Professor Malcolm H. Murfett
Publications
Books:
Fool-proof Relations: The Search for Anglo-American Naval
Cooperation During the Chamberlain Years, 1937-1940 (Singapore:
Singapore University Press, 1984), 344pp.
The Limitations of Military Power, edited by M.H. Murfett & J.B.
Hattendorf, (London: Macmillan, 1990), 242pp.
Hostage on the Yangtze: Britain, China and the Amethyst Crisis of
1949 (Annapolis, Md: Naval Institute Press, 1991), 332pp.
In Jeopardy: The Royal Navy and British Far Eastern Defence Policy,
1945-1951 (London: Oxford University Press, 1995), 192pp.
The First Sea Lords: From Fisher to Mountbatten, edited by Malcolm
H. Murfett (Westport, Conn: Praeger Publishers, 1995), 327pp.
Between Two Oceans: A Military History of Singapore - From First
Settlement to Final British Withdrawal (Singapore: Oxford University
Press, 1999), 416pp.
Naval Warfare 1919-1945: An Operational History of the Volatile War
at Sea (Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2009), 647pp.
Imponderable but Not Inevitable: Warfare in the Twentieth Century,
edited by Malcolm H. Murfett (Westport, Conn: Praeger Security
International, 2010), 223pp.
Between Two Oceans: A Military History of Singapore from 1275
to 1971. 2nd Edition (Singapore: Marshall Cavendish, 2011), 541pp.
1275年 - 1971年新加坡历史原貌 [1275-1971: Between Two Oceans:
A Military History of Singapore] (Singapore: Asiapac Books, 2011),
542pp.
Cold War Southeast Asia, edited by Malcolm H. Murfett (Singapore:
Marshall Cavendish, 2012), 383pp
Naval Warfare 1919-1945: A History of the War at Sea [Paperback
edition: revised & expanded] (Milton Park: Routledge, 2012)
Hostage on the Yangtze: Britain, China and the Amethyst Crisis of
1949 [paperback & e-book editions] (forthcoming: Annapolis, Md:
Naval Institute Press, Fall 2014)
Shaping British Foreign and Defence Policy in the 20th Century:
A Tough Ask in Turbulent Times.
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(forthcoming: Basingstoke, PalgraveMacmillan, August 2014)
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Chapters in Books:
"`Are We Ready?' The Development of American and British Naval
Strategy, 1922-39," in R.S.Jordan & J.B. Hattendorf (eds.), Maritime
Strategy and the Balance of Power: Britain and America in the
Twentieth Century (Oxford: St. Antony's/Macmillan, 1989), pp.21442.
"Old Habits Die Hard: The Return of British Warships to Chinese
Waters After the Second World War," in M.H. Murfett & J.B.
Hattendorf (eds.), The Limitations of Military Power (London:
Macmillan, 1990), pp.203-17.
"New Research on the Second World War in Singapore," in Jürgen
Rohwer & Hildegard Müller (eds.), Neue Forschungen zum Zweiten
Weltkrieg (Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe, 1990), pp.427-32.
"Look Back in Anger: Western Naval Powers and the Washington
Conference," in B.J.C. McKercher (ed.), Arms Limitation and
Disarmament: Restraints on War, 1899-1939 (Westport, Conn:
Praeger, 1992), pp.83-103.
"The State of Maritime and Naval History in Singapore," in John B.
Hattendorf (ed.), Ubi Sumus: The State of Maritime and Naval
History Today (Newport, RI: Naval War College Press, 1994),
pp.301-12.
"The First Sea Lords (1904-1959): An Overview;"
"Admiral Sir Henry Bradwardine Jackson: 1915-1916;"
"Admiral Sir Roger Roland Charles Backhouse: 1938-1939;"
"Admiral Sir John Henry Dacres Cunningham: 1946-1948"
in Malcolm H. Murfett (ed.), The First Sea Lords: From Fisher to
Mountbatten (Westport, Conn: Praeger, 1995), pp.1-15, 91-100,
173-84, 217-28.
"Prologue;"
"A Keystone of Imperial Defence or a Millstone Around Britain's
Neck? Singapore 1919-1941;"
"Living Under the Rising Sun: Singapore and the Japanese
Occupation, 1942-45," in Malcolm H. Murfett, John N. Miksic, Brian P.
Farrell, and Chiang Ming Shun, Between Two Oceans: A Military
History of Singapore (Singapore: Oxford University Press, 1999),
pp.v-ix, 145-74, 248-79.
"Foreword" to Brian P. Farrell, The Basis and Making of British Grand
Strategy, 1940-1943 (Lewiston, NY: The Edward Mellen Press,
1998), pp.iii-iv.
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"Gunboat Diplomacy: Outmoded or Back in Vogue?" in A.Dorman,
M.L.R. Smith & M.Uttley (eds.), The Changing Face of Maritime
Power (London: Macmillan, 1999), pp.81-93.
"When Trust is not Enough: Australia and the Singapore Strategy," in
Carl Bridge & Bernard Attard (eds.), Between Empire and Nation:
Australia's External Relations, 1901-39 (Melbourne: Australian
Scholarly Press, 2000), pp.230-50.
"All Bets are off: The Maritime Situation in Southeast Asia at the
Turn of the Millennium," in Geoffrey Till (editor), Seapower at the
Millennium (London: Brasseys, 2001), pp.166-76.
“Reflections on an Enduring Theme: The ‘Singapore Strategy’ at
Sixty;”
“In Memoriam: Professor Henry Philip Frei,”
in Brian Farrell & Sandy Hunter (eds.), Sixty Years On: The Fall of
Singapore Revisited (Singapore: Eastern Universities Press, 2002),
pp.3-28.
“Preface: Imponderability Confronts Inevitability;”
“Casting Doubt on the Inevitability Factor;”
“What’s Luck Got to Do with It? Random Elements that Affected the
Naval Campaigns of 1939-45;”
in Malcolm H. Murfett (ed.), Imponderable but Not Inevitable:
Warfare in the Twentieth Century (Westport, Conn: Praeger Security
International, 2010), pp. ix-xii, 1-22, 155-74.
“An Enduring Theme: The ‘Singapore Strategy,’” in Brian Farrell and
Sandy Hunter(eds.), A Great Betrayal: The Fall of Singapore
Revisited. (Singapore: Marshall Cavendish, 2010), pp.1-18.
“Prologue” et al;
“Singapore 1919-41”;
“The Japanese Occupation”
in Malcolm H. Murfett, John N. Miksic, Brian P. Farrell & Chiang Ming
Shun, Between Two Oceans: A Military History of Singapore from
1275 to 1971. 2nd Edition. (Singapore, Marshall Cavendish, 2011),
pp.v-xi, 146-74, 245-80, 408-14, 434-44.
“’The Times They Are a-Changin.’ Britain’s Military Commitment to
Singapore, 1967-71,” in Brian Farrell (ed.), Churchill and the Lion
City: Shaping Modern Singapore (Singapore: NUS Press, 2011),
pp.139-73.
“Preface”;
“Introduction”;
“What’s in it for us? Rethinking the British Defence Commitment to
Malaysia and Singapore from Macmillan to Wilson”
in Malcolm H. Murfett (ed.), Cold War Southeast Asia (Singapore:
Marshall Cavendish, 2012), pp.1-10, 251-94.
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“Preface”
“Professor David N. Dilks: An Appreciation from Afar;”
“Another Jewel Forsaken: the Role of Singapore in British Foreign
and Defence Policy, 1919-1968” in Malcolm H. Murfett (ed.), Shaping
British Foreign and Defence Policy in the 20th Century: A Tough Ask
in Turbulent Times. (forthcoming August 2014)
Articles: International Refereed Journals
War and Society
"British Naval Policy on the Yangtse in 1949: A Case of Diplomacy on
the Rocks," vol.6, no.1 (May 1988), 79-92.
"A Pyrrhic Victory: HMS Amethyst and the Damage to Anglo-Chinese
Relations in 1949," vol.9, no.1 (May 1991), 121-40.
"Living in the Past: A Critical Re-examination of the Singapore Naval
Strategy, 1918-1941," vol.11, no.1 (May 1993), 73-103.
The American Neptune
"What a Difference a Day Makes: The Royal Navy and the Yangtse
Incident of 20-21 April 1949," vol. XLIX, no.3 (Summer 1989), 20825.
"An Old Fashioned Form of Protectionism: The Role Played by British
Naval Power in China from 1860-1941," vol. L, no.3, (Summer
1990), 178-91.
"`Splice the Mainbrace': The Story of a Naval Epic," vol. L, no.4, (Fall
1990), 291-301.
Conflict
"The Perils of Negotiating from an Exposed Position: John Simon
Kerans and the Yangtse Talks of 1949," vol.9, no.3, (Mar.1990),
271-300
History Today
“The Quiet Cultivator,” September 2012: 19-24
“Singapore Subdued: The Military Role of Singapore during the
Japanese Occupation,” May 2013: 45-47
Articles: Local & Regional Journals
Commentary
"In Defence of History," vol.5, no.2 (Oct/Nov.1981), 22-24.
"Extracts From a Changi Diary: The Secret Diary of T.P.M. Lewis,"
vol.6, no.2 (Aug. 1985), 70-82.
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The Pointer
"Strategic Necessity or Naval Extravagance?: Britain's Defence of
Hong Kong and Singapore 1945-49," vol.14, no.4 (July/Sept.1988),
48-69.
CDTL Brief
Maximizing the Effectiveness of Large-group Teaching: A Few
Practical Suggestions, vol.4, no.5 (Nov.2001): 6-7.
Biographical Studies:
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography [New DNB]
Admiral Sir Roger Charles Backhouse (2185 words); Vol.3, pp.10811;
Admiral Sir John Henry Dacres Cunningham (2,500 words); Vol.14,
pp.691-93;
Commander John Simon Kerans (3,600 words); Vol.31, pp.397-401;
Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Spencer Vaughan Phillips (3,500 words);
Vol.44, pp.150-54
All of these biographical essays were commissioned by the original editor,
the late Professor H.C.G. Matthew, and approved by the current editor,
Professor Brian Harrison, and all appeared when the New DNB was finally
published in September 2004.
Book Reviews:
Asia Pacific Viewpoint:
Britain, Southeast Asia and the Onset of the Pacific War, by Nicholas
Tarling, Vol.38, no.2 (Aug.1997), 182-83.
Contemporary Southeast Asia:
`A Strong Showing': Britain's Struggle for Power and Influence in SouthEast Asia 1942-1950, by Rolf Tanner, Vol.17, no.3 (Dec.1995), 342-44.
International Journal of Maritime History:
Sir John Fisher’s Naval Revolution, by Nicholas A. Lambert, Vol. XII, no. 2
(Dec.2000), 337-38.
The Royal Navy, Seapower and Strategy Between the Wars, by Christopher
M. Bell, Vol. XIII, no.2 (Dec.2001), 380-82.
The Royal Navy and the Capital Ship in the InterwarPeriod, by Joseph
Moretz, Vol. XIV, no.1 (June 2002): 429.
The Royal Navy and the Palestine Patrol by Ninian Stewart, Vol. XIV, no.2
(Dec.2002), 506-07.
Bitter Victory: The Death of HMAS Sydney by Wesley Olson, Vol. XV, no.2
(December 2003), 512-13.
Royal Navy Strategy in the Far East 1919-1939: Planning for War Against
Japan by Andrew Field, Vol. XVII, No.2 (December 2005): 472-73.
The Cunningham Papers: Volume II: The Triumph of Allied Sea Power
1942-1946 by Michael Simpson (ed.), Vol. XIX, No.1 (June 2007):447-49.
Diplomats in Blue: US Naval Officers in China, 1922-1933 by William R.
Braisted, Vol. XXI, No.2 (December 2009): 480-82.
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China Goes to Sea: Maritime Transformation in Comparative Historical
Perspective edited by Andrew Erickson, Lyle Goldstein, and Carnes Lord,
Vol. XXII, no.1 (June 2010): 384-86.
Anglo-American Relations, 1919-1939 edited by Michael Simpson, Vol.
XXII, no.2 (Dec.2010): 466-68.
Warships After Washington: The Development of the Five Major Fleets
1922-1930 by John Jordan, Vol. XXIV, no.2 (Dec.2012): 395-96.
The British Pacific Fleet Experience and Legacy, 1944-50 by Jon RobbWebb, Vol. XXV, no.2 (Dec.2013): 324-25.
Journal of Southeast Asian Studies:
Der britische Rückzug aus Singapore 1945-76, by Toni Schönenberger,
Vol.14, no.1 (March 1983), 207-09.
Ethnicity and the Military in Asia, edited by Dewitt C. Ellinwood & Cynthia H.
Enloe, Vol.14, no.1, (March 1983), 181-83.
Muddy Glory: America's Indian Wars in the Philippines 1899-1935, by
Russell Roth, Vol.14, no.2, (Sept. 1983), 449.
Britannia at Bay, by Paul Haggie, Vol.15, no.1, (March 1984), 194-95.
Empires in the Balance, by H.P. Willmott, Vol.15, no.2, (Sept.1984),
403-05.
Troubled days of peace: Mountbatten and South East Asia Command,
1945-46, by Peter Dennis, Vol.20, no.1, (Mar.1989), 100-102.
The War Against Japan, 1941-1945, by John J. Sbrega, Vol.23, no.1
(Mar.1992), 158-60.
Contending with Nationalism and Communism, by Peter Lowe, Vol 42, no.2
(June 2011), 349-50.
Southeast Asia Journal of Social Science:
Operation Matador: Britain's War Plans against the Japanese 1918-1941, by
Ong Chit Chung, Vol.24, no.2 (Nov.1997), 215-18.
Studies in Conflict and Terrorism:
Russia, America and the Cold War 1949-1991, by Martin McCauley,
(Oct.2000), 302-03.
The American Neptune:
The Loss of the Bismarck: An Avoidable Disaster, by Graham Rhys-Jones,
Vol.62, no.1 (Winter 2002), 131-32.
The English Historical Review:
Die Deutsche Frage in der Weltpolitik, edited by Wolfgang Michalka, Vol.
CV, no.414, (Jan.1990), 268-69.
Die neue Alte Welt: Roosevelt, Churchill und die europäische
Nachkriegsordnung by Axel Gietz, Vol. CV, no.415, (Apr.1990), 543-45.
Die Chinapolitik des Deutschen Reiches 1871 bis 1945 by Udo Ratenhof,
Vol. CV, no.417, (Oct.1990), 1074-75.
China und die Weltgesellschaft: vom 18. Jahrhundert bis in unsere Zeit, by
Jürgen Osterhammel, Vol. CVIII, no.427, (Apr.1993), 497-98.
Kriegsausbruch 1939: Beteiligte, Betroffene, Neutrale, edited by Helmut
Altrichter & Josef Becker, Vol. CVIII, no.427, (Apr.1993), 530.
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Die italienischen Militärinternierten im deutschen Machtbereich 1943-1945,
by Gerhard Schreiber, Vol. CIX, no.431, (Apr.1994), 533.
The Civilian in War: The Home Front in Europe, Japan and the USA in World
War II, edited by Jeremy Noakes, Vol. CX, no.439, (Nov.1995), 1336-37.
Minorities in Wartime, edited by Panikos Panayi, Vol. CXI, no.442 (June
1996), 789-90.
Gute Franzosen, by Bernd Kasten, Vol. CXI, no.442 (June 1996), 811-12.
Allies at War, edited by David Reynolds, Warren Kimball, and A. O.
Chubarian, Vol. CXII, no.445 (Feb.1997), 266.
Cooperation under Fire, by Jeffrey Legro, Vol. CXII, no.447 (June 1997),
814-15.
Aus der Ohnmacht zur Bündnismacht, edited by Franz Knipping & KlausJürgen Müller, Vol. CX11, no.449 (Nov.1997), 1345-46.
The Great Circle:
Australia's Maritime Bridge Into Asia, edited by Sam Bateman & Dick
Sherwood, Vol.20, no.1 (1998), 61-62.
Sea Power in the New Century, edited by Jack McCaffrie & Alan Hinge,
Vol.20, no.2 (1998), 143-44.
The International History Review:
The Royal Navy and German Naval Disarmament 1942-1947, by Chris
Madsen, Vol. XXI, no.2 (June 1999), 537-39.
The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History:
Naval Power in the Twentieth Century, edited by Nicholas Rodger, Vol.25,
no.1 (Jan.1997), 183-84.
A Nation's Navy: In Quest of Canadian Naval Identity, edited by Michael L.
Hadley, Rod Huebert & Fred W. Crickland, Vol.26, no.3 (Sept.1998), 12526.
Up Top: The Official History of the Royal Australian Navy's Involvement in
Southeast Asian Conflicts, 1955-1972 by Jeffrey Grey, Vol.27, no.3
(Sept.1999), 190-91.
The Foundations of Naval History: John Knox Laughton, the Royal Navy and
the Historical Profession by Andrew Lambert, Vol.28, no.1 (Jan 2000), 18081.
The Journal of Military History:
Old Friends, New Enemies: The Royal Navy and the Imperial Japanese
Navy: The Pacific War, 1942-1945, by Arthur J. Marder, Mark Jacobsen &
John Horsfield, Vol.56, no.2, (Apr.1992), 315-16.
The Cunningham Papers, Vol.I The Mediterranean Fleet, 1939-1942, edited
by Michael Simpson, Vol.64, no.1 (Jan 2000), 233-35.
The Northern Mariner:
Peace and Disarmament: Naval Rivalry and Arms Control, 1922-1933, by
Richard Fanning, Vol. VI, no.1, (Jan.1996), 101-102.
Statesmen & Sailors: Australian Maritime Defence 1870-1920, by Bob
Nicholls, Vol. VII, no.4, (Oct.1997), 123-24.
Dominion or Decline: Anglo-American Naval Relations in the Pacific, 19371941, by Ian Cowman, Vol. VIII, no.2, (Apr.1998), 117-18.
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Ghost of War: The Sinking of the Awa Maru and Japanese-American
Relations, 1945-1995 by Roger Dingman, Vol. VIII, no.4, (Oct.1998), 13536.
British Naval Policy in the Gladstone-Disraeli Era 1866-1880, by John F.
Beeler, Vol. IX, no.2, (Apr.1999), 122-23.
The Journal of Strategic Studies
The Oxford Illustrated History of the Royal Navy, ed. J.R. Hill, Vol.19, no.2,
(June 1996), 284-85
Reports:
Co-author of chapter on `Singapore' in South-East Asia: An Environmental
Assessment, a report commissioned by several leading multinational
companies and produced jointly by Oxford Analytica Ltd and the Schroder
Strategy Group (Oxford, 1984), 72pp.
I have also completed a National University of Singapore funded study on
“The British Labour Government and the Strategic Role of Singapore in the
Period 1945-51: The Royal Navy in the Far East” (Singapore, 1992), 297pp.
"Attempts at Recapturing the Past: A Personal Odyssey through the
Historical Labyrinth," in Karavannur P. Mohahan (editor), Modes of Inquiry
and Methodological Principles across Academic Disciplines (currently being
offered for publication)
“An Evaluative Report on the Journal of Southeast Asian Studies”
(commissioned by the Department of History, NUS, 2013)
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