Veteran gets war medal, 44 years on

Bryan, who lives at Tannery Court in the town, has been presented the Pingat Jasa Malaysia, The Malaysian Service Medal.

At 66 years old, the medal has taken 44 years to reach him but at a special ceremony in Birmingham, he was awarded the honour as a thank you by the Malaysian government for his part in the peacekeeping operation.

Bryan joined the army as a private in 1960 and served in Malaya in the jungle from 1961 to 1962.

He was part of the 28th commonwealth brigade and his battalion was the Third Battalion Royal Anglican Regiment (The Pompadours).

He said: “From 1959 to 1966 there were problems. The communists were hell bent on disrupting everything in the country. So our government along with Australia and other countries sent forces out there to sort it out. And to that end that’s what I did.

“I was based in Malacca, carrying out operations in the jungle and eliminating any terrorists.

“We all had to wear jungle green so to distinguish ourselves from the enemy we wore yellow bands on our helmets. Anything that didn’t have a yellow band was fair game.

“We marched through swamps and were up to our necks in it. We were worried about the leeches and snakes, and ants that were as big as your thumb.”

On leaving Malaya, Bryan became a warrant officer and worked his way up the army ranks to become team sergeant/commander when he served in Northern Ireland in 1974 during the troubles.

Bryan added: “I was just a sprog when I joined the army and served for 22 years until November 1982. I had my 21st birthday in the jungle which at the time I wasn’t happy about.”

He married in 1962 and had three children, Stephen who lives in Burton Green, Tracey and Dawn. He has eight grandchildren.

He was presented with his award at the Forget me Knot Club in Birmingham by a high-ranking officer from Malaya.

Bryan added: “It was great to receive it. It has taken so long and I think it’s to allow the country to gain it stability again and settle back into to a routine. When I got my medal I didn’t see any guys from my battalion. I would have recognised them if I had despite it being over 40 years.”

Bryan’s daughter-in-law Shona Perkins added: “In this climate of what appears to be an unfair acknowledgement of our servicemen’s efforts abroad, I thought my father-in-law’s story may do something to lift the spirits of those in service.

“Even such along time down the line, they know that they have not been forgotten by the people they were sent abroad to help,” she added.