Rudyard Kipling"
“When you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldier”
General Douglas MacArthur"
“We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”
“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.” “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .” “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
“Nobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
Cameron Highlands of Malaya during the Emergency October 1948 ---- September 1951
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Place of Ambush Cameron Highlands 2nd March 1950. It shows where the Communist Terrorists ambushed the three vehicles of No3 Coy RASC who were on there way to the Blue Valley to recover a vehicle belonging to the Malayan Electricity Board. This happened just beyond the village (Kampong) of Brinchang and some six miles North West from our base camp at Tanah Rata. The photo doesn't clearly show it,but there is a sharp rising bend at the bottom and the road is steeply inclined upwards. So the vehicles were moving very slowly at this point In the front of the Jeep were 2nd Lt Richards and Sgt Ritter who were killed instantly In the front of the 3ton Ford Recovery were L/Cpl Hoggett and Mr Yates of the Malayan Electricity Board, both Killed. In the front of the 3ton Ford Lorry were Dvr Jones (Killed) Cpl Hand died of wounds a few days later. There were many others wounded who did survive and at least three of them still around today that I know off. One comment from a survivor was that there seemed to be hundreds of C.Ts coming down on us. L/Cpl chalky White and Dvr Marsh escaped into the jungle and tried to get help. they came out on the road higher up and took over a vegetable truck drove back into the ambush and overturned it.
By ex T/14476568 Cpl G Tullis
The C.H. was an area 4,700ft above mean sea level with the main village being Tanah Rata, (level ground) while all around you was complete jungle and the other highlands around you (Mt.Brinchang went up to over 6,000ft).
Up to the start of the emergency, it was a developing hill resort for planters, tin miners, and government officials (white), who wanted a few weeks away from the heat.
From Tanah Rata to the next village, Brinchang (only a few shacks then and out of bounds),was about four miles away. From there the main road ended and there were only tracks down into the valley.
The bodies of Sgt Ritter & 2nd Lt Richards being removed from the Jeep by men of the Coldstream Guards.
Between the two villages, it was like a plateau with a 9 hole golf course in the middle and a road running round in an oval shape. Spread around the outer edge were houses and bungalows, built on small hills, with winding roads up to them. Also, a couple of small hotels, an English pub, (Not allowed in, if you were in uniform), called The Smoke House, and a large boarding school for the planters', and government officials' children. However, the emergency soon put a stop to that. Later it was reopened and we used to transport the children in our buses.
The weather in the C.H. was equivalent to an English average summer, but after the sun had gone down at 18:00 hrs, it started to get cold. During the night, temperatures could fall to -4 deg C. Battledress and jumpers were worn and in the NAAFI there was a good old log fire burning. You knew all about the cold in the morning when you had to wash& shave with cold water, while showering was normally done before the sun went down.
During the monsoon season, we had terrific downpours, which sometimes lasted days and washed roads away or the banks would wash down on to the roads. Several times we were isolated from Tapah until the Public Works Department, (P.W.D.), a large squad of male and female Tamils with shovels, cleared the area (no mechanical means in those days). I might add that there were no helicopters then and it was impossible to do an airdrop, as the Highlands were normally completely covered in clouds. To get to the C.H. you travelled from Tapah, a main town on the North to South Route, which was the only road and was 38 miles long. The first 19 miles were reasonable but after that you would twist and climb all the way until you got to our camp and the British Military Hospital (B.M.H), at Tanah Rata. The road was completely enclosed by jungle, which was banked on one side and on the other side was one almighty drop. Nearer the top you passed through one other small village called Ringlet. Continued here.....
