This is a slightly blurry photo of my late father Maurice "Tommy" Tucker. It is one of the few photos he wrote any dates on. On the reverse it says "Taken in Tampin. Malaya, March 1952. Can anyone ID the Div sign on his arm? The only thing I could find near it was 40th Infantry Division but the Cockerel is facing the other way. Cheers Kevin
I have some pics in a book of 1 Wilts in Hong Kong with that badge. Also some Glosters at 40 Div leave centre , Hong Kong wearing it. as drew says, badges for either arm to make cockeral face the front. see pics on this thread on another forum. The British 40th Infantry Division of 1949. - Gentleman's Military Interest Club
I remember a book I had many years ago "The Argylls In Korea" had a photo of Sgt Major Paddy Boyd of the 1st Argylls, in his olive green summer combat uniform (shirtsleeves order), having a laugh with a wee Korean kid whose admiring his wrist-strap with Sgt Major's badge on it. Very clearly you can see the cockerel formation patch on his upper sleeves, just like the photos above. I think the Argylls arrived at Pusan from Hong Kong on HMS Ceylon wearing the insignia, which was the 40th Div, but later adopted the triangular insignia with the three "9's" of the 27th Commonwealth Brigade.
40 Inf Div was stationed in Hong Kong, but 26 Gurkha Brigade was sent from 40 Div to Malaya and probably wore the 40 Div sign at least until they got round to changing it. In addition, personnel from Hong Kong would attend courses in Singapore and Malaya which could account for that pic. Chris
40 Inf Div was stationed in Hong Kong, but 26 Gurkha Brigade was sent from 40 Div to Malaya and probably wore the 40 Div sign at least until they got round to changing it. In addition, personnel from Hong Kong would attend courses in Singapore and Malaya which could account for that pic. Chris Chris, My father was with 25 Field Regiment when he was sent to Malaya. Initially they were used as Infantry until their CO found out. I don't think 12 months in the jungle, fighting along with the Gurkha's was hardly a course.
Yes. part of 25 Fd Regt from 40 Div in Hong Kong replaced 26 Fd Regt (48 Gurkha Bde) in April 1951. Who knows what sign they would have worn for how long! Just after my father's regiment went there, though into 18 Inf Bde. They'd obviously got their guns back before your third pic! Chris
Yes. part of 25 Fd Regt from 40 Div in Hong Kong replaced 26 Fd Regt (48 Gurkha Bde) in April 1951. Who knows what sign they would have worn for how long! Just after my father's regiment went there, though into 18 Inf Bde. They'd obviously got their guns back before your third pic! Chris Hello Chris, On the back of the third photo it says:- B1 Gun Crew Taken on the Spring Manouvres 1953 A couple more photos. Yes that is who you think it is presenting thestaff to my father when he was in the Army Apprentice School. The Gurkha and the motorcycle photos were taken in Hong Kong. The Battery photo I am not sure of it could be Malaya or Hong Kong. But they still have the 40th Infantry Division Cockerel on their sleeve.
More on this topic from a Kiwi here: http://www.riv.co.nz/rnza/tales/ross1.htm And potentially here: http://library.perdana.org.my/Digital_Content/ROB/Set_mun/29599.pdf
Hi Charley, Today over a my Mums house I found some of my late father's papers including his Regular Army Certificate of Service. In the back is the list of dates and countries and when he was posted there. Now I can confirm his period of service in Malaya. Farelf/Hong Kong 31/7/50 - 26/7/51 Malaya 27/7/51 - 18/6/52 Hong Kong 19/6/52 - 9/8/53 Also while in Malta 2/6/55 - 17/4/57 he spent just over a month in Tripoli 17/11/56 - 27/12/56. This seems odd, why would he have gone there for 6 weeks? Cheers Kevin
Kevin, Good to hear from you. The dates you've found are revealing. I've just checked the information we managed to dig up last time and I find I wrote the following: Combining those earlier sources, if you were to check them (and assuming they are accurate), you should be able to deduce which battery your father was with: the regiment comprised 35, 54 and 93 Fld Btys. 54 Bty went to Malaya first at the end of Sept '50 and then were replaced in July '51 by 93 Bty. If your father has a date for transfer to Malaya other than those two, he'll almost certainly be a member of 35 Bty. Which means that if he was indeed with 35-bty (you have him in a photo with their swimming team), he had transfered to 93-bty before July '51 when that battery replaced 54-bty as infantillery with the Gurkhas. Perhaps you've worked this out already and I'm prattling away for no reason! Finally, although my grandfather was with 54-bty in Hong Kong/Malaya, he did a short stint on Cyprus with an HQ unit - basically guard duty and driving. Pure speculation, but perhaps something similar explains your father's short stay in Tripoli. I know I mentioned getting onto the Royal Artillery people for more details, but I haven't done a thing in that direction. Apologies, it's still on the list - i got lost in 1944.
Some material on Royal Artillery (and 25 Fd Regt specifically) in this text: http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/cgsc/carl/download/csipubs/ArtOfWar_BiggestStick.pdf
For the record--and the benefit of other researchers--the following files that pertain to 25 Field Regt's time in Hong Kong and Malaya are are available from the National Archives: Reference: WO 305/57 Description: 25 Field Regiment Date: 1950 Apr - 1956 Apr [108 Pages] Extracted from this master file are two appendices for 54 (Maharjapore) bty and 93 (Le Cateau) bty's successive times in Malaya when they were detached from the regiment. 54-bty arrived in Malaya on 1 Oct 1950 and departed 27 July 1951. 93-bty replaced them, arriving on 1 Aug 51. 93-bty was due to be replaced in turn by 35-bty, but the rotation was canceled owing to a shortage of NCOs and 93-bty's operational commitments in Malaya. Reference: WO 305/98 Description: 54 (Maharajpore) Field Battery Date: 1950 Oct - 1951 July [4 Pages] Reference: WO 305/107 Description: 93 Field Battery Date: 1951 Aug - 1954 Mar [Length Unknown] There is a lot of useful information about 93-bty's later time ('55-'57) in Malaya here: 25th Field Regiment in Malaya When 54-bty arrived in Malaya they were attached to 26 Field Regt (16, 17 & 159-Btys) who had been in the theatre for some years. The diary for the period of attachment is this: Reference: WO 305/58 Description: 26 Field Regiment Date: 1950 Apr - 1952 Apr [Length Unknown] The following two files may also contain further relevant material on the situation in Hong Kong, but I have yet to view them: Reference: WO 268/290 Description: 40 Infantry Division H.Q. R.A. Date: 1949 July-Dec. Reference: WO 268/291 Description: 40 Infantry Division H.Q. R.A. Date: 1950 Jan.-Mar. Also, an interesting academic thesis is available here: An Operational Analysis of the Emergency in Malaya 1948-54 by Henry John Coates https://www.google.co.kr/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=11&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwip7b_NvvzTAhUROrwKHQopDiA4ChAWCCQwAA&url=https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/111073/2/b12926139_Coates_Henry_John.pdf&usg=AFQjCNGffy01jS2Wu2sxc5oWUfVzYuHL6A&sig2=lEs1TqNONjVxl1M4tEsslg Speech from Templer near the start--he sounds pretty tough.
BBC Radio 4 programme entitled 'Bandits - The Anti-terrorist War in the Malayan Jungle'. Charles Allen recalls the period of the Malayan emergency, 1948-1956 [weird sound problems end very soon] Last Tales From The South China Seas : 5 - Bandits: The Anti-Terrorist War In The Malayan Jungle 1948-1956 (10363)
Website (with photo gallery) and publication here by a former member of 26 Fd Regt R.A. FROM GUNNER TO INFANTRYMAN | MALAYA 1948
A twenty-six page chapter which is thick with information from strategy to small-unit tactics. Registration needed to download, but may be read online: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE ON LIGHT INFANTRY, THE MALAYAN EMERGENCY, PART 7 OF 12 | Ambush | Infantry