Arthur Varley | |
|---|---|
 Arthur Varley, then a lieutenant colonel and commanding officer of 2/18th Battalion, waiting to embark for Malaya, 5 February 1941 | |
| Born | 13 October 1893 Rookwood, Australia |
| Died | 13 September 1944 (aged 50) Near Hainan, South China Sea |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Service/ | Australian Army |
| Years of service | 1915–1920 1939–1944 |
| Rank | Brigadier |
| Service number | NX35005 |
| Commands held | A Force (1942–44) 22nd Infantry Brigade (1942) 2/18th Battalion (1940–42) 35th Battalion (1939–40) |
| Battles/wars | First World War |
| Awards | Military Cross & bar Mentioned in Despatches (2) |
Brigadier Arthur Leslie Varley, MC & Bar (13 October 1893 – 13 September 1944) was an Australian soldier who served in the First and the Second World Wars. He was commander of the 22nd Infantry Brigade during the final stages of the Battle of Singapore in the Second World War. Having surrendered to the Japanese, he was responsible for over 9,000 prisoners of war engaged in the construction of the Burma-Thailand Railway. He was killed in September 1944 when the transport ship taking him and several hundred fellow prisoners to Japan was sunk by an American submarine.