Adventure with the SAS

This account is based on a five week attachment to the SAS involved in a large scale operation against Communist terrorists (CT's) living in deep jungle with the enforced support of aborigines in providing food from crops grown in forest clearings (ladang). Details were recorded at great length in a letter written to my parents in New Zealand a few days after returning to my base in Kuantan. I regarded it as a fine adventure at the time,especially after returning to the comfort f Kuantan,then a small town close to a delightful Cempedak beach fringed by forest with no sign of the age of tourism. During my time as Forest Officer,Pahang East (two districts) the long strip of coastline between Trengganu and Johore was relatively free from troubles with communist insurgents ,then called 'bandits' but visits to inland forests were made with armed patrols. From this relatively peaceful and pleasant life I was suddenly uprooted,starting with a call from the State Forest Officer in Kuala Lipis,then capital of Pahang State.I was told that I must go there immediately,reason unstated,but forest kit required. On arrival I was asked to see the British Adviser at his home and turned up in casual clothes to find a gathering of much better dressed folk at a party. The BA ushered me aside and asked if I would 'volunteer' for an assignment for a month or so as an interpreter for Malay speaking Iban trackers from Sarawak attached to the SAS and the aborigines (now known as Orang Asli )-original inhabitants- who practiced shifting agriculture in the hill forests of the proposed operating area. I was also to have a liaison role to determine the attitudes of the Orang Asli to the communist terrorists(CT's) and security forces. In such circumstances I had to say yes,although I would really have preferred to continue with the sufficiently exciting and interesting work of a District Forest Officer. As a person completely untrained in military matters and use of weapons,apart from practice with a Colt revolver and a first attempt to fire a Sten gun when it jammed - my only credentials for the assignment were fluency in Malay,some familiarity with Malayan forests and a reasonable degree of fitness.Under relatively 'safe' conditions I had found the virgin or primary forests,at least,as not only 'neutral' but positively enjoyable for it's interest and variety of plant and animal life (splendidly illustrated in "Wild Malaysia" by Gerald Cubitt,World Wildlife Fund 1990). The day after the meeting with the BA I was taken to a military store for the fairly standard experience of being handed jungle clothing that didn't fit;all boots were too small at size 7. However,I did obtain a hat with a flash,mess tins and a ground sheet and fortunately had my own suitable clothes. A well balanced and light American carbine was air-dropped for my use a few days later. The journey to base camp at Kuala Misong at the junction with the splendid Telom river was made with 2 Troops of B Squadron of the 22nd.SAS. The first part was a short trip by rail to Bukit Betong where a large gathering of Orang Asli greeted us exuberantly,presided over paternally by Howard Biles,a Protector of Aborigines,who had a fine house at the settlement. The Orang Asli had probably gathered to meet HH,the Sultan of Pahang who was expected on a visit with his retinue. The Orang Asli here cultivated maize,tapioca and other crops on the surrounding hills but were supplied with some food and medical aid by the Government and had been concentrated at Bukit Betong for security reasons,as at the relatively new jungle forts in more remote forests. The second step was by helicopter which took up to six persons and appeared door-less as we hung on to straps and looked out directly on to the forest canopy,a thrilling first experience for me. Fortunately,we weren't expected to drop by parachute into the massive tree crowns,an exercse carried out by the skilled parachutists of the SAS for a period,until casualties became too great. We landed at Fort Dixon,one of the chain of jungle forts referred to above,manned by police. I was part of 9 Troop but a Headquarters troop was also based at Kuala Misong. Not everyone was 'jungle fit'as attested on the two day walk with full kit to the base,mainly through secondary forest,the result of long periods of shifting cultivation by the Orang Asli. The Kuala Misong site was previously famous for the large animals( 'Big Game' of former times ) that visited the salt licks nearby ( earth and water impregnated with salt) and I think it was Hugh Clifford who related a tale of a man spending a terrifying night protected by buttresses of a large tree as a massive seladang (wild Ox )tried to attack him. The Telom valley is featured in an account of living with the Orang Asli (mainly Semai Senoi with some Temiar mixing) by the legendary anthropologist ,Pat Noone in the 1930's until his death with a blowpipe dart about 1943 in this area,and also by the legendary Col.Spencer Chapman during the Japanese occupation of Malaya.(The Jungle is Neutral,Spencer Chapman,Chatto and Windus,1949) I soon found out that the culture of the SAS provided for individuality and self help,and as a newcomer (an older one aged 28) need not expect assistance except in an emergency,especially with such mundane tasks as rigging a hammock on the first evening or two in the forest. Most of the troopers slept on ground sheets and after their initial reserve,I found I was accepted and we all became good friends. They were indeed a fine group of young men as Major Salmond termed them,nearly always cheerful and good humoured,tough and uncomplaining about the discomforts of jungle life. We all had great respect too,for the skills and characters of our three Iban trackers,given such names as 'Jack' and 'Neil'. The first patrol of part of 9 Troop was up the Telom valley and over the Bertam river on the eastern side of the main divide,no great distance from the Cameron Highlands. Our patrol consisted of 9 troopers,a 20 year old second lieutenent,3 Iban,4 Orang Asli as guide and carriers of wireless kit and myself behind the leading scout. This was the most eventful 'op' of 4 patrols and the results changed the whole pattern of operations over a wide area of SAS activities. We followed a well marked track along the valley of the Telom river,and in retrospect it seems remarkable we weren't ambushed by the C.T's who were camped nearby. Gurkha troops subsequently found a number of these camps on ridges and spurs above the river. We also heralded our arrival at Kuala Misong by using plastic explosives to fell large trees to form DZ's for supplies dropped by parachutes (some of which stuck in tree tops) and also to provide bridges over the river. When we reached a freshly felled tree, a log bridging the river, the young lieutenant suddenly took off up steep slopes,accompanied by only one Iban and a trooper,thinking that a CT had been seen. In their haste no explanation was given to the rest of us,but as the officer spoke little Malay I thought I should follow up as quickly as possible,without pack. Before catching up with the others I met an Orang Asli youth carrying a blowpipe and a quiver of poisoned darts. We were equally startled!.He would not respond to questions but led us later to his family 'longhouse' beside a ladang (clearing for crops etc.) situated at about 900m altitude with a fine crop of ripe maize and a splendid view of the Bertam valley. We could see some 20 large ladangs,some with crops planted roughly in lines as the Chinese do,whereas the Orang Asli plant or sow in apparent random fashion. Our Iban had seen hockey boot tracks,not CT's,but their fresh tracks on our dash up the hills,but we did come across a half built camp by a crop of Tapioca ready for harvest. We had seen similar tracks and bamboo cut witha saw by the river,so there were plenty of signs of CT's in the area patrolled. The longhouse was occupied by a family of seven and was very clean with numbers of cubicles,and glowing log fires on neat mounds of earth. Water was given to us in bamboo sections by one of the daughters in traditional dress,sarong only. Our interrogation brought no truthful information.The headman suggested we should visit a place on the other side of the valley and meet three other headmen. That location turned out to be the largest CT camp in the valley,occupied by up to 100 CT's,established there for over 3 years. On our return to the river we had crossed by the log bridge ,we found the rest of the Troop,who were understandably annoyed by the long wait to find out what had been going on. They had also discovered a fortified firing platform looking over the 'bridge',fortunately unmanned at the time of our visit. While some of us looked for a camping site nearby,the 3 Iban and Troop Officer walked towards the ladang to see if it was suitable for an airdrop,and a proposed gathering point for the local Orang Asli we hoped to meet. Moments later there was a fusillade of shots and the men near me dropped to the ground while I remained standing, an untrained response! The Iban had shot a well dressed courier near the broad path leading to the CT camp,the path was obscured from above by vegetation pulled over it(security from spotting aircraft). This episode and dramatic subsequent events,resulting in the apparent driving out of all CT's in the Telom Valley,are described in Dennis Holman's book,"Noone of the Ulu" published 5 years later. The CT killed had receipts indicating that he had recently been to Singapore. His papers indicated that the nearby camp could have been the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Malayan Communist Party,and possibly visited or lived in by Chin Peng,the Secretary General of the MCP. After the courier was stripped,he had mistaken the Iban for a CT comrade, the Iban then returned to the rest of the party with his well oiled Tommy gun. It was near nightfall so we had to abandon the chosen campsite and move to a steep slope above the river,but close to the CT camp. We couldn't make the usual preparations and spent a sleepless and uncomfortable night.I have a vivid memory of a partly erected hammock collapsing,between my changing clothes,and sliding down a rocky and muddy slope in torrential rain,before huddling under inadequate shelter for a 12 hour wait till dawn. Next morning was wet and misty and we tried to contact the HQ Troop,but our wireless batteries were damp and dead,so we had to return to base by a different route across the grain of the country,crossing the foaming torrent of the Bertam river and tributaries,on sloping logs and by linking arms and wading. After another wet and sleepless night we were thankful to arrive at a point on the Telom river where our Orang Asli and Iban could rapidly,and with great skill,construct two bamboo rafts so that we could complete what would have been a days journey on foot in an hour or so in the most exhilarating way,especially over the rapids! The troopers gave us a great welcome with more rum than cocoa in the mugs they handed to us. This was the first CT kill the SAS Squadron had in 12 months. The Kuala Misong quickly became a hive of activity with visits by the Brigadier,Colonels,Special Branch Officers,Press and Film agents etc. The newly appointed Adviser on Aborigines anthropologist Dick Noone (younger brother of Pat Noone)arrived at the base and soon gathered up 50 of the local Orang Asli who built a 'longhouse'.Dick advisedly kept apart from the rest of us as his job was to gain the confidence of the Orang Asli and win them over to support the Security Forces in place of the CTs. Our second patrol was to hills in the lower Bertam Valley where we found newly deserted long houses and huts amongst the numerous ladangs. The Orang Asli had obviously fled in fright ,feeeling the pressures of both the CT's and the SAS activities;the blasting of trees had terrified them! Following this patrol matters had been brewing up at base camp and we cleared secondary growth scrub in an old ladang to make a helicopter landing strip. For two days we then witnessed the massed transport of Gurkha troops by helicopter to the strip until some 500 had melted into the surrounding forest. The Gurkha's found twenty camps in the Telom Valley,and estimated some 400 CT's had left two days after the killing of the high ranking courier. Our next patrol lasted for 10 days with supplies air dropped on the 6th.day. We covered an area of primary forest to the east of the Misong river. We found no Orang Asli,old ladang or CT's,But tracks of many elephants and deer were found near 'salt licks' and the droppings of 'Serow' or goat antelope on the high limestone pinnacles, whist the whooping of gibbon apes echoed through the hills. At this time the Telom Valley was being flushed of CT's by the Gurkhas. Spencer Chapman noted in his book that he saw little evidence of animals in the Telom Valley despite living there for 18 months ,and thought this was due to long occupation by the Orang Asli.


	Adventure with the SAS An Adventure with the SAS in Northwest Pahang October / November 1953 by Tony Beveridge This account is based on a five week attachment to the SAS involved in a large scale operation against Communist terrorists (CT's) living in deep jungle with the enforced support of aborigines in providing food from crops grown in forest clearings (ladang). Details were recorded at great length in a letter written to my parents in New Zealand a few days after returning to my base in Kuantan. I regarded it as a fine adventure at the time,especially after returning to the comfort f Kuantan,then a small town close to a delightful Cempedak beach fringed by forest with no sign of the age of tourism. During my time as Forest Officer,Pahang East (two districts) the long strip of coastline between Trengganu and Johore was relatively free from troubles with communist insurgents ,then called 'bandits' but visits to inland forests were made with armed patrols. From this relatively peaceful and pleasant life I was suddenly uprooted,starting with a call from the State Forest Officer in Kuala Lipis,then capital of Pahang State.I was told that I must go there immediately,reason unstated,but forest kit required. On arrival I was asked to see the British Adviser at his home and turned up in casual clothes to find a gathering of much better dressed folk at a party. The BA ushered me aside and asked if I would 'volunteer' for an assignment for a month or so as an interpreter for Malay speaking Iban trackers from Sarawak attached to the SAS and the aborigines (now known as Orang Asli )-original inhabitants- who practiced shifting agriculture in the hill forests of the proposed operating area. I was also to have a liaison role to determine the attitudes of the Orang Asli to the communist terrorists(CT's) and security forces. In such circumstances I had to say yes,although I would really have preferred to continue with the sufficiently exciting and interesting work of a District Forest Officer. As a person completely untrained in military matters and use of weapons,apart from practice with a Colt revolver and a first attempt to fire a Sten gun when it jammed - my only credentials for the assignment were fluency in Malay,some familiarity with Malayan forests and a reasonable degree of fitness.Under relatively 'safe' conditions I had found the virgin or primary forests,at least,as not only 'neutral' but positively enjoyable for it's interest and variety of plant and animal life (splendidly illustrated in "Wild Malaysia" by Gerald Cubitt,World Wildlife Fund 1990). The day after the meeting with the BA I was taken to a military store for the fairly standard experience of being handed jungle clothing that didn't fit;all boots were too small at size 7. However,I did obtain a hat with a flash,mess tins and a ground sheet and fortunately had my own suitable clothes. A well balanced and light American carbine was air-dropped for my use a few days later. The journey to base camp at Kuala Misong at the junction with the splendid Telom river was made with 2 Troops of B Squadron of the 22nd.SAS. The first part was a short trip by rail to Bukit Betong where a large gathering of Orang Asli greeted us exuberantly,presided over paternally by Howard Biles,a Protector of Aborigines,who had a fine house at the settlement. The Orang Asli had probably gathered to meet HH,the Sultan of Pahang who was expected on a visit with his retinue. The Orang Asli here cultivated maize,tapioca and other crops on the surrounding hills but were supplied with some food and medical aid by the Government and had been concentrated at Bukit Betong for security reasons,as at the relatively new jungle forts in more remote forests. The second step was by helicopter which took up to six persons and appeared door-less as we hung on to straps and looked out directly on to the forest canopy,a thrilling first experience for me. Fortunately,we weren't expected to drop by parachute into the massive tree crowns,an exercse carried out by the skilled parachutists of the SAS for a period,until casualties became too great. We landed at Fort Dixon,one of the chain of jungle forts referred to above,manned by police. I was part of 9 Troop but a Headquarters troop was also based at Kuala Misong. Not everyone was 'jungle fit'as attested on the two day walk with full kit to the base,mainly through secondary forest,the result of long periods of shifting cultivation by the Orang Asli. The Kuala Misong site was previously famous for the large animals( 'Big Game' of former times ) that visited the salt licks nearby ( earth and water impregnated with salt) and I think it was Hugh Clifford who related a tale of a man spending a terrifying night protected by buttresses of a large tree as a massive seladang (wild Ox )tried to attack him. The Telom valley is featured in an account of living with the Orang Asli (mainly Semai Senoi with some Temiar mixing) by the legendary anthropologist ,Pat Noone in the 1930's until his death with a blowpipe dart about 1943 in this area,and also by the legendary Col.Spencer Chapman during the Japanese occupation of Malaya.(The Jungle is Neutral,Spencer Chapman,Chatto and Windus,1949) I soon found out that the culture of the SAS provided for individuality and self help,and as a newcomer (an older one aged 28) need not expect assistance except in an emergency,especially with such mundane tasks as rigging a hammock on the first evening or two in the forest. Most of the troopers slept on ground sheets and after their initial reserve,I found I was accepted and we all became good friends. They were indeed a fine group of young men as Major Salmond termed them,nearly always cheerful and good humoured,tough and uncomplaining about the discomforts of jungle life. We all had great respect too,for the skills and characters of our three Iban trackers,given such names as 'Jack' and 'Neil'. The first patrol of part of 9 Troop was up the Telom valley and over the Bertam river on the eastern side of the main divide,no great distance from the Cameron Highlands. Our patrol consisted of 9 troopers,a 20 year old second lieutenent,3 Iban,4 Orang Asli as guide and carriers of wireless kit and myself behind the leading scout. This was the most eventful 'op' of 4 patrols and the results changed the whole pattern of operations over a wide area of SAS activities. We followed a well marked track along the valley of the Telom river,and in retrospect it seems remarkable we weren't ambushed by the C.T's who were camped nearby. Gurkha troops subsequently found a number of these camps on ridges and spurs above the river. We also heralded our arrival at Kuala Misong by using plastic explosives to fell large trees to form DZ's for supplies dropped by parachutes (some of which stuck in tree tops) and also to provide bridges over the river. When we reached a freshly felled tree, a log bridging the river, the young lieutenant suddenly took off up steep slopes,accompanied by only one Iban and a trooper,thinking that a CT had been seen. In their haste no explanation was given to the rest of us,but as the officer spoke little Malay I thought I should follow up as quickly as possible,without pack. Before catching up with the others I met an Orang Asli youth carrying a blowpipe and a quiver of poisoned darts. We were equally startled!.He would not respond to questions but led us later to his family 'longhouse' beside a ladang (clearing for crops etc.) situated at about 900m altitude with a fine crop of ripe maize and a splendid view of the Bertam valley. We could see some 20 large ladangs,some with crops planted roughly in lines as the Chinese do,whereas the Orang Asli plant or sow in apparent random fashion. Our Iban had seen hockey boot tracks,not CT's,but their fresh tracks on our dash up the hills,but we did come across a half built camp by a crop of Tapioca ready for harvest. We had seen similar tracks and bamboo cut witha saw by the river,so there were plenty of signs of CT's in the area patrolled. The longhouse was occupied by a family of seven and was very clean with numbers of cubicles,and glowing log fires on neat mounds of earth. Water was given to us in bamboo sections by one of the daughters in traditional dress,sarong only. Our interrogation brought no truthful information.The headman suggested we should visit a place on the other side of the valley and meet three other headmen. That location turned out to be the largest CT camp in the valley,occupied by up to 100 CT's,established there for over 3 years. On our return to the river we had crossed by the log bridge ,we found the rest of the Troop,who were understandably annoyed by the long wait to find out what had been going on. They had also discovered a fortified firing platform looking over the 'bridge',fortunately unmanned at the time of our visit. While some of us looked for a camping site nearby,the 3 Iban and Troop Officer walked towards the ladang to see if it was suitable for an airdrop,and a proposed gathering point for the local Orang Asli we hoped to meet. Moments later there was a fusillade of shots and the men near me dropped to the ground while I remained standing, an untrained response! The Iban had shot a well dressed courier near the broad path leading to the CT camp,the path was obscured from above by vegetation pulled over it(security from spotting aircraft). This episode and dramatic subsequent events,resulting in the apparent driving out of all CT's in the Telom Valley,are described in Dennis Holman's book,"Noone of the Ulu" published 5 years later. The CT killed had receipts indicating that he had recently been to Singapore. His papers indicated that the nearby camp could have been the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Malayan Communist Party,and possibly visited or lived in by Chin Peng,the Secretary General of the MCP. After the courier was stripped,he had mistaken the Iban for a CT comrade, the Iban then returned to the rest of the party with his well oiled Tommy gun. It was near nightfall so we had to abandon the chosen campsite and move to a steep slope above the river,but close to the CT camp. We couldn't make the usual preparations and spent a sleepless and uncomfortable night.I have a vivid memory of a partly erected hammock collapsing,between my changing clothes,and sliding down a rocky and muddy slope in torrential rain,before huddling under inadequate shelter for a 12 hour wait till dawn. Next morning was wet and misty and we tried to contact the HQ Troop,but our wireless batteries were damp and dead,so we had to return to base by a different route across the grain of the country,crossing the foaming torrent of the Bertam river and tributaries,on sloping logs and by linking arms and wading. After another wet and sleepless night we were thankful to arrive at a point on the Telom river where our Orang Asli and Iban could rapidly,and with great skill,construct two bamboo rafts so that we could complete what would have been a days journey on foot in an hour or so in the most exhilarating way,especially over the rapids! The troopers gave us a great welcome with more rum than cocoa in the mugs they handed to us. This was the first CT kill the SAS Squadron had in 12 months. The Kuala Misong quickly became a hive of activity with visits by the Brigadier,Colonels,Special Branch Officers,Press and Film agents etc. The newly appointed Adviser on Aborigines anthropologist Dick Noone (younger brother of Pat Noone)arrived at the base and soon gathered up 50 of the local Orang Asli who built a 'longhouse'.Dick advisedly kept apart from the rest of us as his job was to gain the confidence of the Orang Asli and win them over to support the Security Forces in place of the CTs. Our second patrol was to hills in the lower Bertam Valley where we found newly deserted long houses and huts amongst the numerous ladangs. The Orang Asli had obviously fled in fright ,feeeling the pressures of both the CT's and the SAS activities;the blasting of trees had terrified them! Following this patrol matters had been brewing up at base camp and we cleared secondary growth scrub in an old ladang to make a helicopter landing strip. For two days we then witnessed the massed transport of Gurkha troops by helicopter to the strip until some 500 had melted into the surrounding forest. The Gurkha's found twenty camps in the Telom Valley,and estimated some 400 CT's had left two days after the killing of the high ranking courier. Our next patrol lasted for 10 days with supplies air dropped on the 6th.day. We covered an area of primary forest to the east of the Misong river. We found no Orang Asli,old ladang or CT's,But tracks of many elephants and deer were found near 'salt licks' and the droppings of 'Serow' or goat antelope on the high limestone pinnacles, whist the whooping of gibbon apes echoed through the hills. At this time the Telom Valley was being flushed of CT's by the Gurkhas. Spencer Chapman noted in his book that he saw little evidence of animals in the Telom Valley despite living there for 18 months ,and thought this was due to long occupation by the Orang Asli. Subsequent events of Operation 'Valiant' and further searches by Security Foces are outlined in the book 'Noone of the Ulu'. I met the three Iban trackers by chance in Kuala Lumpur some months later,they told me 'B' Sqdn.had made a number of successful ambushes,but not in the Telom. To contact Tony see ''Contacts"Page BACK / HOME