Medals for Malay days
Lieutenant Colonel Gordon Rudd, of Figheldean, with his Malaysia medal.
A PORTON couple who met and married in Singapore while both serving as lieutenants in the Army during the Malaysia troubles of the 1950s, have each been presented with the Malaysian Service Medal in recognition of their military service.
Stan and Ann Grundy attended a special ceremony in Swindon last week to meet Colonel Tajri Alwi, from the Malaysian High Commission, and receive their Pingat Jasa Malaysia medal.
The commemorative medal is awarded by the Malaysia government to British citizens who served in Malaya or Malaysia between August 31, 1957 and August 12, 1966.
In 1958, Stan Grundy was a lieutenant serving with the RASC in the Army Maritime Unit based at Pulau Brani.
The unit was operating fast patrol boats and landing craft in Malaya, Sabah and Brunei as well as supplying troops fighting in the jungles.
His wife was a lieutenant in QARANC, the Army's nursing service, and was working in the British military hospital. They met in Singapore in 1958 and were married the following year. Mrs Grundy had to leave the Army on their marriage after four years' service while her husband continued until his retirement with the rank of lieutenant colonel. The couple then lived in Hong Kong for nine years where Mr Grundy worked for the Hong Kong government.
Also at the Wiltshire medal presentation was Colonel Gordon Rudd, from Figheldean, who was presented with his Pingat Jasa Malaysia medal for his service as a warrant officer in Borneo, Singapore and Malaysia.
At the time, Colonel Rudd was serving with the Gurkha Brigade.
Colonel Rudd, 79, a former chairman of Figheldean Parish Council, chairman of the new village hall steering committee and chairman of Figheldean Working Men's Club, served 50 years with the military.
He joined the Army at the age of 17 and retired with the rank of colonel in 1982. He was then re-employed as a housing commandant for 13 years.
The Malaysian government asked the British government in 2005 for approval to present a new medal to British veterans and others who served in operations in Malaya and Malaysia.