The search for Valetta VX491 which crashed on 22 Aug 1957 near Tanjong Malim, Malaya.
Valetta VX491 left Kuala Lumpur airfield on its sortie to drop surrender leaflets in the jungle near Tanjong Malim, in the Cameron Highlands of Malaya, during this operation the pilot informed the despatcher crew commander that he was turning into a different valley, then he rang the alarm bell and told the crew to get into their seats, this quick action was to save the despatch crew as the plane went into a hillside.
A search of the area was organised by 656 Army Air Squadron,based at Ipoh, they searched the area using Austers, on finding the crash site location, rescue teams were called into action, at this time I was on detatchment at RAF Changi, I was a L/cpl in charge of transport, this detatchment of 55 Coy RASC AD was for training RAF pilots to drop supplies in the jungle, on recieving a phone call about the crash Sgt Jack Dalton told me to go to the RAF Armoury and sign out the special pack that was stored there for such an emergency, this pack contained equipment and explosives needed to clear the jungle in order for a helicopter to land, we took the pack to the airfield and put it on a plane that was loading up with rescue personnel.
Being on detatchment from the main unit at RAF KL I heard very little of the story of the rescue episode, but in Jan 1958 I returned to our main unit, my new job was as an air despatcher in Kemar platoon, one day packing the next day flying, I made a few enquiries about the crash rescue, three of the survivors were still at the unit, one had been returned to England,but nobody talked of the crash, it was always on your mind, on every flight you made, in all I completed 60 flights then moved to working in the cookhouse as it was nearing my demob time, this enabled me to start very early and finish early, then to the RAF swimming pool, I returned home on the SS Nevassa Sept 58.
Then nearly 50 years later.
I was contacted by a lady in Wantage, Rosanna Webb, she had seen my story on Britains Small Wars of my time as a National Serviceman in Malaya , this had photos of Changi on it, she informed me that she had been given a lot of photos with Changi written on the back, as they were of paras and jungle survival would I like them, some were of a plane crash in the jungle, the date on the back was 27 Aug 1957, I realised that they were of VX491, I managed to contact Alf Downes and Ernie Roe and sent them copies of the photos, my OC, Colonel LBA Thacker, also has copies and he kindly wrote a letter to me which I have included in this story. with paper cuttings and report of the episode from the survivors I have been able to, at long last, to tell the full story.
Norman W Doctor.
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