On Parade: Straits Settlements Eurasian Men Who Volunteered to Defend the Empire, 1862-1957 chronicles the attempts of Straits Settlements Eurasian men to take responsibility for the defence of the British Empire, both at home and abroad, over a period of nearly a hundred years. From the original refusal to allow Eurasian men to enlist at all, through the expectation on the part of the Crown of absolute loyalty for very little material gain, Eurasian men volunteered, and were prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice, for the altruistic motive of defending their home and families. This book paints a picture of Singapore's established Eurasian community, drawn from the Straits Settlements and Malaya. They strove to defend what they considered to be their only home. Intrinsic civic-mindedness is evinced in this social history of the Straits Settlements Eurasian Volunteers.