Month: March 2021

Biggest Military Exercise at Kota Belud

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Bismillah. In January the first contingent or British Army troops, 2nd battalion of the 7th Duke of Edinburgh’s Own Gurkha rifles arrived for training in the Kota Belud Training Area. This open country in the west Coast Residency provides a training area without parallel for Forces stationed in Far East and indeed, the only area in the region in which training in open warfare can be undertaken. More training exercises place later in the year. In one of these a section of the North Borneo Police Mobile Force joined in training with the Army.

In another, in October military force combined with naval personnel in a joint Army/Navy exercise. The Aircraft carrier H.M.S. Bulwark transported troops of the 2/2 Gurkha Rifles from Singapore to the coast off Kota Belud whence they were landed by helicopter and beach landing craft to undertake a series of exercise in the training area before re-embarkation. An Invitation by the Captain of H.M.S. “Bulwark” to two of the leading Native Chiefs to visit the aircraft carrier by helicopter and various social activities by the Gurkha created a very friendly atmosphere.

Throughout the year work on the establishment or the Camp area proceeded. There have inevitably been teething troubles arising from the land requirement of the Army but except for one period of short duration. relations between the local people and the troops posted to the area have been generally good. In this respect two striking examples of goodwill on the part of soldiers in the area deserved to be mentioned. The first was the spontaneous effort of a small group of Australians from No. 11 Independent Field Squadron. Royal Engineers. Who organised a collection of £A400 between them on behalf of a local twelve year old blind boy in Kota Belud. Although the treatment which the boy was able to receive could not restore his sight, the balance of the funds was invested in land and buffaloes to be of the permanent benefit to him.

NOTES: 1959, 61 at coast west Kota Belud (Usukan Bay) and Kudat

 24 SHIPS OF SEATO NATIONS CONVEYING 3,000 TROOPS. UNITED STATES MARINES AND BRITISH SHERWOOD FORESTERS COMING TOGETHER IN A SEATO EXERCISE FOR THE FIRST TIME.

According to Britishpathe “Pony Express”, began May 1 when a squadron of helicopters took off from the British Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS ‘Bulwark’ and landed Royal Marines of the 42nd Commando on the beach at Kota Belud, North Borneo. Operating a shuttle service between beach and carrier, the helicopters landed 500 British and Australian troops. These were quickly joined by U.S. Marines brought in by helicopters from the US carrier ‘Thetis Bay’. After the beaches had been ‘secured’, more troops and supplies were ferried ashore efficiently by landing craft. Nearly 20,000 naval personnel, 6,000 assault troops, 81 ships, fighters and bombers from Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the USA, are taking part in “Pony Express”, which was designed to illustrate how quickly member nations would come to the aid of the ally.

Credits:

British Pathe and North Borneo annual report.

This Guy Built Hall and Cooper Memorial at Tamparuli

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Bismillah.

The two soldiers from The Royal Army Service Corps and The Royal Army Medical Corps. The Bodies of Pte’s Hall & Cooper from the River.

On the 18th May 1960, two Army personnel, a driver and a medical assistant, were assisting in transporting a seriously ill native woman from kampung Sayap to hospital in Jesselton from Kota Belud, and on reaching Tamparuli bridge found the river in floods and the water a few feet above the level of the bridge.

The need to take their patient to hospital was very urgent so they attempted to cross the flooded river but their ambulance(LandRover) was swept off the bridge and both the soldiers and the native women lost their lives.

A public subscription is being raised by the people of the villages concerned for the purpose of erecting a memorial to commemorate the bravery of the soldiers.

Norm Jagger is the one who built this very monument after the tragedy. Info from Sapper Anthony, He have discovered that the memorial at the end of the bridge to Hall & Cooper at Tamparuli was officially commemorated on 6 Sept 1961.

Thanks to Sapper Hank Lawerence Ex 11 Independent Field Squadron RE on his Website. The Bodies of Pte’s Hall & Cooper from the River of TUARAN (Tragedy of Tamparuli on May 18th 1960), Their name are written on the wall.

Location: National Memorial Arboretum Alrewas Staffordshire – Anthony Catherall.

Hall dived in to see if he could save anyone. Sadly, they were all drowned.

 

I have been to the National Memorial Arboretum several times and seen this memorial, it is a truly wonderful place to visit set in 135 acres in Staffordshire. In April 2017 I was asked to officiate at the ceremony when the 11 Indep Fld Sqn RE plaque was placed in the Far East section of the Aboretum – Ex Sapper Anthony

Photo copyrighted by Ex Sapper Hank Lawerence.

Lest We Forget – Malaya and Borneo

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Bismillah. From Hank Sapper Hank Lawrence. Seen on 11 Independent Field Squadron Royal Engineer who served in Malaya and Borneo (Kota Belud). This photo from Ray Lambert (1954 – 1957).
We should never forget the Allied and Axis forces, Malaysian Army, the Sabahan Rangers, and our all our ancestors who defended our country when the Japanese invaded in WW2, and the Malay Emergency and Indonesia confrontation.
Soldiers from various Units and Squadrons that were based in Malaya and Borneo. Royal Engineers were working hard in Malaya (Malaysia) to regenerate our country after being invaded by the Japanese in WW2.
They say and it’s true, that every photograph tells a story. ANDAINYA KITA TERLUPA, LEST WE FORGET.

Sejarah Jambatan Tamparuli 1930

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Bismillah. Lagenda dan sejarah permikiran manusia berilmu.

Berapa lama lagi jambatan ini boleh bertahan? Tidak ada siapa yang tahu namun besar harapan penduduk sekitar dan daerah serta bandar yang menyambungkan jalan perhubungan ke Tamparuli supaya ia terus kukuh untuk kemudahan perhubungan. Jambatan yang berusia hampir 100 tahun, jika berlaku banjir, air banjir hampir simpang jalan kiulu (berdekatan dengan pintu gate), sebab kenapa? Itu adalah saiz lebar sebenar sungai pada lokasi jambatan ini dibina.

Timbunan tanah dan tebing yang kita nampak hari ini (sebelum sampai jambatan dari simpang kiulu) itu semua adalah tanah tambun(timbunan tanah + batu kelikir dan dalamnya ada batu gobian. Kawasan ini yang akan selalu runtuh akibat kesan hakisan dan tekanan kelajuan air. Ini mengakibatkan jalan seringkali rosak. Sehingga hari ini jambatan ini tetap kukuh walaupun dilanda banjir besar dan bebanan yang dihanyutkan oleh air dari hulu. Ada yang percaya seorang gadis menjadi korban atas permintaan hantu air(Tombuakar) menyebabkan jambatan ini tetap kukuh dan tidak lagi runtuh dan rosak sehinggalah kehari ini.

PERSOALAN:-

Adakah korban nyawa ini menyebabkan jambatan 100% kukuh hingga hari ini? Kawasan yang selalu runtuh dan rosak disebabkan banjir adalah timbunan tanah dan jalan kearah jambatan tersebut dan bukannya jambatan konkret yang rosak atau dihanyutkan ketika banjir besar. Itu adalah POINT penting ketika jambatan ini dibina oleh jurutera british suatu ketika dahulu. Namun kepercayaan orang tua dahulu kala lebih kepada semangat alam ghaib, benar! kita tidak boleh menafikan istilah dan pemahaman orang dulu sangat kuat dengan kuasa mistik kerana kehidupan mereka tidak boleh dipisahkan dengan kepercayaan seperti ini. Namun kaedah sains dan dari segi pemikiran manusia yang mahir, kreatif, inovatif tidak boleh diketepikan sehingga wujudnya jambatan yang dibina hampir 100 tahun yang lalu.

Sebelum jambatan ini dibina, kajian dan ujian terlebih dahulu telah banyak kali dilakukan untuk mengetahui beberapa perkara seperti dibawah.

1. Isi padu air
2. Kederasan(kelajuan) air.
3. Bahan sampingan yang dibawa arus.
4. Ketahanan bebanan jambatan.
5. Jenis bahan yang digunakan untuk membina jambatan.
6. Kedalaman tiang konkret dan cerukuk besi.

..dan apabila perkara diatas telah diteliti dan diperhalusi serta dipersetujui oleh jurutera yang membinanya maka pemilihan bahan pasti juga yang terbaik pada ketika itu.

Semua telah pun diambil kira dari nombor perkara 1 – 6, ini kerana jika siap dibina nanti adakah ia mampu bertahan atau tidak dan seperti yang kita lihat hari ini hasilnya ia memang tetap kukuh. Realitinya, tidak semestinya kita perlu bersandarkan pada lagenda atau mitos semata-mata tetapi sains, kemahiran dan teknologi dari manusia juga perlu dititikberatkan.