Herbert Cecil Duncan
Herbert Cecil Duncan was a British Indian Army officer who commanded the 45th Indian Infantry Brigade during the Battle of Malaya prior to the Fall of Singapore.Biography
Commissioned a temporary second lieutenant in 1914 serving with The Seaforth Highlanders, he got his permanent commission in the British Indian Army as a lieutenant in 1918. His service in the First World War earned him a mention in despatches. Having the 13th Frontier Force Rifles as his maternal British Indian Army unit, he eventually served from 1931 onwards as a General Staff Officer in various gradations. He took command of the 45th Indian Infantry Brigade in June 1941.
During the retreat from the Muar River in Malaya on 19 January, Duncan was concussed during an air attack on his headquarters. The following day, during an attempt to break out of a Japanese encirclement in concert with Australian forces, he was killed while mounting a bayonet charge counter-attack against a Japanese attack on the brigade's rear. Duncan is buried in the Kranji War Cemetery in Singapore.
