75 years since The Malayan Emergency
On 31 August – Malaya and Borneo Veterans’ Day – veterans of the Malayan Emergency, families and descendants gathered for a moving National Commemorative Service in the nation’s capital to mark the 75th anniversary of Australian service in the conflict.
The event was an occasion to honour and remember the service of all Australians who served in the Malayan Emergency and the families who supported them.
We remembered the more than 7,000 Australians who served in the Malayan Emergency between 1950 and 1960, and some 2,000 Australians who subsequently served in counter-insurgency operations on the Thai-Malay border between 1960 and 1966. The Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour names 39 Australians who died on active service in the Emergency and 2 Australians who died in the border area.
Sparked by increasing violence and the murders of British staff on 2 plantations, the Federation of Malaya declared a state of emergency on 16 June 1948. Australia committed to the conflict in June 1950, initially by deploying a training team and 2 RAAF squadrons (transport and bomber), then naval, ground and further air forces from 1955 onwards.
At the national service, Navy veteran Ross Beadmen vividly recalled the extreme conditions of the war.
'The heat was an exceptional challenge,’ Mr Beadmen said. ‘Many of the ships were British built and designed more for the Arctic than the tropics.’ A mechanical engineer, Mr Beadman remembered coming off watch in the machine room: ‘It was nearly 48 degrees inside, and my boiler suit was completely soaked through. Life in those floating ovens was tough.'
He also paid homage to the ‘good blokes’ who served alongside him: ‘…through it all was the mateship. I had lots of really good friends, we’d work together, go to shore together, and stay at each other’s houses on weekends.’
They were trustworthy, they were disciplined, they were good blokes. It was a culture and a way of life that I liked.
- Ross Beadmen, Navy veteran of the Malayan Emergency
Australia increased its commitment in 1955 after co-forming (with Great Britain and New Zealand) the Far East Strategic Reserve to defend Malaya and Singapore from internal and external threats.
By this time, the threat was already declining, but Australian forces continued to contribute to the ultimate defeat of the insurgency. Several more Australian servicemen were killed in action and wounded, with others dying or injured from accidents, illnesses, or other causes.
The Malayan Emergency was perceived by Australians as a defence against communism, although it was also an anti-colonial conflict. Malaya, which achieved independence in August 1957, declared the Malayan Emergency over on 31 July 1960. There was, however, still some insurgent activity along isolated parts of the Thai-Malay border, with Australians continuing to see active service there until 1966.
Seventy-five years on, we remember their commitment to duty and their sacrifices on behalf of Australia.
Lest we forget.
The National Commemorative Service to mark the 75th anniversary of Australian service in the Malayan Emergency was broadcast nationally by the ABC and is available to watch on DVA’s YouTube channel.