The Virgin Soldiers
By Ian Polley

By the time my Regiment, 1st Queens R.R. arrived in Malaya the "emergency" had been going on for over 5 years. During that time the security forces had been able to perfect their tactics regarding patrols and ambushes. I would think most regiments during the time I am writing about, conducted their operations in a similar manner as my company. The Malayan Conflict was considered a junior Officer and N.C.O. affair, as they were the individuals who led the troops in the jungles. The operations in Malaya were conducted in a different manner than conventional military tactics of the time. In Malaya we were posted in Company Bases and were considerable distances from our other Companies. Each Company would liaise with the local Police Intelligence Units and as a result would plan their operations against the terrorists. Most patrols were of four day duration, mostly of platoon strength. Patrols of longer duration would usually have to be supplied by airdrops. As a platoon was detailed for a patrol, the members would begin preparing their equipment and receiving their rations. Each individual would receive four box's of rations; each box contained a days ration of food for one man for one day. The individual would take what he wanted from these boxes and then augment with dried soup and rice. Each man cooked his own food; it was amazing how proficient they became with army "compo" rations. These rations were, like all compo rations, boring, However they were a marked improvement from the rations issued in earlier days. As one was preparing his equipment, he would also pack an extra uniform, (jungle greens) including a pair of runners. This enabled one to sleep dry at night (hopefully). Each man made up his own list of what he wanted to carry on a patrol. It didn't take too long to know what was necessary for one's survival and well being. Since the radio operator was carrying his radio and heavy battery his entrenching tool and rations were distributed among the others of the patrol. A NCO carried the rum ration and anti-malaria pills. The rum was issued at stand-to at night and the malaria pill was issued at stand-to in the morning. NCO's also carried a map of the area to be patrolled, sometimes the maps were not too detailed and were mostly plain paper with blue lines indicating streams.

On the day of a patrol, reveille would be at 3.am, with breakfast about a half-hour later. The patrol would board transportation between 4.30am and 5am. They would then be driven to a drop off point on the highway, usually beside a rubber plantation. They would then proceed through the rubber plantation to the jungle edge and await daylight. The reason for this early deployment was to be in the jungle before the rubber tappers were aware of our presence in the area and therefore couldn't pass on that information to the C.T.s (terrorists). As it became light we would move from the edge of the jungle proceeding deeper into the jungle.

There were trails made by wild animals, but most of the time we had to make our own paths if it was virgin jungle. Sometimes there were patches where trees had been logged but the jungle was growing back and repairing the scars. At times the undergrowth was tough going which not only was time consuming; but it was hard and tiring work. A lot of patrols proceeded from the jungle edge with the use of a compass bearing, because of the density and the height of the trees and undergrowth it was almost impossible to find landmarks with which to orient oneself. With all these trials and tribulations the patrol would proceed to an area where we set up a base an heave a sigh of relief. Distances covered varied with the terrain and jungle that had to be traversed, sometimes a six hour march would cover 3 or 4 miles, others, would cover less. With a bit of luck we would arrive at the base around 3 to 4 p.m. Hopefully before the rain started, which it invariably did every day. Members would pair up, and would be assigned a site. The platoon, in pairs, would form a circle and setup their "bashas" (lean-to), everyone facing out. One man would use his ground sheet to lay on the ground; the second man would use his as the shelter to keep the rain off. They would then set up their housekeeping. In the meantime sentries had been assigned. The radio operator would set up his equipment, asking for a compass bearing for his antenna.

A latrine pit would be dug and a sentry post, usually a limb of a tree tied to two supports creating a seat of sorts. Lengths of vine would be cut, this was used as a boundary marker. No one went outside this line after dark. With all this activity going on the men were also finding time to replenish their water supply and also have a wash down, which included removing leeches. These worm-like creatures were a nuisance more than anything else . If they were not removed in their entirety they could cause ulcers where their heads remained under the skin. The usual way to remove these leeches was to either pour salt on them or place a lighted cigarette near them; they would recoil at this and could be picked off. If one tried to pull them off the heads would break off, leaving the head below the skin. At this time most men changed into their dry clothing. The clothing they wore during the day was soaked with sweat. In the humidity of the tropics there was no chance of this clothing drying overnight. It was usually spread out over bushes at night with the hope that it wouldn't rain. Washing and bathing were performed down stream from where the water for drinking was taken. The toilet pit was also down stream. These details became second nature after a couple of patrols.

As the camp began to take shape, the men would begin preparing their meals. The meals were cooked by "Tommy Cookers" (solid fuel tablets) As mentioned earlier, they became quite adept at concocting meals that bore no resemblance to the rations they had been issued. Curry powder was a favorite condiment to add to most meals, another favorite was to save part of the rice one cooked and make a rice pudding for dessert, rice, sugar, condensed milk and jam.

After their meal and having cleaned up, they would make either a cup of tea or use part of a chocolate bar and make hot chocolate. By this time, it would be getting close to dark and time for stand-to. In the tropics it was dark shortly after 6pm. At stand-to every man would go to the vine barrier where they remained until the platoon leader had visited them. At this time they were issued a tot of rum, in most cases this was poured into their mug of tea or chocolate. They were then stood down.

The sentries were detailed for the night. Things then settled down except for the mosquitoes and other bugs of the night. At first light, about 6am, we would again, "stand to" this was also a good time to take the anti malaria pill, and watch out for  potential attackers hoping to catch us drowsy. After the "stand to", preparations were made to make breakfast and prepare for the coming day. After breakfast and a wash and shave, (not always compulsory) it would be time to change back into the clothes that had been worn the previous day, which were usually wet and clammy. Squads of 4 or 5 men were now detailed for patrols which would leave the base on compass bearings and fan out like the spokes of a wheel.

A junior NCO led these small patrols. They were searching for any indications of terrorist activity. As reported earlier, patrols were as a result of intelligence received from police. The small patrol would stay on their compass bearing for about 4 hours; the distance being covered depended on the density of the jungle. After 4 hours the patrol would return to base on a back bearing. If the patrol veered from their compass bearings they could easily miss their base and quite easily run into one of the other patrols with catastrophic results. Visibility, in the jungle as a rule is limited, at times down to few feet or yards at the most, causing a lot of nervousness amongst the troops who may be inclined to get "trigger happy".

This would be the procedure for two days within a 360 degrees area from the base having been covered on foot. On the fourth day, after destroying any foodstuffs that we had not consumed, the camp would be struck, and the patrol would return to the jungle edge through the rubber plantation to await transportation. Time of pick-up was usually arranged before the patrol had begun the operation, any changes to this would be radioed to H.Q's the day before or earlier on the day of pick-up.

Radio communication was always iffy in the tropics, due mostly to atmospherics. It should be noted that most days started off bright and clear, with radio transmissions quiet good, by about three p.m. the weather would close in, usually accompanied by heavy rain, making radio communication just about impossible. After the rain, on most days, the weather would clear up. On a personal note, I recall having to be evacuated by helicopter, unfortunately, we were unable to make radio contact with our company H.Q. until late in the evening, I had to spend an uncomfortable night awaiting evacuation the next day.

Upon return to the company base and debriefing, it would be time to replace worn out equipment and uniforms (a set of jungle greens, uniform, may last two patrols before the fell apart). The patrol would be excused all duties that evening and most of the next day, however, there would be a kit and weapon inspection about mid-morning. Depending on what other platoons were in camp there may be another night without guard duty, however, this was not too often. As a rule there was always at least one platoon out on a patrol or an ambush. Guard duty would be assigned for 6 p.m. until about 7am, that detail was also the immediate response team for 24 hrs. As the name implies they were on immediate standby for any eventually.

Rest periods between patrols were about three or four days. There was no social life, as most of the country was under martial law, with dawn to dusk curfew. Recreation, what there was of it, consisted of platoon going into a local town for an afternoon and returning to camp around 6 p.m. These forays were very infrequent. Most companies had a NAAFI, which supplied the usual material that they were known for. This included soap, toothpaste, note paper, envelopes, soft drinks and beer. The latter being quite a big seller. Drinking beer appeared to be the main social event during the evenings. Occasionally, the Army Cinema Corporation would arrive and there would be a movie show for the evening, again, they were quite infrequent. The foregoing is a short description of how we lived in Malaya during the Emergency. In short, it was tedious and boring, with a few periods of action to break up the monotony.

We are extremely grateful to Ian for taking time to tell us what it was like under the Green Canopy in Malaya