No.5 MK1 in Malaya.

[Peter Laidler]

Off topic but great pics of the era. We were always armed when out of the clean areas of course. Like HoH says, the place and time just didn't lkend itself to pictures and photos! Once you got further than 100 yards from the main roads and the rubber plantations, you were pretty well in a permanent green phosphorescent-like half light. The= recovery crew were obviously in the pineapple plantations and going through them would just rip your OG trousers to shreds in minutes and those deep monsoon ditches were full of everything you could imagine. From what was politely called 'night soil' to snakes. You might not have noticed the Bren in the cupola mount on top of the Saracen and the fact that the Scammell has sand tracks ( a rubberised set of tracks called 'hush-puppies') around the rear drive wheel set. Without them, on that ground and you'd have lost the Scammell too.

Even further off topic, some heavy vehicles such as the heavy old Saracen simply couldn't be recovered and I know of one that toppled over into a small ravine. They looked at it and from the road about 20 or so feet above, even using rightangle pulley blocks and winches, it was a lost cause............... So the still serviceable wheel station assemblies were removed/recovered as were the useful bits. The thing was destroyed with a couple of cutting charges and it's probably still there! Same as a Landrover put down in a bit of emergency/hurry in a small jungle clearing. Too dangerous to re-lift so that was just left too!

[Time Bandit]

Right, here are the last few pics that I have scanned from Malaya. When I took the album to scan the pics a few years back I was talking to my dad about them, usual stuff, who, what ,why and when and all that and what he did say was that they all swopped their pics around so half these pics were probably taken by someone else and half my old man's will be in someone else's album somewhere so I guess I'll never get to see those ones...which is a bit of a shame!

Anyhow I hope you enjoy seeing these!

[Time Bandit]

Some more...

[Time Bandit]

Last ones...

I know my dad didn't take these pictures, not sure who did but I've seen others from the scene before on the internet, these were got when the pics were swopped around. I 'think' the old man might of been there though, or at least members of his unit were anyhow as he did tell me the story about the accident...which once again I've forgotten! Whatever the tale, here's some pics...

[Bruce_in_Oz]

Daimler Dingo: 1

Civvie car: nil.

[Peter Laidler]

Badford QL in the background in some of the top photos. Strangley. it has a wire mesh 'canopy'. That was an anti-riot thing as I seem to remember.

First and last photos, bottom set, is a locally made/converted wheeled armoured troop carrier based on the chassis of a Bedford QL. Simply for protection of course but some roads simply couldn't take the big heavy 6 wheel Saracens - as you can see! The double headed eagle badge/logo on the front of the turret is that of the 14/20 Kings Hussars unless anyone can say differently.

Looking at that looooooong straight road, you've got to ask yourself the obvious question haven't you?

One of the Ordnance blokes from the big vehicle depot in Johore told me that vehicles and stores destined for Malaya made a one-way trip. None ever returned to the UK EXCEPT for the big withdrawal in 1969/70 and then, only the strategic vehicles such as the newer Bedford ambulances and RL fire engines were returned. The remainder, like the old K2 and Commer ambulances and QL fire engines plus EVERYTHING else was sold off to foreign nations or left for the Malay and Singapore Armies

Can you see the big heavy mount for the equally big and heavy 7.92mm BESA MG c0-axial machine gun in the Daimler armoured car turret?

Another interesting point for you vehicle observer anoracks out there........ Where an Army vehicle such as the Daimler has a number plate commencing from 01RA00 to 12RA00 and so on up to 99ZZ99 it indicates to us REME types who needed to know, that these vehicles were usually old wartime or immediate post war vehicles that had previously had a 'census' type number painted on the door - such as L-123456 or A-123456. My old Bedford started its life as a 'census' vehicle with an L- number, and was then allocated a 'proper' number of 77YC16 that indicated its old wartime status. In reality, it just told us that these were tired-out old heaps of crap!

But for NEW vehicles coming into service AFTER the war, they were allocated new numbers starting 01BA00, then 02BA00 and so on. So a much later vehicle, like the Scammels (BD) and the land-rover (BR) would have XXBDXX type numbers. A couple that I had that I remember were 16EL61 and 78FM14 and so on

Just thought that you'd be interested..............

[Time Bandit]

The double headed eagle badge/logo on the front of the turret is that of the 14/20 Kings Hussars unless anyone can say differently.

I've no idea as such but I do know my old man was REME attached to the KDG (Kings Dragoon Guards??) if that is any help? That's him working on the Ferret and I think the turret was the one off that?

One of the Ordnance blokes from the big vehicle depot in Johore told me that vehicles and stores destined for Malaya made a one-way trip. None ever returned to the UK EXCEPT for the big withdrawal in 1969/70 and then, only the strategic vehicles such as the newer Bedford ambulances and RL fire engines were returned. The remainder, like the old K2 and Commer ambulances and QL fire engines plus EVERYTHING else was sold off to foreign nations or left for the Malay and Singapore Armies

I thought that would be the case, my dad once said he wondered what ever became of 'his' Scammell (it was his toy when he was there!!) and I said I doubted if it or most of the other stuff would of ever left the place.

[Frank LE]

The double headed eagle on the turret is the regimental badge of the Queens Dragoon Guard on blue and white ground. Commander in Chief until 1914 of QDGs was the austrian emperor therefor the austrian eagle.
Close links are maintained to Austria until today.

[Peter Laidler]

So said that India purchased thousands of vehicles that the Malay and Singapore Armies didn't want/need prior to us leaving. When I was there there weren't many Scammels because the roads just couldn't take them. Most of our recovery work was done by what we called 'Bedford Lights'. A Bedford RL converted by Boughton into a lightweight recovery tractor. But 'up-country' or off road, even these struggled because the rear axle had twin wheels bolted together and while these spread the load, when they bog in, then unless you have a ground anchor, that's where you stay until you get the shovels and ground mats out.

Do you think that we've gone off topic enough yet?

PLEASE feel free to say if it's gone off-topic for long enough. But interesting when you've been there and done it in the constant rain, humidity and soul destroying and energy sapping heat

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

which once again I've forgotten!

One part of the story is quite obvious. The folks in the car lost. Ouch!