 The Singapore strategy was the cornerstone of British Imperial defence policy in the Far East during the 1920s and 1930s . By 1937 , according to Captain Stephen Roskill , " the concept of the ' Main Fleet to Singapore ' had , perhaps through constant repetition , assumed something of the inviolability of Holy Writ " . A combination of financial , political and practical difficulties ensured that it could not be successfully implemented . During the 1930s , the strategy came under sustained criticism in Britain and abroad , particularly in Australia , where the Singapore strategy was used as an excuse for parsimonious defence policies . The strategy ultimately led to the despatch of Force Z to Singapore and the sinking of the Prince of Wales and Repulse by Japanese air attack on 10 December 1941 . The subsequent ignominious fall of Singapore was described by Winston Churchill as " the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history " . 
