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Veterans to defy war medal snub

Exclusive by Katherine Vine
5/ 9/2008

IN an act of defiance, war veterans from Trafford will be proudly wearing a medal the Government has refused to recognise at a ceremony next week.

The members of the Northern Malaya and Borneo Veterans’ Association are holding a ceremony at St Anne’s Church in the city centre on Wednesday, September 10 for the dedication and blessing of their new standard – the flag used at official parades such as Remembrance Day.

Those attending will wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia, awarded by the Malaysian government to those who served in Malaysia, Borneo and Singapore between 1957 and 1966 after Malaysia gained independence.

Association president and founding member John Simcock says that while other Commonwealth countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Fiji have acknowledged the awards to their veterans and allow them to wear the medal, the UK government still refuses to officially permit the wearing of the PJM.

The Association is made up of around 200 members, some 23 of whom live in Trafford. They are now campaigning to get the Pingat Jasa Malaysia officially recognised by the UK government and presented to all veterans who fought at this time.

John, 66, said: "At first the Government was saying that veterans of the conflict could not receive the medal at all because there was already a general service medal, but we managed to win the argument on that one.

"We are now trying to get it presented to as many veterans as possible. Although we are completely unfunded and run entirely by volunteers, over the last two years we have managed to get around 1,300 Pingat Jasa medals presented in Greater Manchester alone, and we have many more to go."

The Association has also uncovered a notice from the Foreign Office, published in the London Gazette in 1968, which John says gives official permission for some veterans to wear the medal.

The notice states that the Queen has approved that orders, decorations and medals conferred to United Kingdom citizens by heads or governments of foreign countries "may in all cases be won by the recipients without restriction".

John says that, because this notice only applies to people who were no longer serving in the military when the medal was conferred to them, it does not apply to all veterans, and the Association intends to keep fighting until they all have official permission to wear the PJM.

"We can and will proudly wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia at next week’s ceremony," he said. "Between 1951 and 1955 we lost around 2,000 men over there, and the people who fought should be allowed to accept this honour bestowed upon them by the Malaysian government."

John, of Urmston, served with an anti-aircraft squadron in Singapore between 1962 and 1965.

The Association also plans to move its meeting headquarters from the city centre to Stretford Ex-Servicemen’s Club in December this year because it offers special rates and deals to ex-military organisations.

"The beer’s cheaper, and there’s not far to stagger to the Metrolink station!," John said.