Sgt. Hamilton describes a most enjoyable trip "Down Under".

The last two months of 1967 saw the Squadron out of Terendak Camp, carrying out training of a non-signal nature. The two periods of camp on the West Coast, near Pangkor Island gave opportunities for half the Squadron to combine 28 OFP in jungle training, watermanship and general physical fitness. This was followed by a ten day ‘change of air’ in the Cameron Highlands. Brigade Exercise proper start in January, and we have a busy year ahead.

At the latter end of the year we were subjected to the annual CIV, Telecommunications Inspection, and all the other inconveniences of UEI. Now that these are over, the MTO has given us back our vehicles and the Foreman allows us to use our radios.

Recently 1 KSLI carried out some training in Australia, and Sgt. Hamilton and Cpl. Friend, of the Squadron, were attached to the Battalion for 2 months. The following is an expurgated extract from their report on their trip ‘down under’.

"The Battalion was to take past in Exercise ‘Piping Shrike’, the aim of which was to exercise 3 RAR in preparation for their tour in Vietnam. 1 KSLI were to act as ‘enemy’.

We joined the Battalion prior to their departure on the 4^th September, and moved to Singapore by train there to embark on LSL Sir Lancelot. Visions of the old troop ships were quickly dispelled when we saw our accommodation. The ship was air-conditioned throughout with cabin accommodation for all.

Leaving Singapore on the 5^th September we crossed the Equator at 03.00hrs on 6^th September. The voyage took 10 days, through the Java Sea, Timor Straits and Coral Sea, taking in Borneo, Bali, Timor, Thursday Island and finally Cape York and the Great Barrier Reef. There was plenty to do on board ship, and time past quickly.

Dust 2ft Deep

After docking at Port Alma, Queensland, on 15^th September, we were ferried to Shoalwater Bay to the exercise training area. It is about 50 miles square, with terrain very similar to that found in Malaysia, except for the hazards of ‘Bull Dust’ which covered the area, in some places 2ft deep.

While the Battalion prepared the enemy positions, we were detached to Rockhampton with a detachment from 1^st (Aust) Division Signal Regiment. We were soon at work, Cpl Friend on the PMG Teleprinter circuit, direct to Brisbane, and myself (Sgt. Hamilton) working forward on SR C11 FSK and CW.

Ten Wonderful Days in Brisbane

At the conclusion of the exercise, in which the Battalion earned high praise, we left Shoalwater Bay for Brisbane on 9^th October, where 1^st KSLI were to prepare for a ceremonial march through the city. We were given ten days leave and saw most of the sights of Brisbane, including the Lone Pine Kuala Bear Sanctuary. The people of Brisbane were overwhelming with their hospitality. We visited 129 Signal Squadron ‘Jimmy Club’ and were entertained by an ex member of our Squadron, Sgt. Elford. All good things have to come to an end, and we finally embarked on Sir Lancelot for the return to Malaysia, loaded with kangaroo skins, boomerangs and didjeridoos.

A well deserved win

Yet another sporting trophy is in the Squadron’s possession. This latest is the 17^th Division Minor Units Hockey Championships, which the Squadron won by beating 3 Squadron, 17^th Gurkha Signal Regiment 1 – 0 in the final, held at Terendak. It was a good clean and hard fought game, the winning goal coming in the second half from Cpl. Friend from a good pass from Cpl. Manderson.

The team under the coaching of Captain Barnes, has had a very successful season and richly deserve this championship. This is a truly integrated team, captained by the GSM WO1 Collins, and containing five Royal Signals and one Royal Australian Signals, two RAOC, one REME and one Gunner from the Brigade flight. Our picture show the team after the match. Tired, hot but obviously pleased with their efforts.

Off to Thailand

The 1968 training season opened with Exercise ‘Nerve Centre V1’. One in a series CPX’s aimed at testing the Brigade communications, or to break the Brigade Signal Squadron Commander’s spirit. Although only lasting a few days, the Squadron is now well aware of what it is like to deploy at night in the jungle. By the time this article goes to press, half the Squadron will be in Thailand taking part in a large SEATO CPX more about this in the next issue. Just before Christmas the Unit held a barbecue and raffle, the proceeds of which were aimed at helping a local hospital. Five hundred Malayan dollars were raised and a tape recorder was bought for the Tanjong Kling Orthopaedic Home and a presentation was made to the matron; Sgt. Rollings collected a box of toys, and these were distributed to the children.

Coming and Going

We welcome Captain Cook and his family from the School of Signals to command "A" Troop. No mercy is shown nowadays; he was out on exercise with six days of arriving in Terendak. Captain Collins our Australian Second-in-Command, has just returned from a months tour with 1 ATF South Vietnam.

Two Hundred miles by road, embarking on the ISL Bedevere. A three day voyage to Sattahip in the Gulf of Siam, a six hundred mile convoy – this was the itinerary of the Squadron when it took part in SEATO Exercise "Ramasoon" in Thailand during February and March. Every vehicle made the final exercise location and all the equipment worked on arrival. A true test of both man and machine.

So many times SEATO exercises have been planned but never come to fruition but at last we were really there and with the River Mekong a matter of half a mile away from our HQ.

Our camp which was strictly non tactical was sited next to an American Airforce radar station, Camp Viking, who afforded us many facilities, such as showers, fresh water and the use of their clubs. There is now a firm affiliation between the Commonwealth Brigade and Camp Viking demonstrated by the placing of a Squadron plaque in their Club. One noticed a considerable difference in head-gear. Americans wearing "hats floppy ridiculous mark V" and Commonwealth heads topped by Texan style and baseball hats.

In the fist period of the exercise we spent ten days near Camp Viking on the edge of their airstrip. The climate was quite different from Malaysia, very hot during the day and cool at night with no humidity. It did become cold enough one day for most of us to wear sweaters.

As is usual on such exercises we had our usual share of visitors to the exercise; The most important was that of the SO in C accompanied by CSO FARELF. He flew in by Scout helicopter and spent some two hours with the Squadron, seeing it really at work in the field.

At the end of the first period the Brigade HQ and Signal Squadron had to redeploy to a new location some 100 miles away. Here our facilities were not so good – a bare piece of scrub, very hot and very dusty. In this part of the exercise we came under command of Anzuk Division and this Lt. Col Brian Adams, Royal Australian Signals, became our CR Signals. Being a Commonwealth unit we found no problems in working with the Australian Regiment – we even found we spoke the same language.

The exercise was deemed successful from the Squadrons point of view – all communications worked extremely well. On 17^th March the long return journey began. First of all by road to Sattahip, embarking this time on the ISL, Sir. Lancelot, with the smaller vehicles whilst the three-tonners were put aboard LCT. The ISL party arrived back in Terendak on 22^nd March, having been away for just five weeks. There is just time now to shake off the dust of Thailand out of our gear and ourselves, run through all the equipment and load up again for our next field training, Exercise "All Black" the Brigade Practice Camp, which will keep us away for a further three weeks. Life certainly isn’t dull in the Commonwealth Brigade.

 RSM goes to UK

We were fortunate in being able to send our Australian RSM WO1 Rooney to UK for RSM’s convention in March. From all accounts much Whitbread flowed and we await his return and his impressions of Pommy Land with interest.

Hail and Farewell

Commonwealth Week

I have deliberately held my pen in order to report on a great annual event that takes place in this Brigade, namely Commonwealth Week. I am sure that there is no parallel in any other formation in the British Army. A short explanation of it’s inception and content is necessary before describing this year’s week.

In 1966 the Brigade Commander Brigadier (now Major General0 TDH McMeekin, inaugurated a week of "Sporting and social activities in which as many soldiers and their families could participate". Whilst this may not be an accurate paraphrase of his aim, it does, in essence, contain the essential ingredients of his concept. Like Topsy this kind of venture grows and grows, and the year 1968 promised to be bigger and better than the two previous years, significantly so, since this will probably be the last year when this unique formation will be at it’s full strength.

Very Wide Sporting Activities

The main part of this week is, of course the sporting side. Some fifteen different sports were competed for at Squadron/Company/Battery, in most cases; some sub-units put in two teams for an event, so that on average there were 24 teams challenging for the titles. The sports covered were six-a-side soccer, seven-a-side rugby, six-a-side hockey, cricket, swimming, cross-country running, sailing, golf, basketball, volleyball, badminton, tennis, squash and tug-of-war. The finale was the combined Brigade and 17^th Division athletics meeting. Additional side events were introduced in an angling competition, a concord motor rally, free-fall parachuting and ladies .22 shooting. Add to this catalogue band performances, a Maori concert party, a families day equipment demonstration, two special matches at soccer and hockey against Malacca State sides, cocktail parties, club social functions and an art exhibition, and the reader can imagine an organisers nightmare. Inevitable there were clashes that even the organiser could not account for. During the cricket semi-final, the freefall parachutists were landing some distance away on the same padang. The wind, however, accounted for one amusing incident. A wicket had just fallen and at that moment a wayward parachutist was seen to be descending within the boundary. A wag on the field shouted up at him "’urry up mate, you’re next in".

I should now, at this stage, become more parochial and report this Squadron’s participation in this week. From our strength of 27 officers (this includes the Brigade staff) and 180 men, we entered teams in every sporting event, and were represented in some way in all the side events. Naturally one would like to put the best teams in to each event, and the result is a time and motion study to get the athletes from one game to another, invariably a completely different sport, in sufficient time.

After early dismissal in the rugby, cricket, badminton, squash, tennis and basketball we went on to claim quite a few successes. We were winners of the volleyball beating "D" Company, 8RAR; runners up in the sailing, by two and a half points, to 8RAR; runners up in the inter unit golf handicap; runners up in the Brigade Minor Units athletics by only one point, and reached the semi finals of the 100 stone tug-of-war and the quarter finals of the soccer and hockey. We did, incidentally win the angling competition, and had the individual champion angler in Sig. Robinson, but one could hardly mention this in the same breath as the more strenuous events. On the families side, our Wives Club did extremely well to produce two teams in the .22 rifle shooting and came second and third in the "A" and "B" Divisions.

Mention should be made

It is always invidious to pick out names, as inevitably someone will be forgotten. Mention should be made however of RQMS WRD Clarke and Sig. T. Drury RA Signals, who finished up as overall winners of the four ball best ball net competition in the golf. Cpls. Tidiman, Maguire and Campbell played a tremendous part in playing some three or four sports each.

During the week we did do some communicating – control communications throughout the Garrison PA Systems everywhere, deployed by F of S Hillier, and of course, a Signals stand at the Families Day, where amongst other equipment, we had a R234 producing page copy of AP, UP and Rueter.