HEROISM IN MALAYA

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 86, Issue 67, 20 March 1942, Page 5

HEROISM IN MALAYA

HIGHLANDERS’ FIGHT IN FACE OF HEAVY ODDS I Rugby, March 19 j The commander of a battalion ol the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders has told a thrilling story of the part the battalion played in Malaya. 1 On December 8 the battalion hurried up to the battle area on the Siamese border and C Company was despatched to the Grik Road. For four days they delayed the advance of al least three enemy battalions, by which time the remainder of the regiment moved up to support them. During the period they lost over 50 1 per cent, of their men, but they had ‘ done their job. 1 At Batu Pekaka, on December 17. a the battalion had its first major ) battle and the first of its many sue- * cess i s. “The job which had been given us { was to deny a certain position until l mid-day,” the commander said. “The prospects were not rosy and there was * only one way to do our job, that was j attack. Standing on defence with our } small isolated force in this enclosed } country meant that the Japanese j would quickly walk past our flanks L or through gaps, which are his usual i ’ tactics. The battalion prepared an, ambush on the Grik Road with A com-; pany—armoured cars, mortars and i carriers well hidden. B company, with armoured cars, and machine-gun carriers to be hidden away in the rubber trees and jungle, went forward on our flank ready to pounce out on the enemy’s rear. The ambush on the road was successful. Two of the Japa- 1 nese companies were caught by the i 1 machine-guns in close order at 73 j 1 yards and were just about wiped out, I c but their reinforcements came up. 1 1 They had any number of them and the J inevitable walking round each flank J began. The battalion was ordered to ' withdraw at its discretion. The ‘ enemy tried a quick follow-up, but { the leading party was wiped out at 2 50 yards. The battle cost the Japa- j nese not less than 200 and ourselves . 10. “Four rearguards from the 19th ( Regiment were switched to join C ( Company on the Grik Road, where a ( major Japanese throat, developed, i There we had three days of success! til ] rearguard fighting. The Japanese pul. in one frontal and two encircling attacks in one day and none of these made a yard, but you can't put in frontal attacks like that without ■ heavy losses. Our tactics were not to - fight on the position, but for and j from the road in very great depth. ’ The rearguard work continued and ' the battalion stood and fought at a place called Chemor for three days and then withdrew through Ipoh to I Bider.” j . The officer described the fighting 1 1 from this stage until the withdrawal | J to Singapore for a rest and refit, i 1 Since December 14 the battalion had j ] fought continuously. “At least seven I : full-scale battalion attacks had been . put in against us. in addition to the usual minor scrapping that lakes 1 place each day,” the commander said. : “Our casualties amounted to 13 ofli- s cers and 200 men. The Japanes -, I however, had at least seven or eight times that number.”—B.O.W. J \ i v