2.
CIVILIAN
MORALE.
Lt. Gen. Percival.
Pa
18
Para.
80
41
238 *
62
417
(1) Europeans.
"The standard of living (of Europeans), however, as a result of the natural wealth of the country and of the climatic conditions, was exceptionally high too high possibly for the maintenance of a virile population."
(ii) European Women.
"If these (Europeans) women were to be withdrawn now that war had broken out and there was work to be done, the effect on the Eurasian and Asiatic population would clearly be little short of disastrous and a severe blow would be dealt to British prestige.
H
the
"In some cases, as had been foreseen, departure' of European women, especially those. engaged in the Civil Defence Services, had given rise to adverse comment on the part of the Eurasians and Asiatics,
Air Chief Marshal Sir R. Brooke-Popham.
24
114
Lt. Gen. Percival.
"In view of the situation in Kedah, it was decided to move women and children, other than Malays and Chinese, from Penang on the 13th December. This was intended to apply to Indians as well as Europeans, but owing to some misunderstanding the Sikh Police were not given the opportunity to send their women and children away, and in the end only the Europeans left."
(iii) Asiatics.
*
•
Page.
Para.
19
86 & 87
41
235
"The majority of the Asiatic population.
even when danger threatened found difficulty in appreciating its reality and in bringing themselves to believe that the even tenor of their lives might in fact be disturbed.
The sense of citizenship was not
strong nor, when it came to test, was the
feeling that this was a war for home and country. Perhaps more might have been done by Government in pre-war days to develop a sense of responsibility for service to the State in return for benefits received from membership of the British Empire.
11
"As regards the civilians, we wanted all the help we could get from the Asiatic population but, as is well known, Asiatics tend to take the side of the more powerful and we feared that the sight of destruction being carried