The MALAYAN EMERGENCY & BORNEO CONFRONTATION
Forum thread for campaign The MALAYAN EMERGENCY & BORNEO CONFRONTATION
“ The fight to found Malaysia ”
Two successful jungle campaigns that were fought by Commonwealth Forces against insurgents,
The Malayan Emergency (1948 - 1960) against Chinese Communists and The Borneo Confrontation (1962–1966) against Indonesia’s political and armed opposition to the creation of Malaysia.
In 1961 British troops put down a revolt in Brunei and release captured Shell workers.
The success of these campaigns laid the path to the founding of Malaysia.
The Malayan Emergency (1948 - 1960) against Chinese Communists and The Borneo Confrontation (1962–1966) against Indonesia’s political and armed opposition to the creation of Malaysia.
In 1961 British troops put down a revolt in Brunei and release captured Shell workers.
The success of these campaigns laid the path to the founding of Malaysia.
Much of the detail of Operation Claret, which was the combat element of the later phases of operations in Borneo remains, quite rightly, classsified. A Gurkkha VC was won at this time but even the Gurkha museum in Winchester has oly sketch details of this.
I visited the Labuan town museum in 2011 and there is no mention at all about RAF Labuan or why we were there in the confrontation. The mueum director did not reply to my e-mail asking why the protection from Indonesia for North Borneo was not recognised. The duty curator appeared to have no knowledge about it either. I was offended.
yes this did happen i was there for 10 mounths and even today people still do not know we were there. Some of our lads did not return welost three 1 DLI
I was also in Borneo in 1966 with 4th Bn Royal Australian Regiment. We lost 4 of our chaps. It truly is a forgotten war. Some of the most difficult country I have been in.
I arrived at RAF Kuching in June 1965, first job I got was to transport four flag draped coffins to a waiting aircraft heading for Singapore, some wake up call, when people ask me if I went abroad in the service I always mention Borneo, amazing how many people dont know where it is and never knew we were there. At least they did recognise our efforts by the issue of the Pingat Jasa Medal, like so many other battles, soon forgotten.
Cheers Eddie
Cheers Eddie
[deleted]
I served with my regiment 1st RSF 1954/1957
As to the address of this item, The Malayan Emergency. My I take this time to inform Bill Ashby. That I was born in Malaya in 1952 at the time my father was serving with The Queens Own Royal West Kents. At that time he was awarded M.I.D and another bar. I followed in his footsteps but stayed in the kitch en. And spent meny a good time as an Andy Caps Commando I.E A.C.C
its tommy this and tommy that and tommy will get sod all. 2 royal princes playing soldiers get every bloody madal going. however there is no chance of them ever being placed in harms way.
charlie stuart.
we the common foot soldier, always in the thick of it will get sod all. yet we have 2 royal princes and their uncles, who will never ever be placed in harms way playing at being soldiers. dripping in medals. where is the justice in that. the same applies to senior officers obes mcs etc, some of them are dodgy as well. come on play fair.
we the common foot soldier, always in the thick of it will get sod all. yet we have 2 royal princes and their uncles, who will never ever be placed in harms way playing at being soldiers. dripping in medals. where is the justice in that. the same applies to senior officers obes mcs etc, some of them are dodgy as well. come on play fair.
i served with he 4Th q.o.hussars from 1948 to 1951 a solid 3 years very hard work ,we lost a few good lads. we were based at Ipoh but patrolled over a hell of a lot o fmalaya but i look back with nostalgia.harry kirk
did my time in bmh kamunting taiping 1960-1962--went back a few years ago and made a visit to taiping cemertary and paid my respect to the fallen hero.s with a wreath and a pray-i am glad to say the graves are well kept which was nice to see as i have a good friend resting there
Was in Singapore during the riots, with The !st Kings Dragoon Guards attached to the gurkas in Johore Baru from 1956-58, We were not jungle fighters the Gurkers and Sarawaks did that for us, our job was to keep an eye on the rubber plantations, so in a way it was not our job, but as on National Service did not have any allternitive but to do what we were told,was it worth it,: "No", the same as the Afganistan war and all the rest of the stuff we are being drawn in to, a lot of young men losing there lives and limbs for what, has anything changed ? Bill Cook
I did a 6 month detachment in Malaya at RAF Butterworth with 617 Squiadron in 1955.
Ken
Ken
I was in Borneo in 1965 and 66,with 40 LT, REGT.,Royal Artillery.No two weeks were the same,it is the forgotten war,people didnt know we were their,some didnt care,Our regt.,was in the action, when the the Gurkha won the VC, The Regt., was also mentioned in dispatches. the jungle was a none forgiving place,we vets should be remember,some didnt come home alive.
I was on detachment to labaun in feb 64 with 60 sqdn
javelins and the memory that I remember most was 5001
RAF Airfield Consruction Sqdn working day and night adding
extra lenght to both ends of runway for larger aircraft, 20 sqdn Hunters were at max and one did run out of runway
pilot was killed, Javelins were able to just cope and as Labuan turned into main airfield in contfrontation war very sad to hear Mick Patricks comments about Mueums records and I all whe served there would be offended
javelins and the memory that I remember most was 5001
RAF Airfield Consruction Sqdn working day and night adding
extra lenght to both ends of runway for larger aircraft, 20 sqdn Hunters were at max and one did run out of runway
pilot was killed, Javelins were able to just cope and as Labuan turned into main airfield in contfrontation war very sad to hear Mick Patricks comments about Mueums records and I all whe served there would be offended
My father was seconded from Royal Signals to the Malayan army and served in Ipoh and Taiping 1955- 1957? I attended the army school in Taiping in 1955/56
I was posted to to RAF Seletar indec 1947,ithat tour iservedin changi for 6 or 7 months at CPRS/JAPICAS A PHOTOGRAPHER GENERAL . Out of the 3000who were there during that conflict,I never met one to this day, thats 62 years,strange really?Dixie lee 3502396.RAF
Alan Wisely, Kevin I was in Borneo in 1965/66 and was the Medic at Bokah with 4 RAR, I have a couple of old photos taken in the morning after getting Vic Richards out, sadly he died a week later from kidney failure, the photo on my profilr is me giving cholera jabs at Bokah.
I agree with all the above messages, I served with the 1st RGJ, went to Borneo for the last tour, Kuching, Bao, fort Stass, Fort bucket Knuckle, there was another fort which I forget the name, hard going at times, wished I was dead, but great memories, great pals, great stories to tell my kids and grandkids, and as long as we can pass on these bits and pieces, they will be remembered by those who count, and that doesnt mean officialdom. James.
I served with 230 Sqn (RAF) Helcopters based at Labuan, Sepuot and Tawau, Jun 65 to Jun 66 as a young 19 yr old and very junior aircraft mechanic. Not party to the ins and outs of the political and military reasons for the campaign all I new at the time was the support the Sqn provided to the troops and Gurkas at the front, ferry them in and out and resupply. However, as above, this campiagn was kept quiet at the time for policical reasons but was in fact a success, despite the losses. A good account of the campaign can be found from the 13 Journal of the RAF Historical Society. (go to the RAF wwbsite and follow the links) Most of you are Army, but its contributers are the commanders at the time including Brigadier A E D Smith.
I now after 40 yrs have a good understanding what it was all about.
I now after 40 yrs have a good understanding what it was all about.
I AM TRYING TO FIND OUT IF MY BROTHER IN LAW WAS ENTITLED TO THE PJM MALAYSIAN MEDAL..HIS NAME WAS KENNETH OWEN BROWN SERVICE NUMBER 23491824..JOINED ARMY 1955/1956 FOR 9 YEARS.THE FAMILY KNOW HE DID SERVE IN MALAYASIA IN THE EARLY 1960S..ANY HELP WOULD BE GRATEFUL THANKS..MY NAME IS GEORGE HARDINGTON EX RN..
Detached from RAF Tengah to Labuan with 20Sqdn Hunters in 1966;re-visited Labuan in 1990s-found no history of RAF Labuan,pity--meant something to UK Service personnel.
Colin Tilley
Colin Tilley
I served with the 4th Bn Royal Australian Regt in Borneo in 1966 and fully agree with James comments as we were in the same area. Very tough country to get around in especially when loaded up with 50 kg of gear.
The Application for the Pingat Jasa Malaysia Medal can be downloaded from the Website. Conditions for Application:
Eligible UK service personnel who served from independence during period 31st August 1957 and 12th August 1966 inclusive.
Category of Eligibility Category 1 in direct support of operations in area of Malaysia and Singapore for 90 days or more in Malaysia during period 31st August 1957 and 12th August 1966 inclusive; or Singapore during period 31st August 1957 and 9th August 1965 inclusive. Completed Applications to be sent To Mr. Fred Burden - details of UK address on Application Form. Medals are processed through Malaysian Embassy and arrive in presentation case. Presentaion ceremonies are held at local town halls or if you prefer they will be mailed to home addresses.
Eligible UK service personnel who served from independence during period 31st August 1957 and 12th August 1966 inclusive.
Category of Eligibility Category 1 in direct support of operations in area of Malaysia and Singapore for 90 days or more in Malaysia during period 31st August 1957 and 12th August 1966 inclusive; or Singapore during period 31st August 1957 and 9th August 1965 inclusive. Completed Applications to be sent To Mr. Fred Burden - details of UK address on Application Form. Medals are processed through Malaysian Embassy and arrive in presentation case. Presentaion ceremonies are held at local town halls or if you prefer they will be mailed to home addresses.
I served with HQ ARMY AVIATION BITISH LAND FORCES BORNEO LABUAN from 1964 to 1966 under LT COL PE COLLINS RA i was his dr/radio op . The best 2yrs of my time in the army
I was in Borneo Dec1964 - Dec1965, with 110 (H) Sqdn, serving at Labuan, Bario,Sibu and Nanga Gaat, Good times and bad, Iit was hard work but a most educational, tour, we even had some time off shift to play rugby.
Maurice,were you at Sematan just before you went to Tawau in 1964? I seem to recall your name.I was on secondment to the SBS at Sematan at that time and I think you were part of the group that we relieved.You were sent,urgently up to Tawau,to form thr Tawau Assault Group.
Father was posted to Borneo for one year unacompanied in 1965-1966 and the family joined him in Singapore August 1966- September1968. My favourite photo of father is when he was driving a Lorry pulling a 5.5 Field Gun near Kuching.
Some yrs ago i met a vietnam vet and mentioned i was is Singapore/Malaya during the Emergency. He said the British approach to jungle warfare was recognised by the rank and file as the way to go.however their brass refused to accept this and the rest is history
From 1965 to 1966 I was part of the REME LAD attached to the 4th Tanks in Malaya . In 1966 I was sent to join them in Borneo. I flew into Sabah and with in two days embarked on a tank landing craft sailing to Kuching. When we landed in Kuching we then drove 240 miles to a camp called Onepadong. Our main task was to keep the Indonesian’s from crossing the boarder. Our secondary task was to win the hearts and minds of the local people. The 4th Tanks got on very well with the local people providing them with medical supplies and house hold equipment. The local people in return provided guides when patrols were needed. We spent 8 months there with out losing any personnel. The only thing that we found frightening was the monkey belonging to the sergeants mess. He use to leap on to you when patrolling on guard duty at night.
My father was on 48 Sqn out of Changi, supply dropping to the troops in Borneo in apprx 56-59. He as there again on 52 Sqn out of Butterworth flying Vallettas in 64-66. I was there on both occasions.
I was in labuan in july 65 tawau 65 4th regt ra att to the scots guards
I was in Batu Arang and surounding areas 1948-1950 Right Flank 2nd. Scots Guards sweating it out
I was with the 12 inf/workshops at Mentakab 1951/52 attached to the 1/10th Gurhkas.
![Jock[Bill]](https://d22zjv5wdpfhk.cloudfront.net/fr/s3/fr-web-content/fr-member-assets/member-photos/227943/the mullens 001.jpg?max-width=34&width-to-height-ratio=1&quality=90)
3 company rasc ipoh malaya 57/58 still mates i served with, MY NAME is bill(jock) campbell....it would be great to make comtact with anyone who remembers me
I was lucky as I did my tour 64/66 at Changi on Meteor Flt. We were a target towing unit but our aircraft were armed and ready and we also flew dawn and dusk patrols looking for indo intruders. For a young lad digging trenches and manning our 20mm cannon dawn and dusk. I flew in rear seat on target towing and reccy /observation missions.we had some scrapes when bomb was thrown over aircraft servicing fence. We also had some fun doing riot control in town and once we had to do armed escort on the Tiger beer lorry! They couldnt stop that reaching camp!
strange really i thought i was part and parcel of this campaign but found to my dismay that i was not and was not in line for a gsm for it also appears that i dont qualify for the new medal from the malaysian govmnt and why ? because singapore left the malay federation i think 2 months after a got there so why i ask myself was president sukarno relly threatening to sink the british aircraft carrier called singapore and because of this why was i and othererks wandering asps and dispersals with a 303 and 10 rounds which we were not allowed to put on the rifle all night still did get long service and good conduct mind that was 3 years after i should have received it still never mind eh