1950 - Far East Volunteer Unit
In July 1950 Peter Walls then a Lieutenant, was summoned to Army HQ to be told that the Southern Rhodesian army was going to recruit a Squadron of 100 men to be sent to Malaya - no less than 998 volunteered - to form part of a newly formed Regiment called the ‘Malayan Scouts’ commanded by Colonel “Mad Mike” Calvert. Col. Calvert, holder of no less than 13 wartime decorations, including the Distinguished Service Cross with three bars and the Military Cross with two bars and the Croix de Geure, amongst them. He had been a legendary member of General Ord Wingate’s Chindits in Burma, during the war and was an expert on jungle warfare. The unit would be known as THE SOUTHERN RHODESIA FAR EAST VOLUNTEER UNIT. Peter Walls was told to select an officer, whom he would like to have as his second in command and a nucleus of NCOs who would train the unit. He selected Don Campbell-Morrison, then a Lieutenant and a training team of WOII Mick Coutzee as SSM and yours truly as SQMS. Sgts Billy Conn, Pat Forbes, Clem Langton, Dudley Diedricks and Terry Dill-Russell and Cpls Eddie Poulton and Otto Ernst.
When training was completed, Peter Walls was promoted to Major, Don Campbell-Morrison to Capt. Mick Coetzee, Terry Dill-Russell were promoted to Lieutenants, along with two of the volunteers, Charles Pavlich and Don Webb. I was promoted to Squadron Sergeant Major and volunteers – Viv Johnson and Paul Eckhard promoted to Sergeant. Ron Reid-Daly, Neil Moran, Ossie Davies and Len O’Reilly were promoted to Corporal. Ron Reid-Daly was subsequently promoted to Troop Sgt of 11 Troop and I took over as 14 Troop Commander, a post I held until the end of our service with 22 SAS.
On 6th March 1951 the Squadron marched proudly through the city of Salisbury, headed by the band of the RAR. After a journey by train we arrived in Durban on 14th March 1951 and went aboard the KPM Liner Tegelburg. We had the honour of being serenaded by Durban’s world famous “Lady in White” - PERLA GIBSON, who had sung to every troopship and warship entering or departing from Durban during WWII. When we learnt later that our departure coincided with the anniversary of the day that her son had been killed Italy, we thought the gesture was even more wonderful.
The Squadron disembarked in Singapore and boarded the train which took us across the infamous Johore Causeway, the same Causeway, 10 years earlier, the Japanese had crossed when they captured Singapore. We eventually arrived in Kuala Lumpur after travelling through the jungle we would get to know so well, to our base at Dusun Tua, that Mike Calvert thought would suit his unit ideally.
A Squadron were out in the jungle in the Labis area, just about to complete a 3 month patrol, so there were only B Squadron and HQ Squadron blokes in the mess and where I first met my lifelong friend – Bob Bennett MM. Bob was SSM of B Squadron and a legend in his own right, having won his military medal in North Africa, whilst serving with 1 SAS under Col. David Stirling, the founder of the SAS.
Members of the Malayan Scouts were allowed to select whatever weapons they wanted to carry and Mike Calvert had access to any type of military equipment available. After a couple of months training in Bukit Jankau, the Regiment was sent down to Selarang Barracks in Changi, on Singapore Island, for parachute training. What is now the parade ground in Selarang Barracks is in fact the massed grave of some 3,000 Commonwealth POW.
While the Regiment was on re-training in Selarang, some members of B Squadron, who had been members of 1SAS under command of another legendary Col. Paddy Mayne, in North Africa, were sent on a re-evaluation course of parachute jumping. The reason being that during the war it was considered – due to the geographical position of Singapore and the rarefied density of the air – that this made it impossible to carry out parachute jumps safely. The Regiment carried out various types of experiments then all ex members of 1 and 2 SAS now serving in B Squadron did a refresher course in parachute jumping at Changi airfield. The whole exercise was considered a great success.
Ron Reid-Daly and Viv Johnson had reputations as being “hard men”. Quite often and usually at the weekend, we would all be sitting in the mess having a drink, when about 10 to 10.30 pm the telephone would ring. You could almost guarantee the call would be from Tong Sing’s café in Changi Village, where fighting had broken out between the Scots and the Irish and could Ron and Viv go down and help. A 3 ton truck would be commissioned and set off for Tong Sing’s café. They would then stand with their backs to the bar (Viv at 6’3” and 240 lbs) would call out ”You have two minutes to drink up and leave”. Those who knew better would do just that and make their way back to Barracks. Those who didn’t – well! If they decided to challenge these two, would usually end up on their backs whereupon Viv would grab the body by the neck of his tunic with one hand and by the seat of his pants with the other and with a heave and a swing, throw the man bodily into the back of the truck, whilst Ron meanwhile would be clearing out any other stragglers who dared to chance their arm. In no time fighting ceased and all was calm, the truck returned to the guardroom at Selarang and Ron and Viv would come back and finish their drinking - All in a day’s work!
After initial parachute training in Singapore the Regiment went to a new camp in Sungei Besi from where we carried out operational jumps into the jungle. There was a problem, the trees were so tall, the parachutes got caught up, it was difficult to reach the ground. Major Freddie Templar, Capt John Woodhouse, Capt (now Viscount) John Slim and a couple of members of B Squadron devised a harness to enable parachutists to get themselves free and lower themselves to the ground. It was a brilliant idea and worked well.
Off duty, the Squadron participated in all forms of sport, excelling in cricket, boxing, water polo (to a lesser degree, as only 10 of us played) and rugby. Our star boxers were Neil Moran, Benny Welensky, Wally Wermouth and Vic Visagie. The Regimental rugby side which included 12 Rhodesians, had beaten every other rugby side in Malaya, including the prestigious Singapore club side. We went on to win the Far East Land Forces Cup, beating the Royal Engineers from Hong Kong 9 – 6. The winning score coming from a blind drop kick from Dudley Diedricks. Dudley had played fly half for Rhodesia at the tender age of 19, when he joined the Staff Corps.
Mike (Tickey) McLoughlin
In September 1950 Mike Calvert visited Southern Rhodesia, to see how the Unit was progressing. After spending a couple of days watching the Unit under training, made the following comment.
“It is a great pleasure having these Rhodesians under my command. From now on, they will be known as
C (RHODESIA) SQUADRON, MALAYAN SCOUTS, 22 SAS”