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My platoon was sent out to patrol a large area of secondary jungle. This is jungle where loggers have removed the giant trees, allowing new growth to fight for life. This made travelling very difficult as we had to constantly cut our way through. During the first day of the patrol, the leading scout was cutting his way through when his machete slipped and cut into his knee. It was a serious wound, and we were in a area that had no clearings for us to summon a helicopter to evacuate him. We were on a overgrown logging track, so I detailed a Corporal and two men to get him to the nearest road, as we could not terminate the operation. He made it to hospital, but we never saw him again as he was sent home to England.
The platoon was now sent to guard a Kampong (Village). There one day one of the sentries coming off duty told me that a Plantation Manager who was passing through, had asked about me. He said that he was going to the nearest town and would be coming back. I instructed all the sentries that when he returned, he was to be brought to me, as I did not think that I knew any planters. When he came, I was surprised to find that he was a Mr Munroe who had been one of Maurice’s Officers from Egypt. He had been to the town where Frankie was, and had quite a lot to drink on their reunion. I did my best to welcome him, and by the time he left, he was well and truly plastered. From our Kampong to his estate, he had to pass through a Malayan Police check point. I phoned them to advise of his coming and for them to let me know when he had passed through. 1 hour later as I had not heard, I phoned the police who told me that he had not got there. I got out the armoured car and went to see if I could find him. Quite some distance along the road there was a river and the original bridge that spanned it had been destroyed when the Japanese invaded. A temporary bridge had been built alongside and the road diverted on to it. Mr Munroe had missed the diversion and his car was on a sandbank in the middle of the river. There was blood on the steering wheel but no trace of him. I decided to go to the police check point to report what had happened. I found Mr Munroe staggering along the road, so I took him to his estate bungalow and made sure that he was alright. The next day, I got our transport people to get his car back on the road. I never saw him again.
By this time the Battalion had completed their three year stint in Malaya and were relieved by another Battalion allowing us to make that 6 week sea voyage to Blighty. We were sent to Bulford Camp on the Salisbury Plain. As there were married quarters available, my wife was able to join me. I was made Weapon Training Sergeant for the Battalion, which job I did until I was posted to the 7th Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment. They were a Territorial Battalion at Walsall, and I was to be the Permanent Staff Instructor of Support Company. This meant I was given the temporary rank of Company Sergeant-Major. Brand new married quarters were allocated to me, and I had to go to a Departmental Store in Wolverhampton to choose furniture. On the list of items I was to choose, was a full set of gardening implements. I did not have a square inch of garden as the grounds of the new territorial centre were looked after by a permanent gardener. I enjoyed the job, but after about 9 months my twelve years with the Army was completed, and because Eunice did not like the Army I decided to finish. Perhaps it would be a good idea to name all the Regiments that I served with.
General Service Corps., Royal Ulster Rifles., Royal Artillery., Leicestershire Regiment., Royal Warwickshire Regiment., Wiltshire Regiment., Manchester Regiment., South Staffordshire Regiment., Royal Army Ordnance Corps., Lincolnshire Regiment., North Staffordshire Regiment., The Mercian Brigade Depot., Worcestershire Regiment.,

Condensed Service Record

1943 Palace Barracks, Holywood, N.Ireland. Infantry Training 28th Trg Bn.
G.S.C., R.U.R.,
1944 Shoeburyness 6 pdr A/A Gun Training
Royal Artillery
1944 Crickhowell Wales Final Infantry Trg.
8th Bn Royal Warwicks
1944 France joined B.L.A. 5th Bn Wiltshire Regt.
1945 Germany wounded at Bedburg “
1945 Angle Camp Wales 8th Bn Manchester Regt
1946 Egypt 11th Bn South Staffs Regt
1946 Cyprus “
1946 Tel-El-Kebir, Egypt No 5 Base Ordnance Depot
Royal Army Ordnance Corps.
1947 Strensall, York. Leicestershire Regt
1947 Agra, India. 2nd Bn South Staffs Regt
1947 Palestine 1st Bn Lincolnshire Regt
1947 Camp 19/21 Fayid Egypt 1st Bn North Staffs Regt
1948 “ “
1949 “ “
1950 Whittington Barracks Lichfield Regt Depot (Recruit Instructor)
1951 “ “
1952 Malaya 1st Bn Worcestershire Regt
1953 “ “
1954 Bulford Camp “
1954 Walsall 7th (T.A) Bn South Staffs Regt
(Permanent Staff Instructor)
1955 “ “
1955 Demobilised

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