| Accession Number | S02869 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Sound |
| Measurement | 2 hr 28 min |
| Object type | Oral history |
| Physical description | 1/4 inch sound tape reel; EMTEC SM 911; 7 1/2 ips/19 cm.s; stereo; 10 inch NAB |
| Maker |
Mansford, George Lyon Chinn, David Alexander Australian War Memorial Preston, Lenny |
| Date made | 26 March 2003 |
| Access | Open |
| Conflict |
Malayan Emergency, 1948-1960 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Status to be assessed |
| Copying Provisions | Copyright restrictions apply. Only personal, non-commercial, research and study use permitted. Permission of copyright holder required for any commercial use and/or reproduction. |
Brigadier George Lyon Mansford AM (Rtd) as a private rifleman later corporal section commander C Company 2nd Battalion The Royal Australian Regiment (2 RAR), Malaya 1955-1957, interviewed by Colonel David Chinn MBE (Rtd)
Description
Mansford speaks of training especially through the Jungle Training Centre (JTC) Canungra; personalities of C Company 2 RAR - relationships and reinforcements; briefings on the British Commonwealth Far East Strategic Reserve (BCFESR) and the Malayan environment; the transit of 2 RAR by MV Georgic from Brisbane to Penang; settling in to Minden Barracks - accommodation, clothing, equipment and rations; new weapons; rifle section structure and platoon operational strengths; the general nature of operations; some characteristics of communist terrorist (CT) enemy; a fire-fight between two platoon elements, without casualties; weapon safety failures and how the jungle environment, with its limited visibility, exacerbated risks; handling the Rules of Engagement; resupply on operations by porter and by air; food denial and the searching of civilians leaving villages; contacts with and incidents involving the CT; the camaraderie developed through the operational environment; the value of the Malayan Emergency experience in developing infantry professionalism; the effect of unit and individual experiences in preparation for the Vietnam War; the ingenuity of the Australian soldier; encounters with the Police Field Force (PFF), Home Guard and surrendered enemy personnel (SEP); training on the Malayan mainland and on Penang; experience of military funerals whilst on Penang; the inequity of not classing those killed accidentally on operations as 'killed in action' (KIA); some 'disciplinary' experiences; effect of health, morale and discipline on the battalions he served with; unit and personal stress; administrative shortcomings affecting morale; some facets of being married and accompanied by a family; comparisons between a one-year (unaccompanied) and a two-year (accompanied) tour of duty; the Malayan Emergency as the 'forgotten war'; unit characters of influence; an overview of the 'unit experience' of the Emergency.