Professor Malcolm H. Murfett
Publications
Books:
Foolproof Relations: The Search for AngloAmerican Naval Cooperation During the Chamberlain Years, 19371940 (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:
MarshallCavendish, 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 InstitutePress, Fall 2014)
Shaping British Foreign and Defence Policy inthe 20th Century:
A Tough Ask in Turbulent Times.
(forthcoming: Basingstoke, PalgraveMacmillan, August 2014)
……………………………………
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.214-42.
"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.),NeueForschungenzumZweitenWeltkrieg (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.), UbiSumus: 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.
"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.
“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 inthe 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), 7992.
"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 2021 April 1949," vol. XLIX, no.3 (Summer 1989), 208-25.
"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), 2224.
"Extracts From a Changi Diary: The Secret Diary of T.P.M. Lewis," vol.6, no.2 (Aug. 1985), 7082.
The Pointer
"Strategic Necessity or Naval Extravagance?: Britain's Defence of Hong Kong and Singapore 194549," vol.14, no.4 (July/Sept.1988), 4869.
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.108-11;
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 South-East Asia 1942-1950, by Rolf Tanner, Vol.17, no.3 (Dec.1995), 342-44.
International Journal of Maritime History:
SirJohn 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 Japanby 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.
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 1922-1930by John Jordan, Vol. XXIV, no.2 (Dec.2012): 395-96.
The British Pacific Fleet Experience and Legacy, 1944-50 by Jon Robb-Webb, Vol. XXV, no.2 (Dec.2013): 324-25.
Journal of Southeast Asian Studies:
Der britischeRückzugaus Singapore 194576, by Toni Schönenberger, Vol.14, no.1 (March 1983), 20709.
Ethnicity and the Military in Asia, edited by Dewitt C. Ellinwood & Cynthia H. Enloe, Vol.14, no.1, (March 1983), 18183.
Muddy Glory: America's Indian Wars in the Philippines 18991935,by Russell Roth, Vol.14, no.2, (Sept. 1983), 449.
Britannia at Bay, by Paul Haggie, Vol.15, no.1, (March 1984), 19495.
Empires in the Balance, by H.P. Willmott, Vol.15, no.2, (Sept.1984), 40305.
Troubled days of peace: Mountbatten and South East Asia Command, 194546, 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 neueAlte Welt: Roosevelt, Churchill und die europäischeNachkriegsordnung by Axel Gietz, Vol. CV, no.415, (Apr.1990), 543-45.
Die Chinapolitik des DeutschenReiches 1871 bis 1945 by UdoRatenhof, Vol. CV, no.417, (Oct.1990), 1074-75.
China und die Weltgesellschaft: vom 18. Jahrhundertbis in unsereZeit, 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.
Die italienischenMilitärinterniertenimdeutschenMachtbereich 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 PanikosPanayi, Vol. CXI, no.442 (June 1996), 789-90.
GuteFranzosen, 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 OhnmachtzurBündnismacht, edited by Franz Knipping & Klaus-Jürgen 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), 125-26.
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), 180-81.
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, 1937-1941, by Ian Cowman, Vol. VIII, no.2, (Apr.1998), 117-18.
Ghost of War: The Sinking of the Awa Maru and Japanese-American Relations, 1945-1995 by Roger Dingman, Vol. VIII, no.4, (Oct.1998), 135-36.
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:
Coauthor of chapter on `Singapore' in SouthEast 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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