1951-01-23 — Page 4

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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!

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Axenta for!

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