40 COMMANDO

40 COMMANDO Royal Marines
By James Robinson
ex Royal Marine 1947 to 1971

KILLED IN ACTION ( 1950-1952)

AREA OF OPERATIONS

40 Commando's responsibility covered a vast area, the Troops were for most part deployed along the Kuala Kangsar-Lenggong-Grik road towards the Thailand Border, a distance of about 70 miles with much of the road following the River Perak. A Troop based at Lenggong, and Y Troop based at Grik, each covering a area of some 300 square miles, the terrain consisted of primary jungle. Communist terrorist's operated on the Grik-Lenggong road ambushing civilian buses, Police and Military Vehicles, all unit vehicles moved in convoy, with armoured car support, Commando Patrols operated for days on end in the thick jungle.

Many hours spent in pursuit through swamp and thick jungle, in tropical heat and downpours of rain, and of the many nights spent lying in ambush positions, waiting ,listening, plagued by mosquitoes and all other insects leeches cling to your body, the nights alive with sound of various animals, tense and coiled like a well oiled spring ,weapons grasped tightly, fingers on triggers, waiting hoping that the enemy would walk into your trap?, and make the situation worth while. that was the war in Malaya, (not an emergency) a war, once again the politicians gave it the name emergency, only by calling it that, were they able to control the price of the rubber market, call it a war and the stocks and shares would have plummeted.

Operating in swamps for days on end, the only contact with the outside world was by radio carried often submerged in the oily swamp, dried out and carried on. Supplies came from the outside world by twin engine Dakota at an appointed rendezvous every 4th or 5th day dropping it's cargo of corned beef, tinned beer, cigarettes and ammunition, atrocious country. This was the type of country that the Commando Brigade, and other regiments operated in and won in the end communism was at last beaten in the malay peninsula in the 60,s

VEHICLE AMBUSH

The pictures on the right were taken by A Troop 40 CDO RM. just after a CT ambush in
1951.

The drivers of the trucks were all killed .
The forth picture shows me standing next to one of the wrecked trucks. You can see were the bullet that killed the driver went through the wind screen.

Click on picture to enlarge

KILLED IN ACTION ( 1950-1952)

Here Dead we Lie Because We Did Not Choose To Live,
And Shame The Land From Which We Sprung.
Life, To Be Sure, Is Nothing Much To Lose;
But Young Men We Think It Is,
And We Were Young.

IN MEMORY OF THOSE THAT REMAIN IN MALAYSIA
RM. 9324 Mne C, ALEXANDER                 RM7792 Mne R.H.V. EAMES
PO/X 5282 Mne(D) J. CHADWICK            PLY/X4758 Cpl N.S.HOWE
RM9447 Mne   R.J.CHERRY                    CH/X4492 Cpl J.C.IRELAND
RM. 8810 Mne R.A. CLARK                      PLY/X 5721 Mne K.MATHEISON
Lt J.B. COOP                                               PO/X 127316   Sgt S.ORR
RM. 8330 Mne G.A. DAYES                       CH/X4147 Cpl R.T. RYDER
Lt M.G. DOWLING                                    CH/X 1620 Sgt M.J. TAYLOR

This picture of me was taken while I was in Borneo. My service in the Royal Marines started in the april of 1947 and I went to pension june 1971,I joined HM Prison service, serving at Dartmoor, Exeter, and the Maze Prison Northern Ireland. I'm now retired and studying military history.
James Robinson February 2000

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