Online Exclusive: Flashback: RAF Vickers Valetta in Cameron
By SAGER AHMAD - 7 August 2014 @ 4:05 PM
While fighting the communist insurgency during the first Malayan
Emergency (1948 - 1960) many British units were deployed to deep jungle
throughout the Malayan Penisular.
Working under harsh tropical condition, the soldiers relied on air support where ration and ammunition were dropped by the Royal Air Force planes.
Among the units deployed was the Special Air Service (SAS) who rose to the occasion to fight the communist terrorists in the remotest part of the country during the Malayan Campaign.
On March 2,1956, a squad from the 22nd SAS regiment were operating in deep forest covered hilly area in what is now Loging, Kelantan (4°36'57.42"N 101°28'0.22"E), which is only a few hundred metres away from the border of Cameron Highlands, Pahang.
They were receiving supply drops from a Vickers Valetta C1 (VW 861) of No 48 squadron in Butterworth.
According to the accident report published in the Malaya Historical Group (MHG) website:
"The aircraft was undertaking a supply drop and approached the drop zone both low and slow with both engines throttled back. After dropping one pack, the aircraft began a starboard turn but the port wing struck a tree and the aircraft cartwheeled into a gully.' All seven good men on board were killed instantly.
The seven were F/Lt Thomas James McColl, 33, pilot;
F/O Colin Reginald Clisby, Navigator; Sgt David Brodie, Air Signaller;
and four Air Dispatchers, from the 55 Company Royal Army Service Corps: L/Cpl T H Randle, A A Driver, A H Hickman and M F Boardman.
Their remains were buried near the crash site. Many years later, after the war ended, their remains were exhumed and buried at the Commonwealth Graves in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.
Recently in May, MHG led by its president, Shahrom Ahmad, a volunteer from England, Alan Leary and this writer visited the site armed with a Global Positioning System (GPS) set each. The resourceful Alan had converted the Imperial Grid system from the old map to to the current GPS 'lat-long'.
A guide led us through a narrow path, not visible from the main (gravel road) into a huge vegetable farm, that could easily be 20ha, in an undulating valley.
With both GPS sets reading accurately the 'X' that marked the spot pointing to where the Valetta had crashed, but the wreck wasn't there.
Slowly it dawned upon us that this is an illegal vegetable farm, 'strategically' located on the border of two states and in a 'grey' area. They grow tomatoes, cabbages and corn.
The Nepalese workers resting under a shed didn't have the foggiest idea about a plane wreck. The owner was a 'ghost'- no where to be seen.
Granted that over half a century had passed, the wreckage must have long ago been cut up by 'thieves' and sold for scrap earning them fast bucks. The access road allowed easy transportation.
In January 2003, Shahrom and I were in an expedition with the Army Museum to see the wreck of another Valetta (VX 525) from the No 48 SQN that crashed at Fort Hau, Ulu Kelantan, a 3-hour drive on 4WD from Gua Musang town.
It had crashed belly-up while trying to make a 180-degree turn in the valley while on a supply drop mission to a British platoon in Dec 1956.
Later MHG and Garis Waktu film team visited the site again to do a documentary.
Working under harsh tropical condition, the soldiers relied on air support where ration and ammunition were dropped by the Royal Air Force planes.
Among the units deployed was the Special Air Service (SAS) who rose to the occasion to fight the communist terrorists in the remotest part of the country during the Malayan Campaign.
On March 2,1956, a squad from the 22nd SAS regiment were operating in deep forest covered hilly area in what is now Loging, Kelantan (4°36'57.42"N 101°28'0.22"E), which is only a few hundred metres away from the border of Cameron Highlands, Pahang.
They were receiving supply drops from a Vickers Valetta C1 (VW 861) of No 48 squadron in Butterworth.
According to the accident report published in the Malaya Historical Group (MHG) website:
"The aircraft was undertaking a supply drop and approached the drop zone both low and slow with both engines throttled back. After dropping one pack, the aircraft began a starboard turn but the port wing struck a tree and the aircraft cartwheeled into a gully.' All seven good men on board were killed instantly.
The seven were F/Lt Thomas James McColl, 33, pilot;
F/O Colin Reginald Clisby, Navigator; Sgt David Brodie, Air Signaller;
and four Air Dispatchers, from the 55 Company Royal Army Service Corps: L/Cpl T H Randle, A A Driver, A H Hickman and M F Boardman.
Their remains were buried near the crash site. Many years later, after the war ended, their remains were exhumed and buried at the Commonwealth Graves in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.
Recently in May, MHG led by its president, Shahrom Ahmad, a volunteer from England, Alan Leary and this writer visited the site armed with a Global Positioning System (GPS) set each. The resourceful Alan had converted the Imperial Grid system from the old map to to the current GPS 'lat-long'.
A guide led us through a narrow path, not visible from the main (gravel road) into a huge vegetable farm, that could easily be 20ha, in an undulating valley.
With both GPS sets reading accurately the 'X' that marked the spot pointing to where the Valetta had crashed, but the wreck wasn't there.
Slowly it dawned upon us that this is an illegal vegetable farm, 'strategically' located on the border of two states and in a 'grey' area. They grow tomatoes, cabbages and corn.
The Nepalese workers resting under a shed didn't have the foggiest idea about a plane wreck. The owner was a 'ghost'- no where to be seen.
Granted that over half a century had passed, the wreckage must have long ago been cut up by 'thieves' and sold for scrap earning them fast bucks. The access road allowed easy transportation.
In January 2003, Shahrom and I were in an expedition with the Army Museum to see the wreck of another Valetta (VX 525) from the No 48 SQN that crashed at Fort Hau, Ulu Kelantan, a 3-hour drive on 4WD from Gua Musang town.
It had crashed belly-up while trying to make a 180-degree turn in the valley while on a supply drop mission to a British platoon in Dec 1956.
Later MHG and Garis Waktu film team visited the site again to do a documentary.
New Straits Times
Thursday 7 August 2014.
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