N.Z. Platoon’s Arduous 53-Day Patrol In Dense Jungle

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28742, 13 November 1958, Page 8

N.Z. Platoon’s Arduous 53-Day Patrol In Dense Jungle

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, Nov. 12.

Ten men of No. 7 platoon, C company. Ist battalion, the New Zealand Regiment, have just come ouj of the Malayan jungle after a 53-day patrol in which they covered over 51 miles of difficult terrain, says a New Zealand Army news release. The original strength of the patrol was 19 all ranks, with two Iban trackers, and it set out to search suspect terrorist areas in the North Perak valley. However. nine of the men volunteered to investigate a suspected Communist camp with another platoon. With the breaking of the monsoon the platoon’s task became harder as the days went by, tracks and scent being quickly washed away, by the torrential rains.

Tracks the patrol did find were those of elephant and tiger and, as Sergeant R. Taurau (Hokianga) put it, “in some places the elephant tracks were the only aid. We had to climb the mud slick slopes, and they often led us to where wild jungle fruit was growing.” Re-supplied by low-flying Auster aircraft, the men of the platoon were generally satisfied with this form of food supply, though Corporal H. Minhinnick (Taranaki) wryly recalled the day he received two dozen eggs his wife had sent in from Ipoh. Not knowing that the patrol was being supplied by air, Mrs Minhinnick had packed the eggs in the normal way, which was not sufficient to offset a 400 ft fall.

“Scrambled eggs and the wife’s scone loaf were on the menu for lunch that day.” said Corporal Minhinnick.

Lieutenant R. Pearce (Auckland). the platoon commander, paid high tribute to his men for the work they put in cutting a landing zone for the evacuation, by helicopter, of two men suffering from jungle fever. It took two days to cut the area. Short of rations over the last three days of the patrol, the platoon tried living off bamboo shoots and jungle food they had seen Ibans and aborigines eating. The general reaction to that was summed up by Private D. H. Wright (Waitara): “Jungle fruits and berries are all right if there is nothing else, but you can’t go long without meat.” Though there have been longer patrols by other platoons of the battalion. No. 7 platoon covered the greatest distance in the shortest time.