Rushden Soldier in Malayan Fight — Took food convoy through ambush
A Rushden man serving with the 13th/18th Royal Hussars in South Malaya, Trooper Bryan Leonard Hemmington, of 1, Boundary Avenue, recently took part in a fight against communist terrorists, who attempted to ambush a food convoy. He was riding in the leading vehicle of the convoy, a G.M.C. troop carrier.

Radio Malaya has broadcast the following description of the fight:

A few days ago, a convoy of food lorries was braving the journey from Endau to Mersing with an escort provided by “B” Squadron of the 13/18th Hussars. It is a route though very thickly jungled country along which the Communists have staged many ambushes.

At the head of the convoy was a troop carrier. Resting his sten gun on the top of the cab was the commander of the vehicle, L/Cpl. Temple. Behind him, crouched with their guns at the ready, were five Hussars. It was past lunchtime; the sun had been shining down on them steadily since they left Eudau, and the metal floor of the carrier was hot under the rubber soles of their jungle boots.

Terrorists
Suddenly, the air was filled with the irregular staccato of sten-gun and rifle fire as terrorists in ambush positions on a high ridge on the right-hand side of the road opened up on Corporal Temple’s carrier. One of the bullets plunged through the canopy near his arm – another battle souvenir in that piece of canvas. Temple jerked his sten around and fired back. The Bren section and the riflemen were also coming into action. The driver, Trooper Carr kept the vehicle running while bullets spattered on the road in front of him. In a few minutes they were clear of the bandits’ field of fire, having miraculously suffered no casualties.

Unfortunately, the civilian cars and lorries in the centre of the convoy had come to a halt, instead of riding through the ambush as they had been instructed. The drivers dived into ditches and kept their heads down.

In the rear of the convoy was an armoured car commanded by Second Lieut. George Scott. It came to a stop, the road ahead being blocked by the civilian vehicles. Lieut. Scott, however, was in touch with Cpl. Temple’s radio operator, Tpr. Callon, and, as soon as he had been told of the position of the bandit machine guns, he swung his turret around and brought his two-pounder gun to bear on the enemy at long range.

On Foot
Trooper Hemmington and the other Hussars in the front carrier had meantime debussed and were hurrying back on foot to engage the bandits, who were entrenched on a high ridge 25 yards from the road. Lieut. Scott’s armoured car lobbed two-pounder shells at them while Cpl. Temple and his men worked their way up the road cautiously on foot. Then a Lincoln Bomber of the Royal Australian Air Force joined in the attack, flying low over the bandit positions, strafing the area with machine-gun fire from the nose and tail turrets.

Surprised and unnerved by the twin air and ground shelling, the bandits fell back from their positions as Cpl. Temple and his men stormed up the bank. As the terrorists withdrew into the jungle, the Lincoln flew to and fro over their line of retreat spraying it with bullets.

With the ambushers put to flight, the Hussars resumed their mission – getting their convoy through to Mersing safe and intact.