75th Anniversary of the Malayan Emergency
The 75th anniversary of Australian service in the Malayan Emergency (1948–1960) and Indonesian Confrontation (1962–1966) was marked with a National Commemorative Service in Canberra on 31 August, to acknowledge those who served and to remember the 61 Australians who lost their lives in these conflicts.
More than 7,000 Australian Defence Force personnel served in these challenging post-World War II conflicts, some of the longest and most strategically significant deployments in Australia's military history.
During the Malayan Emergency, Australian forces joined British Commonwealth allies in fighting a communist insurgency. The operation was part of broader efforts to ensure post-war stability and support the sovereignty of Malaya, which would later become part of Malaysia.
The RAAF’s service in Malaya was the foundation of Australia’s contribution to the conflict. It was also a significant part of the wider Commonwealth effort.
RAAF involvement began with the arrival of RAAF transport and bomber squadrons in Singapore in 1950. Eight Dakotas from No. 38 Transport Squadron were deployed on cargo runs, troop movements, and paratroopers and leaflet drops in Malaya, while six Lincoln bombers from No.1 Squadron provided the backbone of aerial operations in Malaya until 1958, when they were replaced by Canberra bombers of No. 2 Squadron RAAF.
At first, the RAAF units served in Malaya as part of Britain’s Far East Air Force (FEAF). The Australian squadrons then got to have some autonomy under the command of RAAF Headquarters in Singapore.
By the late 1950s, RAAF squadrons operated from the recently rebuilt Butterworth airbase in northern Malaya. This was part of the British Commonwealth Far East Strategic Reserve (FESR). No. 3 Squadron RAAF and No. 77 Squadron RAAF were also based at Butterworth. Both squadrons flew Sabre jet fighters.
The RAAF continued with anti-insurgency operations along the Thai-Malay border until 1966.
The RAAF’s role in the FESR meant that even after the end of the Malayan Emergency in 1960, squadrons continued to operate out of the Butterworth air base. Butterworth became the RAAF’s most forward operational airbase until control was handed of the base was handed to Malaysia in 1988.
In the Indonesian Confrontation, from 1962 to 1966, Australian troops carried out border security, reconnaissance, and counter-insurgency operations in difficult jungle terrain, particularly in Borneo’s remote regions.
Read more about RAAF operations during the Malayan Emergency here.
Above: No. 1 Squadron RAAF flying crew leaving their Avro Lincoln bomber after a mission over Malaya, Singapore, c 1955. Left to right: Pilot Officer Len Hilton, Pilot Officer Terry Meagher, Flight Sergeant Jim Glover, Sergeant Kim Hunt, Sergeant Bill Smyth, Sergeant Erik Sunstrup and Captain Peter Heardon. Six Lincoln bombers operated in the Malayan Emergency from July 1950 to 1958 when they were replaced by No. 2 Squadron RAAF's Canberra bombers. (Image source: AWM FEAF1030).
Above: An RAAF Dakota aircraft dropping supplies by parachute over a police post in a clearing in the Malayan jungle. No 38 Squadron provided transport and support operations for British Commonwealth forces during the Malayan Emergency. The reliability and relatively slow speed of the Dakota meant that it was an ideal aircraft for these operations. During World War II, RAAF and United States Dakotas had carried out similar operations in support of Australian soldiers in New Guinea. (Image source: AWM FEAF0114)