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53
THE CHINA MAIL, TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 1951.
WITH
THE ROYAL HUSSARS
ON THE MALAYAN MILK RUN
A
ROUND ten o'clock in the morning, I set off with a troop of the 18/18th Royal
$1
The convoy system and other meausres to control the move- ment of foodstuffs have already proved very effective in deny ing supplies to the bandits. This
Wo
car
By
bv
Π
17
Colin
up.
D.
Edwards
on the
the alde
men
rts
W
All
At last we reached our destina- travel
mother
has to
Tazkunowski eald: "Now, out around the convoy, leaving The troop, the equivalent of
tocep
your eyes open."
over
the commander, He was scanning the road the driver
thickly carrier. on either side.
is borne out by statements from your wrapped pirate-fashion ahead and the high, surrendered bandits and by the around his head. Behind them jungled banks fact that the terrorists have
stepped up the number of their loomed the menacing gun turret Trooper Thomas hunched for Ambush Danger Department
gi, la
0
A 'Bad Road
CECOND Lieutenant Mangles.
then took me for a ride part
strekter, Then, in June last, when the Brkigs Plan' was put . Into operation, the civil adminis tration in the district sirengthened, the police were us we grasped our runs The reinforced and regulations were Hussars, who were escort- was too much in the Bren gun's small attap-roofed hut and then right shoulder was beginning to
of the to the road and this trip was a local sources of supply. edge ing a convoy of food, lorries field of fire for his comfort. Now, raced forward to catch up with seem permanent. I rested the carrier is a heavy truck to hold introduced to eat off the bandit's driving skli! and fcol being brought up by road to a village on the East when he has carriers under his the others. Now we were head- barrel
The armour-plated side of the carrier trial of thick jungle. command, he makes sure that ing into
sent to markols arc stationed up lorries in front of us seemed to and crouched lower to keep its endurance.
Johore now Coast about 60 miles away. their Brens
on the high
parts of ground that be disappearing into a small hole aim
travel in conroy escorted by There are two of these front, pointing forward,
in a high green wall.
persisted alongside the road.
emall village. The Army of police vehicles. The 'milk runs, Bcheduled
The convoy started off, and
We ran Corporal Taszkanowski turned
into clearer country tlon, a the troops call them, every soon plcked up speed. Looking and said: "Just about here was and into some more dust before escorting vehicles peeled off, so grocers in the village, many of to speak, from the rest of the whom are suspected of having back I could sco a private the last ambush; a three-ton we arrived at the second village. week.
American
driven
truck truck." I looked out and saw the As soon as Taszlounowski barked convoy and made their way to given food to the bandits, are by
went the headquarters of a detached not allowed to open their diops
troop of the 13/18th Hussars.
except between the hours of 2 Malay, followed
spread and carrying crates of food. Sitting wreck of a lorry in a ditch. It "Dismount,"
all burnt which was
and 4 p.m., when the police can the signaller. a platoon
keep an eye on them. on top of these boxes,
at every
Infantry, were swayed dangerously
a came to, was
and myself in the housed in
wooden Large corner
Chinese with A hand-
bungalow that had oneo been the residence of Public Works employees. Al- though it was built of stout the tops of the attacks that have the sole aim of the rear armoured car, with ward over his Bren
Will' black beret sights sweeping
which the first WHILE some of the civilian timber, and had a tile rood. It of the way down another bad road, which ran directly south. culting through
was amazingly cool fruide. of securing food. It has also Sergeant
vehicles were detaching
It has seen three ambushes in vehicles were passing. been discovered that they are peeping out of the top.
Everyone
tell
Our eyes themselves, Sergeant Wills took It was only a short distance three weeks, one of them fatal. doing their best to stockpile all
of patrolling it and the banksides and our me along to the village police from the edge of a rubber estate. The job ware on the food they
the trees one ro Ongers on the triggers of our station to talk to the European Coming through hands on..
months providing an escort for the food about three the noisy police sergeant in charge of it evening
convoys along fell to a troop
Hussars ago, a gang of bandits had open- of the 13/18th
com- roar of the engine, I could only Unfortunately, he was out some- The task of the road escort THE leading vehicles began to guns. Apart from
voice of the radio where with a jungle squad. ed fire on the NAAFI, where an manded" by
21-year-old troops of the 13/18th Hussars is kick up the red dust on the
Sidney Spence
of the Hussars National Service subaltern, lorries, buses and road into a cloud, which grew
Sgt. Wills ordered the troop advance party to protect
cavalcade operator, of our
Cecil John Sergeant
Middlesex, Harrow Weald, and to tomount'
everyone unde motor cars, and the people that as the rest ride in them, from bandit attack, reached it. It soon appeared as casionally broke the silence to climbed aboard. As they did, Thomas of Aberystwyth were George Scott, who will soon be
Luckily,
returning to civilian life to read and also to prevent the terrorists if we were going through
into the Law at Cambridge. from seizing foodstuffs and other minor sandstorm in the Western on the R/T to the leading I noticed that three of the Army having a sing-song. armoured car or to Sergeant vehicles, had names painted on all the bullets went supplies. This not only involves Desert.
Wills coming up behind us.
them to commemorate some of roof and the bandits fled as soon
Scott's troop, was just leaving The road narrowed, so For quite a part of the way.
that the places where Taszkunowski as the troops turned out. They keeping a look-out for bandits
their escape through with a large convoy. With him but also keeping an eye on the we were in fairly open country we were brushing against the has served when he was in the made
Now there
Chinese civil went a young Are is suspected
It leaves of overhanging boughs, Polish my "Bologna," swampland. dood trucks. I
Army and everyone was relaxed.
day. On Without turning that many food carriers have in was an awfully hot
armoured cars drawn up every liaison officer, dressed in civilian around, Benevento" and "Brindis!." of either
camp perl clothes. However, he was armed were Taszkunowski called out, "Speed the past been in the habit
self-protection. reinforce the sentry for
A hand dropping off bags of rice and square, flooded ricefields; here
grenade was kanging from his baskets of fish by the roadside and there stood small thatched
bolt. for the bandits to pick up. huts on spindly stilts above the
Just In Case!
the
Red Cloud can lay their
side of the road
we drove
Bottled Beer
hear the
of MI Troopugh, as he oc-
ди
talk
up."
swish.
Wo drove
out of the village night around the watched by a crowd of the in- meter to habitants some Malays, a few posts. Indians and a large number of Chinese, I fell to wondering working for the Min Yuen--the bandits underground organisa-A how many of them might be
on.
there
Fenced In
open
of
I stood beside Mangles in the
his troops
dived
to
Jungle Crawl water. Then
into
front of a personnel carrier as rubber country, past the neat avenues of light-barked
trees.
on behind Scott's S one would expect in an we tagged Masters of Worcester, put his N. charge of the escort troop After that into the open again. OUR driver, L/Cpl. Bernard
Suddenly,
noticed
armoured unit, there was a convoy. Leaning on my elbows with foot down hard, but a minute or
of I found myself audging a row large number of vehicles
of five grenades, lying atop the was Sergeant Felix Wills of
He assigned surprise a bright patch of violet, so later we were going uphill
My thoughts soon returned to various types around the camp. Wolverhampton.
of the personnel beside the roadway. For miles and he had to change gear. Our
had been speed was now forest
maddeningly the more immediate danger of On some of the radiators were cab and read for immediate use. Nothing eventful happene me to one
painted names like 'Bremen,"
during our trip, as far as we carriers riding in the middle of around, the
and 'Brunswick,' all the convoy and arranged for me cleared, whether by cutting or slow, or so it seemed. Within a ambush. We were heading into
Berlin' burning it was difficult to say, foot or so of our faces was the jungle again and the watchword to have
was 'Alertness' That can be an former stations of the 13/18th. went, except the turning around 1 sten gun and
jungle. ust All that remained of most
WILLK magazines of ammunition-just
Sergeant the giant Kimbers were charred
Each of us was occupied with awfully tiring rule, even when Sgi, Thomas pointed out a ten to get me back to the rond
is something to is stin, the which the 13/18th call a peep
truck junction where alert
hundredweight, He Intimated that we in case.
this
and a westbound convoy were own side of
about. Your could expect an ambush today. stumps, but there were many watching
back gets road. We
do- were
it hot and you feel on this particular 'peep the waiting. When Mangies stopped
Carrier, on the sun makes The bandits undoubtedly know grunt pieces of trunk still stand- of the ing, quite bure and lifeless, like
pending completely departure times
the sweat trickling down your windshield was missing. It had our Angers. I wooden
us to protect th persons behind they grotesque
thick undergrowth. A few convoys and scheduled
on this was reminded of the petrified our backs, and they-in turn body. You want to stretch out been caught in an ambush and out and disappeared into the
man sitting next to the thic have slaged attacks
managed moments later, particular stretch of road twice forest in Arizona. Then we ran relied on us to guard them from your arms and walk around a the
into rubber once more, and what our side. Above our heads the bit, or at least stand up. But driver had been killed.
detect them higher up the bank, moment an
from during the last two weeks.
is called secondary jungle.
long wireless antenna bent back that may just the
will occur. Your The officer in charge of the all set to give us cover
surprise attack. The with every low branch and then ambush
to outpost, 2nd/Lt. John Mangles, any ready When we picked up the
snapped forward with a quiet weapons must be
answer back at the first signs of from Colchester, entertained me armoured car evung around; we civilian vehicles in the town's
Perhaps an attack.
the fact to lunch in his office-cum- backed and turned, and en main street, the sergeant mul-
Hanging on the sharp whistle from Mangles, his FTER about 30 minutes' Minute after minute passed that you appear alert with you billet. tered: "I bet something hap
travel from There are only A
town, and we were still riding through arms at the ready will dissuade whitewashed wall beside some men came dashing back. pens today.
The we reached
a village a gauntlet of threatening jungle, the bandits from opening fire of his family photographs was four
and a car, town's people usually know if stopped. Some of the food Our eyes strained to watch for and the convoy will go through his revolver-and-holster and an He hopes that might in- unmolested. The terrorists do English sporting run. the bandits are planning any vehicles were dropping out and any movement thing. When they are, you find the convoy needed reorganising, dicate a hidden eneany. Every no: relish well-defended targets to bug some wild pig with this
not, his IT was a beautiful day to be: as a rule. However, they are but, in case he does
three riding ground in an open very few lorries turning up. The Before we left again, a brewery bluff we passed under....every
have purchased bush....took of
suspicious getting short of food, so they troops on a lorry drivers walt for the non- truck opened up a crate
piglets out of the canteen profits vehicle. On a sunlit road lay for scheduled runs, even if it means boltled beer
polentiality as an ambush point. troops,
and are rearing them in an im- a single Chinese wooden candle them waiting half a day for the most of whom had spread out Nowhere along this stretch of might well take the risk. military to put i
tion. The Chinese scem averse defensive attitudes around road did we feel safe enough to In eur 'caravan' as soon as wo pearance."
twenty-
few hours to spare to picking up shoe if they drop bad a halted.
Ten twenty The private car con-
lunch before St, Wills, it on a road. They will usually The convoy formed up with an armoured car at either end taining the Malays had difficulty five minutes went by. We were CO we went
At the road junction, Szt. and personnel carriers, packed starting up again, and those of racing at the fastest speed the hour more, consciously al- troop were due to start back. Leave it and get a new pair.
in the rear part of the convoy convoy could maintain. Having most nervously-alert and keyed Lieut. Mangles offered to take with troops, were
spaced put us
me through the village. at intervals between the civilian had to get out and give it a risen in the sky, the sun shone for action every passing second.
It directly down, burning our The road was
lorries carrying fish from the winding, often of The sergeant had a push. Even this did not get it
the afternoon. I diabed with the officer in charge going, co the Hussars hitched faces and arms. I was surprised rough and sometimes narrow. To of the threat of bandi“. Because Wilis had lined up eight food
smallholders farming 4.80 wire, and to our to find that the barrel of my keep up speed, to necessary. To had been entirely fenced in with cast coast. It was now about a tow-line
aboard Taszkinowski's carrior of the police in that district it up by Malay-and checked on police carrier and we hauled -it along. Sten gun had not grown hot, But hopes to ride through an ambush, land out on the jungle fringes and we set off back down the We dropped the Malay in his it was gelting to feel heavy our driver, Corporal Masters, had had been moved into the village game road we bad come up, this activilles along the route. his briefing. Sgt Wills already warned the troop not to..
trucks
vehicles.
word
ap
the
In
car had big American
be too trigger-happy, as there were some Gurkhas
in that area and they appear on the road.
operating
might
Order To Load
and
Looked English
Keyed For Action provided plasty behind their symbol of Oriental supersti-
on for about an
camp. F atter
outside a and the ache of the butt in my to hang on to his wheel as grimly to
INSIDE
PREMIER Nehru is per-
THE Commander of dun perturbed at new maps of dered us to load our guns. He the Chinese empire publish-
was
carrier turned
INFORMATION
By MERCURY
Now offers of chilled beef are being brought to London by Senor Derisi, head of the Argen- Plans for strengthening de tine Meat Board.
Turkey and Tasted in Peking and Moscow fence bases In Michal Corporal
showing the Egypt, discussed by the Com- kunowski, one of six ex-Polish newspapers
Bulgaria has introduced the serving with the Army soldiers
be death penalty for illicit slaugh- claims of China in Burma monwealth Premiers, will
forwarded to the Turkish and ter of livestock. 13/10. In 1939, his home
city
Egyptian Governments. of Vilna was liberated by the and Assam. Russlans and he was sent to the frozen wastes of North Karella,
•
of
fron
are
The frontiers claimed would
China the exact locale, it transpired, give
possession where I had spent part of World mountain passes leading War II. Later he was liberated Tibet and Skang into India.
and ций Army Finnish by the
nded to work his way down Coples of the new maps managed to wo France, whe
where he crossed being rushed to London, to
American Lines the OVIT to
invasion during the
Several East European diplo- South. Then he joined General mats who have asked for asy Anders' Army in italy and, after lum in Britain have been re- its dibanding, was taken into cepted.
the Brlilsh Army.
of the
Standing beside Taszkunowski
•
.
*
They have given information up in the front of our carrier on espionage in Britain that is was a stalwart National Service likely to lead to deportations.
West from Foldier London-Trooper James Thomas,
Ham,
General Dilass, Yugoslav A series of sceret conferences propaganda chict, will go to is taking place in Moscow for Britain on a mission for Mar- high Communist agents from shal Tito, Western Europe,
•
Marshal Tito has sent logal Special funds for Communist parties which may have to "go observers to England to study underground" are being placed British justice in practice. In Swiss bankr
·
A British brigadier and Brazil plans to bulld a dry Special Air Service troops will
Pakistan dock capable of holding 35,000- train the
army in ton warships, although her guerilla warfare; largest warship displaces only 10,000 tons.
France will hemm 25,000 In-
•
will Mr Arthur Henderson start an RAT recruiting drive falling Volunteers are short of requirements.
soon. eneral Elsenhower has ex- lerned Nationalist Chinese troops He was manning a Bren light pressed interest in the lessens if China invades Vietnam. machine-gun, mounted on the learned by the British shield above the driver's seat. during its 1940 Norway. Usually the Bren gunner is paign.
•
Army
CRM-
The British National Cont The Air Council in urging the British Government for a de. Board is pressing the Ministry cision on defence and export of Health for housing concer
to help However, on the last occasion Narvik will be a key point in priorities so that rearmament alone in mining areas
can be speeded up.
recruit labour. that they were ambushed, there Atlantic defence planning.
stationed in back of the carrier,
POP
OPEN "THE GATE
FOR ME COLONEL
RIGHTD! --- BUT WHY CANT YOU DO T YOURSELF.
Sticky situation
Because "THE PAINT.
(S STILL WET ¦
foodslocks
their prevent
od "the moming. passing to the hands terrorists. The fumars, most
.
the sun's
Before wo had reached our of them Chinese immigrants, go
duak began to out to work their paddyBakis and journey's end, vegetable gardens during the day fall. As we sat tanse with our but return to the safely of the gums in the carrier,
sinking rays it up a mat of village by nightfall.
Bedge fn that looked for all the This area has been the scene ma topped of much bandit activity for the world-very English. possessed a a päistening
shoch, a last two and a half years. Until recently the bandids were able, silky wrapping for the old day. through their terrorism, to in- It was, I felt, some compensa- timidate the population into sup- tion for the dangers along the plying them with food, clothing, road but I still would not like
occasionally, to make this trip too often.
money
and,
It now
"Happy Landings!"
or
Bon Voyage!
FOR EXTRA SERVICE
Axenta for!
Book through.
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