Royal
Artillery Borneo 1966
By
Major David Bushell
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for
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Major David Bushel joined the army in 1951 as a boy soldier, age 14 years and 6 months. He joined the Royal Artillery and on passing out joined the 16th Independent Parachute Brigade as gunner in the 33rd Field Artillery, 97 Battery. At 18 he was offered a place at Officers' School, which for very good reasons he rejected. He served in most of Britain's small wars from 1955 to the 1970s. After a while he was offered, and accepted, a place in an Officers' School and passed out as a 2nd lieutenant, but he soon rose to the rank of Major, commanding some of the first atomic rockets in Germany under British control. After being out of the country for 12 years, Dave resigned his commission for a bit of family life. |
We deployed to Sarawak in Borneo and split into single and two gun positions close to the borders throughout the campaign. All movement was by helicopter and there were several heavy lift helicopters. Guns were stripped down and transported in pieces and it took 16 lifts to transport one gun, its ammo, and crew. The base positions were dug out with overhead cover and sleeping accommodation was designed as a fire position for local defence.
Aerial view of camp |
Aerial view of camp |
Four different types of helicopters all on the fire base |
Aerial view of camp |
The camp |
Aerial view of camp |
Bowen bunker Nearly ready for action |
Bowen bunker in action |
Our area of operations was very mountainous covered in mainly secondary jungle. In places the bamboo was so thick that 1,000 yards a day was good going.
Map of LZ 319 Click to enlarge |
Every night the guns were loaded and laid in defence of the next position. Defensive fire was adjusted to fall within area perimeters. I started with a single gun at Pang Ammo which flanked Plamman Mappu where the Para's repelled a serious attack. I then moved to Padawan, a two gun position, further back from the borders in support of 1/10 & 2/7 Ghurkha Rifles. For these operations we moved one gun forward to the border with the infantry and the second gun stayed in base to support the forward position.
Gun Drill |
More Gun drill |
Guns in action |
Gun Drill |
Supporting fire for the Ghurkha's |
The forward helicopter pads were clearings cut in the jungle and the cut down trees formed the landing platform. One position [2F] was on a knife edge ridge with cut down trees forming a firing platform. This was several thousand feet above the helicopter pad and was a long, hard carry to get the gun and ammo into position. The gun was so high that all the targets were fired at with barrel depressed.
Local jungle trail |
Helicopter |
Crashed Helicopter |
Belverdere helicopter flying over head |
Infantry clearing LZ watched by gunners |
Helicopter LZ 319 for OP for Batter 129 |
It was very hot and humid with torrential rain every night. We were continually wet and skin disorders were a problem compounded by leeches and nasty water borne diseases.
The
infantry were rotated every three months, but we stayed for the duration.
I never saw any other part of the Regiment until we assembled at Kunching
Airport to return home at the end of the confrontation.
This
was my second independent command.
Ghurkhas having a drink on the Artillery camp mess |
Dave on the right of picture |
Ghurha's attached to the camp |
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