208 (COMWEL) SQUADRON (INFANTRY BRIGADE GROUP)

EXTRACTS FROM THE WIRE –

FEBRUARY 1969 - DECEMBER 69/JANUARY 1970

208 (Comwel) Squadron

(Malacca, Malaya)

 

FEBRUARY/MARCH 1969

Going "Down Under"

Exercise "Coral Sands" held in Australia in October afforded the opportunity for a few of the Squadron to go ‘down under’. The Second-in-Command. Captain Bob Cook, foresook his communicators mantle and acted as a staff officer and watch keeper on the control ship LSL Sir Galahad. A radio relay team under Sgt. Foster, were put ashore at Shoalwater Bay and provided a small but vital link in the control communications.

In November, with the annual inspection behind us, the whole Brigade moved out of Terendak for a fortnight’s practice camp on Exercise ‘Darling Point’. Each battalion was given an area of operations to carry out Battalion training and exercises, the co-ordination and allotment of supporting arms and air support being carried out by the Brigade HQ, using normal forward communications. The area chosen was on the Negri Sembilan-Pahang border, round Triang and Bahau, a part of Malaya not usually used for exercises. This gave us some new country to communicate over, and the radio crews plenty of scope for intelligent siting.

After a week’s respite we were out on Exercise ‘Nerve Centre 8’ on Asahan ranges where in conjunction with JWB, FEAF, a joint forces headquarters was established. At the time of going to press, our strength for this will be 43 officers and 180 rank and file.

Departures

The end of the year seems to be a favourite posting time – the thought of a move to UK, coupled with a drop in temperature of something in excess of 50% is enough to put anyone off. In the Squadron there are some major changes. Command once more reverts to Australia, in the shape of Major Richard Twiss, who comes to us from the Australian Staff College. Major Colin Gilbert, the last British OC hands over on the 7th January and moves to Warminster as an instructor at the Junior Division of the Staff College. We wish him and Mrs. Gilbert every good fortune in their new appointment and thank them for all they have done for the Squadron in the past two years.

Other departures include Sgt. Morray Foster, to 12th Infantry Brigade; Sgt. Sam Rollings to the Parachute Brigade; Sgt. John MacPhail, the D&E Platoon Sgt. To 522 Company RPC and Sgt. ‘Doc’ Judd to an Indonesian language course in Australia.

DECEMBER/JANUARY 1969 - 1970

DISBANDONMENT OF A UNIQUE SIGNAL SQUADRON

It is with sadness that we send in this last report to The Wire from 28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade. We have now commenced a run-down of personnel and equipment prior to disbandonment in early 1970, and by the time this report is published the unit will consist of only a small rear party concerned in the hand over of Terendak Camp to the Malaysian Army.

This unique, tri-national Signal Squadron will thus soon cease to be and with it will vanish what has been a valuable opportunity for Royal Signals and Royal Australian Signals to work together in a nationally integrated field force unit. This report there fore marks the end of a Squadron – some might say the end of an era, and we have thought it fitting to precede the notes on Squadron activities during these last months by a short history of the unit from it’s formation in 1955.

An exciting and active 14 years

28the Commonwealth Infantry Brigade Group Signal Squadron was formed at Butterworth, Malaya, on 1st October 1955. It composed both Royal Signals and Royal Australian Signals personnel, with the first OC provided by the Royal Signals. The UK members of the Squadron came from 35 Infantry Brigade Group Signal Squadron which disbanded on 30th September 1955.

The newly formed Squadron was immediately heavily involved in support of operations against Communist terrorists, Malaya still being in a state of emergency. During these operations the distances between Companies and Platoons were unusually large and communication relied heavily on the skills of the telegraph operator. The squadron devoted a lot of time to training operators, including Regimental, Home Guard and Police Signallers, to morse speeds higher than those usually required within a Brigade. In recognition of its help to the civilian administration the squadron was presented with a plaque by the State of Perak.

In June of 1957, 208 (Commonwealth) Signal Squadron, as it was now called, moved from Butterworth to Taiping and there it remained until December 1961 when it moved south to the newly completed camp Terendak in Malacca. The squadron has remained based in Terendak and has retained its tri-national composition. Officers Commanding and Seconds-in-Command have alternated between Royal Signals and Royal Australian Signals, and the national components have remained at approximately 60% UK and 40% Australian.

28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade was involved in several operations during the confrontation with Indonesia, many landings taking place on the Malacca coast. Exercises have always been frequent and arduous and have taken the Squadron all over the Malay Peninsula, on several visits to Thailand, to Borneo and as far afield as Australia.

The unit was integrated with HQ 28th Brigade in April 1966. The amalgamation of Brigade HQ with its associated Signal Squadron was anew concept to the Australian and New Zealand elements of the HQ and the Squadron but the transition was smoothly made and the unit became, under an Australian OC the present 28th Brigade HQ and Signal Squadron.

The last year of the Squadron’s existence has not been undistinguished. Exercise "Crowning Glory" in March was a difficult, fast moving joint exercise which earned the unit the accolade of " best joint communications ever in theatre". In the final Commonwealth Week in September, the squadron did better than ever before, in spite of the loss of some fifty men on run-down. The unit won more than any other minor unit competing, gaining three Brigade Trophies – for hockey, volleyball and golf and coming runners-up to the 14th Light Regiment RA in the sailing. Three awards were also won in the Drive master Rally.

Sixty members of the Squadron joined contingents from all Brigade Units for the farewell Beating of the Retreat of 28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade in Terendak on 30th September. On this occasion Lt. General Sir Peter Hunt. KCB, DSO, OBE, the Army Commander, reminded those present that 28th Brigade, as the direct heir and successor of the great Commonwealth Division in Korea, had made a unique for itself by its efficiency and fighting qualities and by the tremendous example of comradeship it had shown. 28th Brigade and HQ & Signal Squadron was one of the few units within 28th Brigade which integrated the national components right down to Troop level. The "Brit" and the "Aussie" worked together at all levels and both came to know and respect the other. The mixing had produced efficient, tough and successful soldiers and we hope that the future will bring us a similar chance to serve again together.

Notes from around the Squadron

What follows below are extracts from a deluge of contributions for the last Wire notes. We hope that they give you some idea of what life has been like in Terendak during these last six months.

The Alpha Troop rally

After the rigours of Exercise "Crowning Glory" in March there came a brief lull while our Australian hierarchy tried to work out something to do with the Troop that did not interfere too much with cricket. They came up with a ‘Round Malaysia Radio Rally’ controlled from Terendak by the cricket team. The idea was sound; to send 11 radio detachments to various parts of the country, from which they had to make radio contact with Terendak. Unfortunately, control of the rally turned out to be rather loose and the "war stories" were unusually rich and varied. For example, one of the detachments, that of Sgt Ken Swadling, Royal Australian Signals, and Sig Tony Wilson-Wardle, got lost for many hours in Kuala Lumpur trying, they said, to find the local information centre (massage parlour) to get directions to find the check point. This entry was finally eliminated by a timber lorry not far from KL.

Mechanical breakdowns in remote spots far up the east coast also bedevilled many competitors. As the main road route alongside the beautiful white sand beaches is not all that bad the reasons for the breakdowns remains a mystery. The problems were accentuated by a high incidence of radio faults, which meant a delay of several days in words of the crews’ whereabouts reaching Terendak.

The winner of the rally was Cpl. Brian Cox with L/Col Ron Allen and Sig Davy Brown in his crew. An all Australian crew led by Cpl. "Bluey" Strahan was a close second. It was a lot better than work…

Highlands and curfews

We were in the Cameron Highlands in May, enjoying the cool and pretending to enjoy the training, when communal troubles started in KL. As luck would have it some detachments had left the Camerons to return to Terendak on 13th May, the day that rioting broke out. Sig Taff Butler and Steve Hurst had a few exciting and bewildering moments moving through unofficial road blocks in KL at 6pm. They later found out that the worst riots broke out at 6.30pm! The main party had to remain in the Camerons Highlands for several days to collect together a convoy of service families and other civilians caught in the area by curfews and other controls imposed immediately after the troubles. The unit finally left for Terendak escorting a large convoy of civilians bound for points south as far as Singapore. The journey was uneventful although extensive damage was visible in the capital and Army and Police road blocks were much in evidence.

We then moved into a time of curfews - for a short period these lasted all day and then were relaxed to 12 hours a day (from 6pm to 6am) for several weeks. The bars in the Evergreens really felt the pinch and the loss of night life began to be very irksome. After sometime the curfew hours were relaxed until, at the time of writing, curfew times are only from 2a to 4am in Malacca.

Wallabies jumping in the mud

The final Brigade Exercise "Jumping Wallaby" was nearly cancelled with the continuing curfews and controls. In fact it was off and on about three times before, luck being out, it was on. It lasted 17 days, it rained incessantly and the mud was deep and thick. Y of S Bill Leech and his men, in their dug-in comcen, became proficient schnorkellers, if little else, while L/Cpl Tom Witherington , who is not very tall. Was lost for several hours in the mud trying to lay his lines.

Tempers occasionally frayed in the rain. The Squadron Second-in-Command, Captian Bob Cook (of endeavouring fame!) was reminded by a Kiwi with frequency problems that co-operation was expected as they had eaten the last chap with his name – he gave him the whole assignment.

The Exercise ended with a smoker. "A" Troop’s act undoubtedly stole the show with active versions of "Songs my Mother Never Taught Me". The stage almost collapsed to the cavortings of Lt. Bob Smith (Royal Australian Signals) five little boys. Y of S Bill Leech gave us the last end of his old cigar before RHE and retirement, and even the Squadron Officers sang a dramatic song which flopped. It is rumoured that a Squadron Officer also produced the underground newspaper which appeared on the exercise – The Labis Advertiser and Male. Certainly the SIB have been seen doing business around SHQ.

Special Mention

At a time when everyone is leaving we cannot pay proper tribute to all who are going. So a few special mentions will have to suffice.

First, mention must be made of the QM, Captain David Neale and his trusty aide, RQMS Harry Meakins. Each accompanies the other everywhere – though whether to present a united front or because they don’t trust each other is not clear. Both stay until March 1970 to see the last nut, bolt and brick away. It is to be hoped that they will still be just good friends by then. Certainly the RQMS’s golf should improve still further and it’s rumoured that the QM is to take up badminton and run the wives club.

Second mention to the super sportsman: Lt. Bob Smith, Australian Signals, and his cricket team for winning the 17 Division trophy.; to Sig. Jim Lucas who played excellent cricket for Malacca State; to Cpl Jeff Tidiman and Cpl. Norry Brett who played football for Brigade and State; to Sgt. Tony Parker and his volleyball squad for winning the Commonwealth Week Volleyball against allcomers; and finally to Captain Ren Hinton, RA Signals for his splendid captaining of our unbeaten hockey team.

Final mention must be a farewell to the OC, Major Dick Twiss RA Signals, who leaves before disbandment to take up an appointment in Singapore – just in time to get down to planning for the big exercise in 1970. In the words of a politician, "nobody owes you a living, you’ve got to go out and work for it".

Perhaps this last is a fitting thought to end on as we all leave gentle Terendak for the harsh worlds of elsewhere, Vietnam or Germany could never be like this……