God's Little Acre

Col. Jacques Lemay, UK Defence Advisor and WO Chris Hardman, Assistant

Defence Advisor at the plaque to commemorate the fallen in "God's Little Acre"

Each year for the last four years, I have spent the second week-end in June in Perak. Why? To attend a memorial service held in Batu Gajah to commemorate those who lost their lives during the Malayan Emergency. Why Batu Gajah? Because it is there, in a small cemetery near the Church of the Holy Trinity that are to be found the graves of first three planters to be killed in June 1948. That cemetery is known as “God’s Little Acre”.

For me this has become a very special week-end. It is an opportunity to remember not only the planters who died, but also the miners, policemen and soldiers who fell to defend Malaya. Many of these men were British, Australian or New Zealanders. And increasing numbers of Commonwealth servicemen and their families come each year to participate in the ceremonies. But it was neither the Brits, nor the Aussies, nor the Kiwis who are responsible for organising these memorial services. They were initiated by Malaysians who wanted to honour the dead and protect their memory.                                                      I lay a wreath at "God's Little Acre" memorial

So the week-end is also a chance to say thank you to those Malaysians: to the Malaysian Palm Oil Association - Perak, who have a special Little Acre Sub-Committee and to Dato’ Thambipillay, former Chief Police Officer Perak, who has been a prime mover in Batu Gajah for thirty years.

Gurkha bagpipers and buglers with standard bearer from the

Royal British Legion in Thailand

Services are also held over the week-end to mark other events when Commonwealth forces came to the aid of Malaya/Malaysia:

- at the Cenotaph in Ipoh outside the main railway station, which was re-dedicated three years ago, which commemorates those lost in the First and Second World Wards, the Emergency and the Indonesian Confrontation;

- at the Malaysian Rangers regiment camp at Suvla Lines, which contains the graves of 28 Gurkha soldiers who died during the Emergency and Confrontation; and

- at the Sikh Community Centre, which commemorates the Battle of Kampar in 1942, when British and Indian Army soldiers fought a valiant holding action against the attacking Japanese Army.

My week-end was made this year by meeting Arthur, a former British serviceman, who fought with the Royal Marines in Crete and the Western Front. On being de-mobbed after the end of the Second World War, Arthur joined the police in Palestine, where he saw further action. In 1948, like many of his colleagues, he moved pretty much straight from the Middle East to Malaya, at the outbreak of the Emergency. I found Arthur chatting away animatedly to Dato’ Sri Yuen Yuet Leng, former Chief Police Officer Perak, author of “Nation before Self” and one of Malaysia’s heroes from that period. They were both looking at photos from another mate from those days, who had with him an album with lovely sepia photographs of the three of them in the days when they fought the “CTs” (Communist Terrorists). It was a privilege listening to their memories.

Col.Jacques Lemay giving speech at the Sikh Community memorial service

to honour in particular those who fell in the Battle of Kampar.

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the end of the Emergency in 1960. It is good to know that these memories are still being preserved. To quote the words read at British memorial services across the world:

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn;

At the going down of the sun and in the morning;                                                             

                                                          

We will remember them.