Ibrahim bin Ismail (; 19 October 1922 – 23 December 2010) was a Malaysian soldier who served in the British

Special Operations Executive Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a British organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in German-occupied Europe and to aid local Resistance during World War II, resistance movements during World War II. ...

(SOE) during World War II, subsequently rising to the post of Chief of the Malaysian Defence Forces from 1970 until 1977. He was the first Chief of the Defence Forces to be granted the honorific title “Tun”.

Biography

Ibrahim was born in

Johor Bahru Johor Bahru, abbreviated as JB, is the capital city of the Malaysian state of Johor. It is the core city of Johor Bahru District, Malaysia's second-largest district by population and the second-largest district economy. Covering an area of ...

, at the southern tip of the

Malayan Peninsula The Malay Peninsula is located in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area contains Peninsular Malaysia, Southern Tha ...

. He graduated from the

Indian Military Academy The Indian Military Academy (IMA) is one of the oldest military academies in India, and trains officers for the Indian Army. Located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, it was established in 1932 following a recommendation by a military committee set up ...

Dehradun Dehradun (), also known as Dehra Doon, is the winter capital and the List of cities in Uttarakhand by population, most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous Dehradun district, d ...

and was commissioned into the

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

following the

Japanese invasion of Malaya The Malayan campaign, referred to by Japanese sources as the , was a military campaign fought by Allied and Axis forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 15 February 1942 during the Second World War. It was dominated by land battles between ...

. He was recruited into "Force 136", the cover name for the SOE in the Far East. In October 1944 he and two colleagues were parachuted onto the western coast of

Terengganu Terengganu (; Terengganu Malay: ''Tranung'', formerly spelled Trengganu or Tringganu) is a sultanate and States and federal territories of Malaysia, federal state of Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, ''Dāru l-Iman (c ...

as part of "Operation Oatmeal". Their location was betrayed and they were soon captured by the Japanese – along with their codebook. After a month's interrogation, they agreed to turn

double agent In the field of counterintelligence, a double agent is an employee of a secret intelligence service for one country, whose primary purpose is to spy on a target organization of another country, but who is now spying on their own country's organi ...

, but managed to inform SOE of their situation, effectively becoming triple agents. Their

disinformation Disinformation is misleading content deliberately spread to deceive people, or to secure economic or political gain and which may cause public harm. Disinformation is an orchestrated adversarial activity in which actors employ strategic dece ...

led the Japanese to believe the land assault on Malaya –

Operation Zipper During World War II, Operation Zipper was a British plan to capture either Port Swettenham or Port Dickson, Malaya, as staging areas for the recapture of Singapore in Operation Mailfist. However, due to the end of the war in the Pacific, it ...

– would occur on the

Kra Isthmus The Kra Isthmus (, ; ), also called the Isthmus of Kra in Thailand, is the narrowest part of the Malay Peninsula. The western part of the isthmus belongs to Ranong Province and the eastern part to Chumphon Province, both in Southern Thailan ...

, to the north of its actual location. Japan surrendered before the landings, and Ibrahim informed his captors that his religion would not permit him to commit

hara-kiri , also known as , is a form of Japanese ritualistic suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honor, but was also practiced by other Japanese people during the Shōwa era (particularly officers near t ...

with them. For his actions Captain Ibrahim was made a Member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) in November 1946. Post-war, Ibrahim joined the Sultan of Johore's

Royal Johor Military Force The Royal Johor Military Force (Abbr.: JMF; ; “Johor State’s Loyal Deputy Army”) ( Jawi: ) is an independent military force of the state of Johor and the private royal guard of Sultan of Johor in Malaysia. The JMF is Malaysia's oldest act ...

(JMF), transferring to the

Malay Regiment The Royal Malay Regiment (; Jawi: ) is the premier unit of the Malaysian Army's two infantry regiments. At its largest, the Malay Regiment comprised 27 battalions. At present, three battalions are parachute trained and form part of the Malaysia ...

in 1951. He commanded the 6th Battalion, Royal Malay Regiment from 1958, and was promoted to Brigadier in 1962. He served as Director of Administration in the Federation Army, and then commanded the 5th Infantry Brigade, and was GOC of the 1st Infantry Division from 1966. He was involved in the suppression of the May 1969 riots and was a member of the ruling

National Operations Council The National Operations Council (NOC) or Majlis Gerakan Negara (MAGERAN) was an emergency administrative body which attempted to restore law and order in Malaysia after the 13 May Incident, 13 May incident in 1969, in the wake of the racial ri ...

between 1969 and 1971. With the rank of General he then served as Chief of the Defence Forces until his retirement in 1977. In 1984 he published his wartime memoirs ''Have You Met Mariam?'' In 2000 Ibrahim was appointed a Grand Commander of the

Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia The Most Esteemed Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia () is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country and awarded by the sovereign. The order was instituted on 15 April 1966 and gazetted on 30 June 1966 ...

, and received the honorific title " Tun". Tun Ibrahim died at Tuanku Mizan Armed Forces Hospital,

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

on 23 December 2010. His body was laid to rest at

Makam Pahlawan The Makam Pahlawan (Malay language, Malay for Heroes' Mausoleum) is the burial ground of several Malaysian leaders and politicians. It is located near the Malaysian national mosque, Masjid Negara, in the national capital, Kuala Lumpur. Construc ...

near

Masjid Negara The National Mosque of Malaysia (; Jawi script, Jawi: ) is a mosque in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It has a capacity for 15,000 people and is situated among of gardens. Its key features are a minaret and a 16-pointed star concrete main roof. ...

, Kuala Lumpur. He was the first military person laid to rest there.

Honours

Honours of Malaysia

* : ** Companion of the

Order of the Defender of the Realm The Most Esteemed Order of the Defender of the Realm () is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country. The Order Motto are 'Dipeliharakan Allah-Pangkuan Negara' (By the Grace of God-Defender of the Realm). The o ...

(JMN) (1964) ** Commander of the

(PMN) – Tan Sri (1970) ** Order_of_Loyalty_to_the_Crown_of_Malaysia_-_SSM

Grand Commander of the

(SSM) – Tun (2000) * : ** Sultan Ibrahim Coronation Medal ribbon

Sultan Ibrahim Medal (PIS) (1949) ** Order of the Crown of Johor ribbon bar

Knight Commander of the

Order of the Crown of Johor The Most Honourable Order of the Crown of Johor ( Malay: ''Darjah Mahkota Johor Yang Amat Mulia'') is an Order of chivalry awarded by the Sultan of Johor. It was first instituted on July 31, 1886. It is awarded in three classes: *Knight Grand Co ...

(DPMJ) – Dato' (1964) ** Order of the Crown of Johor ribbon bar

Knight Grand Commander of the

(SPMJ) – Dato' (1972) * : ** MY-PAH Order of the Crown of Pahang - Knight Companion - DIMP

Knight Companion of the

Order of the Crown of Pahang The Esteemed Order of the Crown of Pahang ( Malay: '' Darjah Kebesaran Mahkota Pahang Yang Amat Mulia'') is a knighthood order of the Sultanate of Pahang. History The order was founded by Sultan Abu Bakar on 27 December 1968. It is awarded ...

(DIMP) – Dato' (1971) * : ** MY-KEL Order of the Crown of Kelantan - Star of Muhammad

Knight Grand Commander of the

Order of the Crown of Kelantan Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * H ...

(SPMK) – Dato' * : ** MY-SAB Order of Kinabalu - SPDK

Grand Commander of the

Order of Kinabalu The Illustrious Order of Kinabalu (Malay: ''Darjah Yang Amat Mulia Kinabalu'') is the only order conferred by the Governor of Sabah, Malaysia. Background The Illustrious Order of Kinabalu is established by virtue of Section 3(a) of State Honou ...

(SPDK) – Datuk Seri Panglima (1965) * : ** Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of Sarawak (PNBS) – formerly Dato', now Dato Sri

Foreign Honours

* : ** Member of the

(MBE) (1946) ** Honorary Knight Commander of the

(KBE) * : ** Bintang Yudha Dharma Utama

Grand Meritorious Military Order Star, 1 Class (1971)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ibrahim Ismail 1922 births 2010 deaths Malaysian people of Malay descent Malaysian Muslims Malaysian military personnel Special Operations Executive personnel World War II prisoners of war held by Japan Commanders of the Order of the Defender of the Realm Grand Commanders of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia Members of the Order of the British Empire British Malaya military personnel of World War II British Indian Army officers Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Crown of Johor Grand Commanders of the Order of Kinabalu Knights Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of Sarawak Knights Commander of the Order of the Crown of Johor Companions of the Order of the Defender of the Realm