https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...03/malay-1.jpg
Printable View
By the looks of it my Malayan #5 truly can be called a (Jungle Carbine)! Even though it is a "rifle, #5 Mk1".
These blokes were called them Sarawak Rangers and they were the Iban tribes that were used as trackers. There were about 20 attached to the battalions but when I was there in the mid 60's they were still around but only used during exercises and tracking the remaining bandits that were up in the black areas of North Malaya along the Thai border, at Grik, Kroh and Sungei Siput North and if I remeber correctly, at a place called Alor Star. They had No5's and big Savage or Remington shotguns or occasionally Owens/AR15's later
I haven't got a clue who'se wing they came under, whether it was the Police, the Army or ....., maybe they were under the control of the Malay Army. I seem to recall that the KSLI, the last British Infantry left Malaya in 1968. So much for some saying that the No5 had been withdrawn by then. There were hundreds of them still in the system.
I've got a picture in a book somewhere labeled to the effect: "Iban scouts and their British Officer prior to going on patrol" The locals are armed with #5s and Brens, the Brit has a U.S. M1 carbine. I'll see if I can find it and post it.