West, John Joseph (Oral history)

British police officer served with Palestine Police in Palestine, 1946- 1948; served with Royal Federation of Malaya Police in Malaya, 1948-1958

REEL 1 Recollections of period as policeman with Palestine Police, 1946-1948: background to decision to join Palestine Police; journey to Palestine; attitude to British presence in Palestine; Jewish and Arab attitudes to British presence; training at Jenin; duties in Haifa area; role of Adolf Hitler in exacerbating Jewish/Arab relations; bombing of Jewish civilians in Jerusalem, 2/1948; British Police officers who defected to Arab cause; opinion of role of army, 1946-1948; British withdrawal through Haifa port, 1948; handling illegal Jewish immigrants, Haifa; reaction to leaving Palestine, 6/1948. REEL 2 Continues: Recollections of period as police officer with Royal Federation of Malaya Police in Malaya, 1948-1958: transfer to Malaya, 9/1948; work protecting rubber estates in Selangor; attitude towards Malayan special constables; question of effectiveness of economic sabotage carried out by insurgents; transfer to Kajang for Jungle Squad work, 8/1949; modification of scout cars in Kajang; opinion of success of 1st Bn Suffolk Regt in jungle; successes achieved against insurgents in Kajang area; fanaticism of female insurgents; insurgent strength in Kajang, 1949; difficulties of identifying Min Yuen supply unit; incident in which British Army unit shot and killed civilians; attitude to operating in jungle. REEL 3 Continues: secondment to Malayan Scouts, 9/1950; proposed deep penetration role of Malayan Scouts; methods of insurgent communications; use of aboriginal people against insurgents; opinion of organisation of Malayan Scouts and calibre of personnel; character of Trooper Costello; successful encounter with insurgents; story of murder of Trooper James O'Leary; description of areas Malayan Scouts operated in; success of jungle fort system; appointment as Head of Police District, Rawang, 8/1951; ambush of High Commissioner Sir Henry Gurney, 1951. REEL 4 Continues: aftermath of ambush; effect of arrival of Sir Gerald Templer; opinion of Briggs Plan and New Village system; comparison between US actions in Vietnam and British actions in Malaya; attitude of Malays towards Chinese insurgents; insurgents intimidation of civilians; attitude towards insurgents; opinion that 1949-1950 was the most difficult period of Emergency; question of independence for Malaya; assuming control of 20 Federal Young Coy, Aboriginal Areas Constabulary in Perek, 3/1952; incident when insurgents fired on helicopter carrying Commissioner of Police at Fort Legap, 1952. REEL 5 Continues: importance of not moving aboriginal people into defended forts; work as staff officer at Ipoh, 2/1953-1/1954; operation into Bentong Salient in Thailand, 8/1953; breaking leg in jungle and evacuation by helicopter; character of Sungei Siput area; murder of planters by insurgents in Sungei Siput; difficulties of enforcing central cooking policy; contrast between Bahau and Kuala Pilah; role of RAF during Emergency; successes of RAF in Negri Sembilan and Johore. REEL 6 Continues: difficulty of pattern bombing jungle; leaving Royal Federation of Malaya Police, 1958; attitude towards service in Malaya; success of Malayan independence.