HH, while true you might also say it was a lesson learnt. We no longer had the manpower or stupidity to do that.
As far as sending 2nd echelon forces to the Far East, you might argue that the same logic applied to post-war theatres too.
While Fortress Britain had a 1st rate air force the other air forces had to make do with 2nd echelon. As we could not provide sufficient 1st class assets like V-bombers and all weather fighters until the UK base was equipped then it was inevitable that less capable forces would be deployed with the expectation that they would be reinforced.
By 1942 reinforcement of the Far East would have been but a pipe dream and indeed in 1940 we didn't have the spare monoplane fighters in sufficient numbers.
The point was made that the Japanese were at the end of over-long supply lines. The allied forces had hardly any supply lines at all.