Commandos, Malaya
This is an intriguing image. It features my father, and is one of a series from his time in the Malayan Emergency.
He joined 45 Cdo in Malaya as a Corporal in May 1951, pretty much straight from Commando training. (He'd been a regular Marine for several years prior to that). He stayed with 45 Cdo until late 1953, by which time they were in Malta.
The photograph poses some intriguing questions, which unfortunately, my father is not around to answer. Looking at the group, they appear to be preparing to go on patrol - I think they look too clean and tidy to have just returned from patrol, but happy to be corrected! It's clearly an informal photo, with pipe and cigarettes being smoked.
Or is this a photo of a group that have just completed some training programme? The pose of the individual on the right seems to indicate that he's not a part of the group - and I can (perhaps over-) read a sense of possession/ownership in his stance, rather than belonging. Comments would be appreciated.
The men appear to be armed with a Bren Gun, three .303-calibre Lee-Enfield rifles, and three Australian-designed and -manufactured Owen guns (Owen machine carbines). Most of the Europeans appear fairly warmly dressed considering this is Malaya, so perhaps they're at altitude? In a training or acclimatisation camp? I'm not sure whether the (native tracker?) is dressed warmly or otherwise.
45 Cdo were based at Tapah during their time in Malaya (which is where I have geotagged the photo), with 3 Cdo Bde HQ at Ipoh, both on the west coast at low altitude.
Scanned from a negative.
Commandos, Malaya
This is an intriguing image. It features my father, and is one of a series from his time in the Malayan Emergency.
He joined 45 Cdo in Malaya as a Corporal in May 1951, pretty much straight from Commando training. (He'd been a regular Marine for several years prior to that). He stayed with 45 Cdo until late 1953, by which time they were in Malta.
The photograph poses some intriguing questions, which unfortunately, my father is not around to answer. Looking at the group, they appear to be preparing to go on patrol - I think they look too clean and tidy to have just returned from patrol, but happy to be corrected! It's clearly an informal photo, with pipe and cigarettes being smoked.
Or is this a photo of a group that have just completed some training programme? The pose of the individual on the right seems to indicate that he's not a part of the group - and I can (perhaps over-) read a sense of possession/ownership in his stance, rather than belonging. Comments would be appreciated.
The men appear to be armed with a Bren Gun, three .303-calibre Lee-Enfield rifles, and three Australian-designed and -manufactured Owen guns (Owen machine carbines). Most of the Europeans appear fairly warmly dressed considering this is Malaya, so perhaps they're at altitude? In a training or acclimatisation camp? I'm not sure whether the (native tracker?) is dressed warmly or otherwise.
45 Cdo were based at Tapah during their time in Malaya (which is where I have geotagged the photo), with 3 Cdo Bde HQ at Ipoh, both on the west coast at low altitude.
Scanned from a negative.