On the 90th anniversary of the Malay Regiment’s founding, regional NSW author Stuart Lloyd has published a remarkable history of a little-known chapter of WWII.

His new book, "The Malay Experiment: The Colonial Origins and Homegrown Heroism of the Malay Regiment", tells how a small experimental unit of Malay soldiers became a proud professional regiment, with its defining moment during the Battle for Singapore.

It was here, on Pasir Panjang Ridge, that the Malay Regiment made its historic last stand, fighting to the last bullet and beyond, to hold back the invading Japanese forces in one of the most dramatic moments in Singapore’s wartime history.

“This is not just military history. It’s a story of national pride, courage and sacrifice,” said Stuart, who spent a decade living in Singapore, near the very site of this very battle.

“Just down the road from me was a massive concrete pillbox, tilted at an obtuse angle on the roadside just before Pasir Panjang Village. This piqued my curiosity, because it looked so out of place on this languid tropical island,” he recalls.

“And behind this rose the undulations of Pasir Panjang Ridge, which provided some great serpentine roads for motorcycling when visiting friends in Ulu Pandan and Holland Village.

"Often this would take in the stretch known as Reformatory Road. And my favourite duck rice stall was in Buena Vista, not far from home.

"Little did I know then that these were all key names that featured in the Battle for Singapore that raged down the west coast of Singapore in February 1942. The same patch the Aussies were defending.”

It was only 20 years later, when Stuart wrote his first military history book, "The Missing Years" – about POWs in Changi and the Thai-Burma Death Railway – that he began to join all those dots, and realised the story of heroism that had taken place all around his Singapore home.

The Malay Experiment details the regiment’s history from the earliest recruits in 1933 to battlefield legends of World War II. Deeply researched and compelling, the book brings to life the stories of ordinary men who became extraordinary soldiers. It also traces earlier Malay military efforts as far back as 1799, and follows the regiment’s journey through the post-war period, the Emergency, and Merdeka (Independence).

“This book impresses me beyond words,” said Brigadier General Dato’ Mohamed Arshad Raji (Rtd), himself a veteran of the regiment.

“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. There are many other poignant historical recollections of the Malay Regiment that may have been lost among the generation of the officers and men of the regiment today.”

Stuart Lloyd is the author of 20 non-fiction books and has lived in Orange for the past five years. The Malay Experiment is now available at bookstores, or Amazon. The audiobook is available from Audible.