Espadrilles and defeatism

On the 20th, Churchill sent Wavell a personal message which left no doubt as to his thoughts:"This must be absolutely clear:I mean that every inch of ground be defended, every piece destroyed to avoid falling into the hands of the enemy and that surrender was
only contemplated after prolonged fighting in the ruins of the city of Singapore. »
The next day, Wavell presented his plan to Percival, who refused it. He chose to divide
the island (which measures about 32 kilometers by
17) into three sectors:the Australians were to defend the west, the English from the 18th Division,
the north, and the Indian Reserve Formations, the south. On the 24th, Percival gave the order to withdraw to the island, if necessary, and four days later fixed this operation for the night of January 30-31. He warned Wavell:“Regards general situation as very serious”, and, later:“Critical situation; the enemy cut off and outflanked the majority of the forces on the west coast. We're going to find ourselves at a disadvantage on the island unless we get all of our troops back. Our air force is now down to nine fighters...”
Nishimura's Imperial Guard Division had been deemed unfit for combat; but, throughout its progression on the west coast, it showed itself worthy of the other Japanese units. Between Bakri and Parit Sulong the division destroyed almost all the troops it encountered.
Reinforcements were now arriving in Singapore, and on 22 January 7,000 men from the 44th Brigade of Indian infantry and other formations landed, followed two days later by 1,900 Australians and the bulk of the British 18th Division. None of these troops had time to acclimatise; some men could barely walk. Many lacked training. The confusion and defeatist spirit they encountered in Singapore finally demoralized them.