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| 16 Field Ambulance Malaya |
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| Malayan Kris badge |
| Gurkha crossed Kukris emblem we were part of the 2/7th Gurkhas Group |
| Yours truly on the right |
| We were only informed where we were serving when we docked at Singapore. Travel up country to Kualar Lumpur was by the night mail train. Our rifles were loaded and it was a most uncomfortable journey, we sat on hard wooden seats and took turns at guard duty outside the carriage on the caboose. The ulu (jungle) was only a few feet away and what with the slow speed of the train it was pretty scary for us being sprogs and also being outside the carriage on guard, we just did not know how the situation was with the terrorists, we had been warned before boarding the train that it was a target for bandits. One memory that has always stayed with me was when the train stopped just outside Johore Bahru, in the darkness the echoing sound of Jo Stafford could be heard singing "it is no secret what god can do" it seemed strangly out of place in that part of the world. |
| Wardieburn camp was where 16 Field Ambulance was based. It was about ten miles north of KL (kualar lumpur) Penang,also in the camp were two infantry battalions i.e The Royal West Kents (in which my brother was serving as a regular) and The Suffolk Regiment who would later be credited with the highest number of kills. ( In July 2003 I met up with a member the Suffolks who served during the same period as me, so lots to talk about!) The Somerset Light Infrantry took over from the Suffolks...they were swiftly called "The Crunchie Boys" due to the number of that particular sweet bar they used to buy in the N.A.F.F.I. Many consider that because the R.A.M.C were non-combatant they were not armed. Well I can say that we were! Everyone had a 303 MK V Rifle and were trained also to fire Sten & Bren guns. Whilst on the two week night mail train between KL & Singapore, I wore a Smith & Wesson 38 revolver and 5 bullets! The Sten was an unreliable weapon and was not liked by the sqauddies. It was said that the total cost to make one was 7/6 (in real money) |
| It was only a few weeks later that I was sent on detachment to Bentong which is about a couple of hours drive from Wardieburn Camp. The section I joined were attached to the 1st Battalian of the Kings African Rifles. The camp consisted of a couple of tents where we lived, these were in a pretty poor condition and the sound of rats could be heard at night on top of the inner canvas. There was also a mess tent & kitchen. Our medical duties was to man the C.R.S that stood in front of the civilian hospital. This consisted of two floors with the ward on the first floor. The C.R.S (casualty receiving station) was outside the town and nothing could go in or out of Bentong after dusk as the barriers came down, so you were left rather isolated . It was here that I fell asleep on duty, was charged and R.T.U. (returned to unit) However our Commanding Officer Lt Col Conway decided that it was understandable bearing in mind that when I was trying to sleep during the day, the K.A.R Battalion were on the firing range not far from my tent! |
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| Click the map for details of Bentong today |
| Between Kualar Lumpur and Bentong was The Gap....we knew it as The Bentong Gap. This was considered a dangerous area and the possibility of ambush was high. It was one way traffic and all traffic had to drive in convoy with armed escorts. No one could travel at night and the entry both at the top & bottom was controlled by gates... which it still is....,travel up the Gap is on even hours and downward travel is on the odd hours. Obviously one way traffic only, except at night these days when it's two way.. On the morning that I returned to unit we were the first convoy going down, it comprised of three vehicles, a jeep carrying two sergeants, I have no idea where they came from, our Ambulance, carrying me and the driver and bringing up the rear a scout car from the kings African Rifles. As we came round a bend we we were stopped by a tree across the road, for a moment we just sat there..then the penny dropped that this could be an ambush and we jumped out on the drop side facing the jungle covered slope opposite. We had had no bad weather so it we didn't think the tree fell by itself, the jungle of the facing slope was thick and could have been hiding an army! After some minutes the two sergeants broke cover and examined the tree which was eventually cleared. I honestly think that it was intended as an ambush, whether they had gone or changed their minds.... seeing that it was an Ambulance that was being escorted...I don't know. Another suggestion put forward was that because we were only three vehicles in the convoy, therefore when we stopped, all three vehicles were together, and the scout car was well armed with twin Brens therefore the bandits....if they were still there...may have had second thoughts! |
| For pics, visit my gallery. |
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| The background music playing is The Malayan National Anthem, however when I served out there this was very popular commercial song which was played on the radio all the time ...when the song was chosen to be the National Anthem it was barred from being played or sung as a popular song again.. |
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| This is Rex Poultney who was the NCO at the Bentong section, we have made contact again after50 years! |
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| The hub of our's and other camps 'The Charwallah' Those Chip & Egg Banjo's couldn't be beat! But I wonder why the 'on the slate' book' had so many Walt Disney charactors? |