At the time, the British were known for the high quality of both their histories and biographies. However, the Burma campaigns were so incredibly brutal, savage, and no quarter, that almost nothing was published about them and those involved, for decades. And even then, the stories were written from limited perspectives.
Best described as nationwide hand-to-hand combat, with no great effort to take prisoners.
There was a news blackout about Singapore, as well, as it was the most humiliating defeat in British history.