Reminiscences
"Up Country"
This was sent in by a lady who wishes to be known as , A WRAF Corporal’ - but as she was in the provost branch you’d better pay attention. It’s about a trip ‘Up Country’ by train in March 1949 and it all goes to show that you didn’t have to be with a helicopter squadron to find unexpected excitement:
‘I watched the passengers looking for seats and climbing aboard the train, the sound of their voices a jumble of Chinese, Malay, Tamil and the occasional English, was like waves breaking along the shore. I was thankful that I had a sleeping berth for the overnight journey to Kuala Lumpur, where I would take a second train to travel further up country to Prai before crossing by ferry to Penang Island and on to the leave centre at Tanjang Bungah, where I was to spend fourteen days leave - what bliss!
At 1830 hours the train pulled out of Singapore station and we were on our way. I went to the restaurant car and ordered coffee. When it arrived it was a black, sweet and thick brew but nevertheless very enjoyable. After about an hour I returned to my sleeping compartment.
It was almost dawn when I was awakened by someone banging an the door and calling to me to hurry and get dressed. The urgency of the man’s voice had me obeying in record time. When I opened the door to go into the corridor I was told to get down and take cover from the windows. I realised that the thuds I could hear were bullets hitting the train and there was broken glass everywhere. My erstwhile companion, a member of the Gurkha regiment, would not take cover himself until I had done so. As we crawled along the train towards the engine the Gurkha kept himself between me and the outer side of the train’s corridor and in doing so acted as a shield for me until we reached as far forward as we could go. We alighted from the train an the side away from the bandits and crept along until we could join the rest of the passengers beside the armed scout train which had returned to the main train - no doubt after receiving either a radio or field telephone message that we were derailed and under fire.
At this stage I must explain that during the Malayan Emergency it was usual practice to have armed guards on the trains from Singapore to Prai with a contingent of men from the regiment on duty traveling in the armed scout train about five miles ahead of the main train.
We had to stay in the protection of the scout train For about four hours until the ‘bandits’? were either killed, driven off or taken prisoner, thus making a 24 hour journey into a 29 hour nightmare.
After what seemed an age we were ordered to make our way along the rail track until we could get to the roadway where we would find army trucks which would convey us to K L station along with our luggage which had been collected by the Gurkhas after the attack had been quashed.
I eventually arrived at Tanjang Bungah along with other RAF personnel and we all enjoyed our leave. And, as this as the opening of the leave centre as well as St. Patrick’s Day, there had to be a house warming, didn’t there! It was at this party that I met a rubber planter - but that’s a different story!!’
Some reminiscences from 155 crewman David Taylor’s book:
A trip to the Cameron Highlands showed me another face of this country: were it not far the tea plantations I could have been back home in England. A cottage and village green type place. Another resort that didn’t seem at all hostile.
Mention of hostile environment brings to mind our odd forays into Kuala Lumpur itself. As far as I was concerned, this was where the real danger lay. The capital played host to diverse regiments of the British and Commonwealth Forces, and all too often, in various bars and clubs, one was given the impression that they liked to practice their unarmed combat on one another. Sharpening up their skills, as it were. Juke boxes were firmly secured, to prevent improper use. I witnessed plenty of action on that front, but during my twenty-one month spell with the squadron the only terrorists to cross my path were either as dead as a Monty Python parrot or prisoners. I did see a lot of jungle though. We flew into small strips and clearings hacked out of the wilderness. Many of these were located in mountainous regions, accessible only to the Pioneer and its larger, twin-engined brother, or by helicopter with a limited load. On occasion, therefore, I’d find myself evicted - with part of the freight - well short of our destination, the Pratt & Whitney radial unable to handle a full load in the thin air of altitude. A situation that made two trips unavoidable, Character-building, that, though I did have the sten at my side, death on my mind. The only question to be answered: whose?’
To get further Information contact David Taylor.
Email dtaylor@deltatango95.freeserve.co.uk