The Undeclared War
The Borneo conflict of the early 1960s was a full scale border war, to which for their own reasons, neither side would publicly admit. Whilst Britain prepared her colonies of Malaya, Brunei and others for independence as Malaysia, the Indonesian Army of President Sukarno was committed to destabilising the process through infilitration and terrorism.
The 1st battalion Royal Leicestershire Regiment – described by one author as ‘an above average infantry battalion’ – was deployed to the region in 1963, relieving a Gurkha battalion and taking over positions in thick jungle, often many miles from civilisation. The battalion’s nominal frontline was longer than that then held by the entire BAOR in West Germany at the time. Another problem was that Gurkha foxholes were not deep enough for English soldiers – something which was soon rectified!
The battalion quickly began a hearts and minds campaign, winning over villagers with medical help, and providing reassurance against reprisal attacks, so that intelligence could be gathered. The campaign however was dominated by two raids against Indonesian positions, both of which were highly successful and both of which resulted in the award of the Military Cross to their respective commanders, Second Lieutenants Alan Thompson (above) and Mike Peele (below).
Above: A 2-inch mortar, part of the haul captured in the Peele raid
Thompson’s action took place on 1 January 1964 when he led a daring mission to destroy a heavy machinegun position at Ba Kelalan. Mike Peele’s raid occured later that same month, when local intelligence sources reported a large enemy presence near Long Pa Sia. Peele and his men immediately set off to reconnoitre and attack. After half a day’s travel they caught up with the enemy who were in the act of preparing a midday meal. A fierce gunbattle followed, with Peele literally charging into the enemy camp. A few stayed to fight, but most fled, leaving a considerable haul of weapons & ammunition.