Looking For Missing Airmen
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I was in the RAFP at Changi 1961-1963. I was sent to Brunei Dec 1962 with three other Cpls. Here is a picture of me (on the extreme right) as we crossed the Sibhu River with the Sarawak Rangers on a patrol looking for missing airmen. I recall we located one body on the beach some 20 miles east of where we started the patrol with the Sarawak Rangers. Our total strength was 3 RAFPs and 20 Rangers. We crossed a few rivers and met with some local tribes. They had never seen white men before. I saw some shrunken heads from past wars between local tribes and we shared our C rations with them. They were amazed at what we had. Dunhill cigarettes ( I am holding some while crossing the river), canned meat. sugar. sweets. matches. biscuits. Tea, etc. |
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We shared lunches with them and they reciprocated in kind with wild jungle pig and honey and cigarettes made from local leaves. We made them tea and they were amazed at how we did not look like them and one young man kept touching my skin. The females all tried to hide and peek at us. They did not understand us and we spoke through the Sarawak Rangers who were great jungle troops and lived off the jungle. I ate almost anything in those days in the jungle as long as they ate it first. We came across 2 boats that had been 'hit' by our aircraft and were beached. One was a large flat boat that was a bulk carrier, I think and the other was a faster boat.
We thought troops had landed but we were wrong. It was not our mandate to follow up with this and the Ghurkas and QOH were flown into the area later that day. I went out a few times to visit troops and was really pleased at the way the Brits set up camp in the jungle. They sure were professional.
As an 18 year old from London I learned many things and listened to old war stories from local people who still recalled atrocities committed by the Japanese against Dutch and native civilians. On curfew patrols with the local police in Victoria, we spent many nights with them and their chief whose whole family was slaughtered by the CTs when they took over Brunei. I also recall we shipped out the then baby Sultan of Brunei.
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The people were really special and we liked them a lot. The dogs we had been given to use by the locals. We slept under canvas for the first few weeks and heard daily rifle fire and hit the dirt each time. I was never worried, scared maybe but then we had great soldiers and airmen and of course navy all of who took a loss |
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Most of my days were spent doing airfield patrol to make sure sentries were in place, roadblock duty and curfew patrols and the odd report. I did not see many dead as they were flown straight out to the island of Labaun. We had some scary moments though and aircraft were fired upon until the SAS went in and took out the 2 AAA units without losing one man-CTs 19 dead and SAS nil. We lost a few airmen in a voice and drop plane,-9 in one plane were hit and a few helicopters, I think, plus a few holes in a couple of Beverley aircraft. Maybe there were more but I do know there were over 200 men killed in all the services.
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