including two aircraft carriers, before they came into action ayainst Singapore. The real, lesson, ce-operation, showed unity of action a marked degree.. Similar exer-isos may be extended to Hongkong. where the defences are to be improved ud the new barracks pushed on with
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.