Starting with the first chap, Brigadier Christopher Bullock, who was then a Major commanding a company in 2/2 King Edward's Own Gurkha Rifles. He describes an Operation Kingdom Come (14-23 Aug '65) that involved enacting an ambush near the onomatopoeically named town of Babang Baba in the Indonesian Kalimantan.
Can anyone describe what Ikan Bilis was like, and how was it eaten (i.e. fried, boiled, smothered in mustard ...)? The rum thing is obviously a Gurkha thing, but has anyone else come across the marmite remedy?..dispensed with heavy army tin rations and lived on a diet of sardines, dry biscuits, rice and a form of dried sprat known as 'Ikan Bilis'. This we bought from the contractor in Lundu. We also carried one bottle of rum per man, a Gurkha custom determinedly retained, and a large jar of marmite per seven men to ward off the vitamin deficiency disease known as Beri Beri.
The second source is from *name edited by Admin*, who served as a Naval Rating on the HMS Wilkieston.
Does anyone recall such an incident? The only thing that I can potentially tally with this, is the rumour concerning an SAS trooper called Terry Condon. He also mentions about seven patrol boats based at Kuching, that are converted LCAs. He goes on to say that they were manned by eight man crews, some of which were RN and others RM, with all naval personnel wearing jungle greens and blue berets. Did anyone here serve on one these, or even get to travel on one? Concerning R&R, *name edited by Admin* mentions the Britannia Club in Singapore situated next to the famous Raffles Hotel. What was the place like, i.e. a posh affair, or a dive with a fight every night?2nd April 1964. As you know Kuching and the rest of the country is infested with allied troops. Gurkhas, Malayan soldiers, pongos and bootnecks swarm the place. I observed a juniour NLO [Naval Liason Officer] accompanied by a bootneck making their way on board. I recognised the bootneck as one who was on the Sheffield, he was interested in photography and stated that he was about to undertake an RM photography course just before I flew out here... He is now a marine snaps and accompanies the bootnecks in their jungle patrols at a safe distance. He has been photographing all the dead bodies of the terrorists and our own for identification. You remember reading in the papers about a missing pongo? Well he photographed a mutilated body tied to a tree. he had been tortured with his hands tied behind his back and then shot through the back of the head. The body was recognisable except that it was a white person. It's certainly a small Navy.
Regards and thanks in advance for any and all help with this!
Pasha
