As part of the passenger load, correctly given as up to four, one or two stretcher pods could be fitted onto the undercarriage skids for casualty evacuation. These were platforms, to carry a stretcher, with a large domed cover to protect the casualty from downdraught/sand, etc. The inside of the pod cover had a notice, for the benefit of a wounded casualty, who might recover conciousness, to tell them where they were. In addition, to two very small sideways looking windows gave some external reference.

Thanks to Richard Stockley for the following information and link;

Flights from 656 Sqn AAC operated in Borneo. I believe two scouts were written off during the campaign.

XR598 crashed on 30th March 1967, while serving with 11 Flt on approach to Bakalalan, Borneo. The aircraft struck a tree which broke off the tail rotor and damaged the main rotor. Two of the four occupants were injured.

XR599 of 7 Flt/656 Sqn, went missing 20th September 1965 on a night flight from Lundu to Kuching, Sarawak, Borneo. Only small parts of the aircraft wreckage were dredged up by a fisherman. All three occupants were killed.

Some pictures of the Wessex & scout in operation as well as pieces of the wreckage can be found here: http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y205/DarrenBe/

In Borneo mystery still surrounds a Scout that went missing 20 September 1965. XR599 set off for a 40 mile night flight from Lundu to Kuching, the mission being to transport a local communist suspect to the Sarawak capital for interrogation. At 23.00 hrs the aircraft was posted as missing and a search and rescue mission was mounted. Although the aircraft and the remains of the pilot, Sgt D J P Waghorn of 7 Flight 656 Sqn, the escort Rifleman Sukbahadur Gurung of 1/2 King Edwards Own Gurkha Rifles and the suspect were never found, a fisherman later dredged up small parts of the aircraft wreckage. On 23 September a local newspaper, The Strait Times, printed a story speculating that the Scout had been hi-jacked by the prisoner who had somehow managed to capture his escort’s weapon and then ordered the pilot to either fly out to sea or over the jungle towards the Indonesian border until they ran out of fuel. Tragedy struck a second time on 25 September when an RAF Westland Whirlwind HAR.10 of 225 Sqn, searching over jungle for XR599, crashed killing the five crew