Operation Blowpipe, page 14
‘Saheb, what she we do with the stuff the tapper has left lying around?’ asked one of the men.
‘I have a wicked idea. Finish any water in your water bottles and get rid of it naturally as you pass the stuff. That’s the best way to relieve our frustration.’
The CO of 1/12 Gurkha Rifles, Lieutenant Colonel Eustace Vaughan, had served in 3/12 GR during the war. He was one of many Indian Army British officers transferred to the Royal Artillery after Partition before making his escape to command 1/12 GR, so he knew nobody. He was a small, barrel-chested, bouncy man, round-faced, bushy-browed and clean-shaven, with a deep voice. He handled Gurkhas well but his handling of British officers was apt to be clumsy. He had been CO since 31 July of the previous year.
The out-going CO had written the all-important annual confidential reports for the officers, brought forward because of the change in command. The then Captain Rance was graded ‘C’, average: with a ‘C’ grading no officer could expect to rise above the rank of major. Remarks on Rance’s operational ability were cattily clouded because of the fiasco during one operation which was in no way his fault and a difficult interview with the Royal Air Force’s top brass over bombing or not bombing guerrilla camps. ‘Yes, he can be good but I advise you to watch him. He would not have been commissioned pre-war.’
It was less than a month ago that the Director of Intelligence had rung him about Captain Rance being ‘needed’[2] – he did not know what for – so he was not best pleased to get yet another unexpected phone call from Kuala Lumpur, this time from the Director of Operations himself. ‘Eustace, you are a patient man aren’t you?’ was the strange opening remark.
‘Well, sir, one has to be in any army job if one does not want a gastric ulcer, doesn’t one?’
‘Surely so. I have the unusual task of having to steal an officer of yours once again and I am ringing in person for two reasons. The first is that I overcame your Brigadier’s categorically telling you not to promote Captain Rance and made a personal request with the Military Secretary’s branch in the MOD. Rather stepping on your toes but needs be et cetera.’
‘Understood, sir. I can’t really cavil at that can I?’
‘No good if you did, Eustace. Now listen. Hush-hush. I have just learnt, today as ever is, that there is an intelligence plum, a ripe and juicy one, that has fallen off its tree but has yet to be picked up by us. If we don’t get hold of it soon we’ll lose it and that would be a great pity. Whatever your thoughts of Major Rance happen to be, and I can guess both pros and cons, you may not yet realise his Chinese linguistic ability. I doubt there is another European his equal, certainly at sounding like a Chinese, in the country. I personally need him as he is the only man who fits the bill. He will require a small group of men, say four or five, one of whom is to be a radio operator. I cannot give you more details now but please do your best to lend him to me.’
He’s got me by the short and curlies, hasn’t he? ‘Sir, there is no real difficulty. He is due home leave very soon and I have to appoint another officer to take over his company. While he is away I’ll get his Company 2 ic to concentrate on getting the administration shipshape before the new man takes over. Any idea of how long Rance will be needed?’
‘I’d like to think not more than a week or ten days at the outside. What I want is him up here pronto to be briefed, go back, prepare himself than to disappear over the horizon.’
‘What shall I tell people this end, sir?’
‘Oh, let’s see. A general operational and intelligence briefing about his methods for the updated pamphlet of jungle warfare we are writing for the Federation Armed Forces when we finally hand over to them. He’s done enough for a personal debriefing in depth.’
‘I’ll ensure he does what you want, sir. Have you anything more for me?’ The question went unanswered as the General had already put his phone back on its cradle.
Colonel Vaughan had been influenced against Rance by his predecessor’s report. He had also taken a dislike to him. The reason that no one could guess was that the Colonel’s dead younger brother, whom he had idolised as being a better all-rounder than he himself had been, was not only the same age as Jason Rance but also somehow resembled him, was killed in the war whereas Rance had survived. The wrong man died was a recurring and secret mantra, acting as a recurring grudge in the senior’s approach to the junior. In Gurkha regiments numbers of officers were too few for the junior in a personality clash to avoid discrimination without leaving the regiment. Rance had no intention of so doing.
10 February
So what do you think of all that, Major Rance?’ Colonel Mason asked after giving him the whole story, Ah Fat having already told him his side of affairs, about the Bear standing in for him. It was a week after the two Chinese had left Betong. ‘It really does look as if this whole business hangs on you personally. You can’t say “no” can you?’ There were in his office, which was wired off from the others. ‘So far, so good?’
‘Sir, being on a short list of one brooks so argument,’ Jason said with a wry smile. ‘So far so good, sir, as far as taking the job on and dealing with this Emissary man is concerned. On the reverse of the coin there is guerrilla activity to be considered as well. Without a very much larger force, I mean were we to meet all thirty of the notional guerrillas still on the Wanted List, I would need a minimum of two platoons. But for this task I don’t want to be cluttered with all the administrative complications of having so many men to look after. In my mind’s eye I was thinking of at least two escorts, gunmen if you like, and a radio operator.’ He broke off and pursed his lips in thought. He turned to his boyhood friend.
‘How long can the Bear and his few men be out of camp without raising suspicion of any unauthorised activity, shall I call it?’ He spoke in English.
‘Yes, I see what you mean and why you ask. I think the longest he can be away safely is the time it takes to meet up with you, hand the Emissary over and return.’
The implications of that were not lost on any of the listeners.
‘So I’ll be on my own in hostile territory. The map reading won’t be hard, both ways just go along the course of the river. But meeting any hostiles puts another slant on matters. I can manage the language side of meeting them but that is not enough. I need to calm any initial suspicions if we do happen to meet head on. I think I can manage that but I may break military etiquette if I do.’
‘You intrigue me. Explain please.’
‘Sir, of course you will remember how we managed the follow-up of the killers of Colonel Ridings that was named Operation Red Tidings.’
‘No need to ask. I most certainly do.’
‘So you will also remember that four of Ten Foot Long’s people came over to my side, one of whom was the man detailed to look after his personal radio, the one eventually that led to his demise. I will take two of them, put them in CT uniform if I can, otherwise merely to wear a starred cap, and they will be my screen and liaison with any hostile.’ He did not say that he and his Gurkha gunman and radio operator would also were similar headgear. Something about some Geneva Convention will be flung in my face if I suggest it.
‘Are you sure they won’t turn?’ the Colonel asked, doubt evident in his tone of voice.
‘Sure as I can be, sir. They will be fully dependent on me for a return to their families. They’ll be lost in north Malaya.’
‘I’ll go along with that. Call them a “Q” Party.’ He broke off, obviously in some distress. ‘Sir, I must ask to go to a lavatory. I have just come back for four days of enforced constipation hiding in the middle of a rubber estate where such an operation would be given away by any smell of human ordure. I had to take a laxative on my return, all of my small group did, and only now is it working.’
He was shown where to go and came back, looking much more comfortable. ‘And where you successful?’ the Colonel asked.
‘Sir, we would have been had the guerrillas not had a dog to go in front of them as a sentry. As soon as it smelt us it barked so gave us away. After such an effort by my men, yes, it was disappointing.’
He never mentions himself, does he?
‘Now back to the “Q” Party: I’ll fix it when I get back to Seremban.’ Seeing a map on the wall Jason went over to look at it. He found the Sungei Perak and traced it up to the Thai border, noting Gunong Gadong. ‘No crossing the border for me and my men, that’s correct, isn’t it?’
Before the Colonel could answer Ah Fat broke in with ‘there’s a border stone marked with a hammer and sickle in its stem. We put it there as we passed through on our way to Thailand. It is a good reference point and easy to find. That could be a good RV as the Bear knows where it is.’
‘Useful,’ said Colonel Mason and continued, ‘No crossing the border whatsoever. This venture is hairy enough already without anymore whiskers being added. Unwanted whiskers could well be meeting up with the opposing group.’
To the Colonel’s surprise Jason grinned and said something in Chinese to Ah Fat who grinned back. ‘Sorry sir, that was rude of me. What I started to say was that I can make jungle noises that Ah Fat can tell the Bear to listen out for.’ He smiled delightfully as though enjoying a joke. ‘He’s bound to recognise one noise I make as it is unique.’
‘I don’t get you,’ said the Colonel, a tad gruffly, not fully understanding what Jason was trying to say.
‘Listen, sir,’ and he cupped his hands and made some startlingly realistic cuckoo noises. ‘Why is that unique?’ the Colonel queried.
‘Because there are no cuckoos in Malaya or rather, to be accurate, members of the cuckoo family that are in Malaya don’t “cuck”. When I used it to keep distance with my people the guerrillas heard it, knew it was not a Malayan bird and quickly left. In fact I was the only cuckoo there was,’ and he gave a burst of laughter. ‘I can also coo like a dove but that doesn’t carry so far,’ and he gave a lifelike call with his cupped hands,
Colonel Mason asked how such esoteric pieces of jungle lore had come his way and Jason explained, ‘I learnt how to make the noise when a cadet at the Indian Military Academy to use as a recognition signal on patrol exercises in the Tons Valley. I “cuckoo-ed” to such good effect that a real bird answered and the patrol I wanted to call in to me went the other way towards the bird. By the time I had made several calls the poor fellows were going round in circles. Were they mad when they met up with me!’
‘What other noises can you make?’
Jason answered by belling like a deer, first the male then the female, followed by the call of the ‘dawn-and-dusk’ bird, the burong tetabu, the great-eared nightjar. ‘Ah Fat will tell his Bear to listen out for any one of those noises, each set to be three longs, two shorts followed by three longs.’
‘Well, I’ll be damned,’ exploded the Colonel, shaking his head in amazement.
Jason continued, ‘So to clear my mind, my old friend the Bear with a group of his men will bring the Emissary and meet me there then I and my men carry on down river?’
‘Yes, just that, in outline. And before you go any further it now strikes me as it must have already struck you but you have yet to mention it, from just before till just after your suggested timings, there will be no other troops at all in the area. You must not have the worry of meeting any of our own people.’
‘Thank you, sir. I was coming on to that,’ said Jason, then asked, ‘What is this pin here, quite a way up the Sungei Perak?’
Colonel Mason went to look at it. ‘That is a Police Field Force fort, Fort Tapong.’[3]
‘And are there police boats that can go farther up river?’
‘Yes, they can be arranged. Sometimes their engines break down and their propellers break their shear pins but with a fitter aboard with plenty of shear pins that should not be a problem, especially if the engine has had an overhaul before.’
‘The General is pretty keen on this, isn’t he?’ Jason asked.
‘Yes, he is. He is still not sure whether the civil authorities will accept such a person but he feels that their reaction will be positive rather than negative if the man can be shown as being an intelligence bonanza and if he is brought in without a great fuss.’
He was interrupted by the phone ringing. He went over to answer it and Jason heard him say, ‘excellent news, sir. So the civil boys are happy with what we’re planning provided a government representative is with him from the moment he steps over the border. Yes, sir, I’ll tell Major Rance who’s here with me now.’ He rang off.
‘All systems green, Major Rance. You’re on. Let us sit round the table, us three and work out a time and space programme, so beloved by military planners and what they make much of at Staff College.’
Within half an hour they had an outline plan. D Day, the day the Emissary was to start his journey, was fixed for 20 February. Today was Friday the 10th so that would give Ah Fat enough time both to conclude his job in KL for the Secretary General and for the Emissary to start his journey on the 20th.
That should be plenty of time to brief the Emissary – they decided not to use his name for security reasons – and to get the Bear and his men rations without seeming to, not an easy task. During that period Major Rance would return, get his men ready – he said that he, his three escorts and a radio man were enough – and bring them to KL. He thought he would need five days for the journey – ‘it’s unknown territory for me and there are some inquisitive guerrillas to evade’ – and he would like first of all to have an air recce in an Auster on Sunday the 19th, please for me and two others. I’m sure you’ll help out if the air boys get sticky, sir’ – and he and at least one other fly up the river, past Fort Tapong and, with his map, locate Gunong Gadong. He would like a heli for his team to fly to Fort Tapong the next day, the 20th, and one police boat to be there to take them up as far as the boat could go. That would be all in one day. They would take eight days’ hard tack and scrounge meals in KL and Tapong.
For their return could there be a boat at the place they disembarked at, or two come to that if the police wanted an escort – and that would apply to the way up also – on the 28th and a chopper warned to stand by to pick them up from Fort Tapong for the 29th but only to be confirmed on re-reaching Fort Tapong, so it could be the 1st of March. ‘On the way up I think the chopper should land as far away from inquisitive eyes as possible, don’t you, sir?’
‘Yes, I agree. I will arrange for transport to take you back to the battalion. In case it is too late I’ll get the Gurkha Engineers at Sungei Besi to look after you for the night. There will be someone to tell you about it, with transport, after you have deplaned.’
‘Thank you, sir. That is all in the best case. May I turn to the worst case, being intercepted by the guerrillas and taking casualties? What I would like is to have a rear link close to you. There are some Gurkha Signals men who work nearby, surely. What I plan is a nightly sitrep with our grid reference. If you hear nothing it could be because our set has gone “dis” or that the set has been shot off the signaller’s back. I’ll take a Very pistol and green and red flares. When I hear an overfly I’ll fire whichever colour is needed. If it is red can you arrange a stand-by group somehow to come to our aid?’
There was no need to go into details now but, ‘yes, yes, yes,’ came the replies.
The Director asked Ah Fat is he had anything to add. ‘No, sir. I have yet to make up my mind quite how to play it my end but play it I will. If the Emissary does change his mind I’ll have to get my Bear to disappear on some mission or other and get a message through to Mr Too. I can’t think of any other way.’
‘Any more before we finish off?’ the Colonel asked.
‘No, sir. I’ll just say farewell to my childhood friend and leave you.’
‘Before you go, let’s have an operational code word for this. Any suggestions?’
‘How about Operation Emissary,’ suggested Ah Fat.
‘Okay. That’ll be it and Top Secret also.’
Before Ah Fat and C C Too left Jason and his boyhood gave each other a hug and wished each other well. The Colonel signed Jason’s pass and he left. Back in the car park he found his driver. ‘Sorry to keep you so long, Ustad. Back now to the battalion.’ He climbed in and was silent all the way back, deep in thought. Unusual for him the driver said to himself.
Ah Fat also left, did what he had to do for Chin Peng, not forgetting to buy a pair of civilian-type jungle boots for the Emissary, and got back to Betong where he reported in, once more to the Secretary General’s satisfaction. That evening the Emissary strolled round, knocked on the door of Ah Fat’s room, making sure he was unseen and, without being invited in, entered quietly. ‘I have come to hear the result of your deliberations.’
‘Sit down and pay great attention to what I have for you. Some of it will, I hope, please you; some, I fear, will not. But you have been allowed to go to Kuala Lumpur where you can expect gentle treatment.’
‘That’s wonderful news. We’ll be together going there and when I am asked questions.’
‘Not so fast. This is the bit I fear you will not please you …’ and all necessary details were given him, why Ah Fat was unable to go with him, why the Bear could only take him to the border, why the journey was to be the one through the jungle, how he was to be joined by two one-time guerrillas, two Gurkhas – the Emissary had never heard of such people – and ‘the British Chinese speaker will be my boyhood friend, one I regard as a brother, who speaks Chinese like any Chinese person, who can write the script, whose name is Major Jason Rance and who I know as Shandung P’aau. He is a skilled jungle operator. You can trust him implicitly.’ Ah Fat let that sink in and then asked, ‘So do you still want to go or shall I cancel it and let you go back to China, back to your grim, artificial life?’ Ah Fat rubbed his hands together as he sometimes did when under stress.
