‘Man who IS the Malay Regiment’: West Sussex man given huge accolade in new WW2 book.

A powerful new book, The Malay Experiment: The Colonial Origins and Homegrown Heroism of the Malay Regiment, has been released to mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of Malaysia’s most iconic military unit. And a Chichester, West Sussex, man features strongly throughout.

Written by military historian Stuart Lloyd, The Malay Experiment offers the first comprehensive account of the Malay Regiment’s colourful colonial origins and its evolution into one of the nation’s most respected institutions.

“When the regiment was formed in 1935, Capt James ‘Toby’ Andre, 39, arrived into Port Dickson, Malaya,” explains Lloyd. “He was known to the regiment’s founding father, Major George Bruce. And together they set the tone for the DNA of the regiment. The likeable Andre’s connection with Malaya would last his whole professional career until retirement.”

With the expansion of the regiment to two battalions — on the eve of the outbreak of hostilities with Japan in 1941 — Andre was promoted to Lt-Col and fatefully assumed command of 1st Battalion, because it was this battalion that was to be caught in the thick of the action of some of the most ferocious fighting in the battle of Malaya.

“Andre was always popular for his calm and cheerful nature,” say Lloyd. “And on the battlefield at Pasir Panjang, Singapore, he proved his leadership mettle, retaining that calm even in a desperate last stand action.” At one point the battalion’s communications centre was blasted, with several officers and men killed. Andre and his 2 i/c George Denaro scuttled between their position and the forward troops, sending tactical messages and revving up his troops. His leadership and gallantry there earned him a DSO. “It was a tribute to the men, they way they fought,” he’d later say, humbly.

But one of his most insightful orders was upon the announcement of the surrender of Singapore. Lt-Col Andre ordered his 1st Battalion Malay officers and men to remove their uniforms and disperse into the local general population, thus pre-emptively saving them from the horrors about to unfold in captivity under the Japanese. (Many officers and men of the 2nd Battalion were summarily executed by the Japanese for refusing to switch allegiance.)

Meanwhile his wife Grace, and the wives and children of the regiment’s British officers had been evacuated from Malaya and Singapore and made it home safely (their son James passed away at the age of just 6 in Malaya before the war) . Andre himself would end up in Changi gaol and toiling on the Thai-Burma Death Railway as a POW.

In mid-1946 a contingent of 141 volunteers and regulars from Malayan units was selected to march in the grand Victory Parade in London. Lt-Col Toby Andre DSO was selected to command them in the parade. The following year he was made Commandant of the Malay Regiment and went out to Malaya again to reform and develop it.

With the Malayan Emergency igniting in 1948, his role was expanded further, to include raising a Federation Regiment, a Federation Armoured Corps, and pulling all of the units together into a cohesive Federation Army. He took the salute of around 7000 newly trained recruits in that post-war period.

He was appointed the first Director of the Federation Military Forces.

Approaching his retirement aged 53, several of the Federated Malay States rulers asked the War Office if he could stay on, such was the respect for him and his positive, cheerful nature.

Andre was awarded the CBE (Military) the citation being ‘for outstanding service to Malaya’, and his unsparing devotion to organising the expansion of the Malay Regiment … all the while being big-hearted and being held in the highest esteem by all ranks. A Straits Times headline gushed: ‘Man Who IS the Malay Regiment.’

Malay kris daggers were presented to Brigadier and Mrs Andre: “The name of Andre will live in the regimental records for as long as there is a Malay Regiment, for they, more than any other have raised the regiment to its present standard,” said the officer making the farewell speech in his honour.

And indeed, 90 years later the Malay Regiment is still going very strong, now comprising nine battalions, and perceived as the premier unit within the Malaysian Army, guarding the Istana Negara (royal palace) and performing key ceremonial duties.

Brigadier General Dato' Arshad Raji (Rtd), former officer of the regiment, offered high praise: “This book impresses me beyond words. Here is a writer driven by passion for the deeds of brave soldiers who laid down their lives, made immense sacrifices and stayed steadfast to their calling. “This book is a must-read for all officers of the Malay Regiment.”

From the earliest recruits to wartime heroes, the book brings to life the personal sacrifices, battlefield stories, and enduring traditions of the regiment. It also spans critical periods like the Malayan Emergency and post-Merdeka (Independence) era.

But who knew it had such colourful colonial origins, with Brig James Andre CBE DSO. Upon his retirement, he and Mrs Andre retired to the Chichester area of West Sussex, where he passed away in 1981.

The Malay Experiment (ISBN: 978-0-645-328097)

• Paperback: Amazon (English) £14.80

• eBook: Amazon (English) | Kobo (Bahasa Melayu)

• Audiobook: Audible, Apple, audiobooks.com