Malaya A.Milward 1951-52

Recollections of a surrendered Chinese
Communist Bandit, with whom I spent
many hours chatting to as he spoke
very good English and was very friendly.

I first asked him how he became involved
with the communist terrorists fighting
in the jungle, this was his story.

“ I was working at a tin min, but
became very unhappy, my boss made my
life a complete misery and I hated
every minute of every day.

One day a worker at the mine could
see how unhappy I was and said,
‘why don’t you join our comrades
in the jungle and help to drive
the British out of Malaya?’

He made it sound so exciting,
plenty of food, girls, a good time
and no nasty bosses. He talked me
into giving it a try, and arranged
with the bandits to come to the edge
of the jungle and take me into their
camp, deep in the jungle.

This was the biggest mistake of my
life! I had jumped out of the frying
pan into the fire. To start with,
everyone was starving, the only
woman belonged to the gang leader
who was very vicious and ordered
that anyone trying to leave the camp
would be shot.

I was now in a desperate state and
was trying to find a way out of the
mess I had put myself in. Eventually
I decided on a very risky plan, it
was to make myself seriously ill, as
I knew that a sick bandit was a
hindrance
to the rest of the gang.

I proceeded to eat berries that I
knew to be poisonous, and as a result
became very ill. The gang leader
instructed that I was to be taken to
the edge of the jungle, and I was to
make my way to the nearest village and
report to the local doctor who was
an undercover communist supporter,
but unknown to the police.

When I had been treated and returned
to health, I was to return to camp
in the jungle, but instead of going
to the doctor I gave myself up to the
police, who promptly passed me over
to the military. As soon as I was able
to do so, I lead a British patrol to
the bandit camp and an engagement
ensured. From that moment on I was
a condemned man, known to all the
local people including many undercover
communist supporters, and also the
bandit death squads who were there
to eliminate any police informers.

As a result, for my own safety, I
was given accommodation in a military
base camp and agreed to act as a
guide to lead the British troops to
the camps in the jungle that I had
visited while being with the bandits.

I was also asked if I would agree to
pick out any communist undercover
suspect villagers and rubber tappers,
from the safety of an armed troop
carrier. I fulfilled all the requests
of the military commands then was
given a new identity and safe passage
to a place of my choice”.

It so happened that the young bandit
when he regained his health, was
handed over to the 1st Btn Worcestershire
Reg, of which I was a regimental
signaller, attached to any jungle
patrol that required one.
The mission of the jungle patrol I
was with, was to assist the young
bandit in locating the camp deep in
the jungle where he had been a member
of a group of communist bandits.

He led the way through the jungle
until we were getting closer to the
camp, then handed over to our leading
scout, who was armed with a Bren light
machine gun.

The patrol lads were travelling light
so that they could move fast down the
narrow pig trail, while I had a 68
Wireless set with a heavy battery to
carry as well as my rifle and 50
rounds etc. Suddenly a burst of firing
came from the front of the patrol, and
I was left all alone as the lads raced
into the camp after the bandits.

I had no choice but to follow the path
into the camp which was empty apart
from at least five escape trails,
strewn with discarded weapons, packs
etc. As I was unable to help the lads
in their clash with the bandits, I
proceeded to explore what was in the
packs which was mainly items to help
them survive in the jungle. One pack
contained anti British propaganda,
which had been printed on a printing
press set up in a bandit camp somewhere
in the jungle.

I could not let an opportunity like
this pass unnoticed, as the leaflets
helped me to understand the reason for
my being stuck in the middle of the
Malayan jungle, more than 10,000 miles
from home and liable to be killed at
any moment! So I promptly acquired a
few samples of the leaflets to take
home if ever I made it.

I collected the rifle, ammunition,
packs and Japanese grenades etc together,
and waited for the lads of the patrol
to come back to the bandit camp, and
then return to our base camp.

It never ceases to amaze me when I think
back to that incident in the jungle
that I few days later I received a letter
from my mother with a clip from the
Sentinel Evening News describing the event that I
had just been involved in! The date was
Whit Sun June 1st and Whit Monday June
2nd 1952.

See copies of the actual documents taken
from the bandit packs after a skirmish
with our patrol.