Shortly after the outbreak of the
Second World War in September 1939, in late October Taylor was promoted to the temporary rank of
brigadier and given command of
5th Brigade, a militia formation which then tasked with defensive duties in Australia. In July 1940, he was seconded to the
AIF, which had been raised for service overseas, and appointed commander of
22nd Infantry Brigade. this was initially commanded by
Vernon Sturdee but he would shortly be made
Army chief of staff, with
Major General Gordon Bennett taking over command of the division in his stead. The brigade was originally destined for the
Middle East but the
Australian government offered to send it to
Singapore to shore up
Britain's defences, an offer gratefully accepted by the
British prime minister,
Winston Churchill.
Malaya and Singapore After a period of training in New South Wales, the brigade embarked for
Malaya on 2 February 1941 with Taylor travelling in advance of the main body by flying boat. He spent time gauging the current training methods in use amongst the British and Indian units already stationed in Malaya. Observing the terrain in which his soldiers may have to fight, he implemented acclimatisation and jungle warfare training for his brigade. The brigade was based at
Mersing, and spent time constructing defences and laying minefields. It also underwent brigade level training exercises and it was during one of these exercises that Taylor clashed with Bennett, his new commanding officer. Taylor's relationship with Bennett was difficult. Bennett's command in Malaya at the time consisted solely of Taylor's brigade, with other elements of the 8th Division to follow. This meant that Bennett's oversight was more overbearing than would normally be the case and this resulted in disputes over the use and distribution of his brigade. Following the invasion of Malaya by the
Japanese Empire, the brigade was forced into fighting rear guard actions against the advancing Japanese. This led to more clashes with Bennett, who felt that Taylor, by requesting to establish fallback positions, was too pessimistic in his defence arrangements. The brigade later withdrew to
Singapore Island, its three battalions taking up positions across an eight-mile front on the north western coast of the island. On the night of 8 February, the Japanese launched landings on Taylor's sector, forcing his brigade into a fighting withdrawal. The Japanese advance may have been assisted by Taylor's directions to his platoon and company commanders to withdraw back to their headquarters position if they felt in danger of being overrun. By 12 February, the Japanese were well established on Singapore Island and advancing on all fronts. That day Taylor, extremely fatigued, asked Lieutenant Colonel
Arthur Varley, commander of 2/18th Battalion, to take over temporary command of the brigade. The following day, Bennett promoted Varley to brigadier and made him the permanent commander of the brigade, a command which would last only a few more days before the surrender of Singapore on 15 February. Taylor spent the remainder of the war as a
prisoner of war of the Japanese. While imprisoned at
Changi, he set up and ran an educational program dubbed the Changi University for his fellow prisoners which was significantly diminished as men were transferred to other camps. Sent to prisoner camps in
Taiwan and then
Manchuria, ==Later life==