Search Malayan Emergency Commonwealth Deaths 1948-1960
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Discover if your ancestors died while serving in Malaysia (then known as Malaya) during the Malayan Emergency. You can uncover your relative’s military details like rank, regiment and battalion. The records will also tell you how your relative died while serving in Malaysia and where he/she is buried. The conflict involved the Commonwealth armed forces, which included Australia, British Indian Army and more. The Malayan Emergency lasted from 1948 until 1960, but the transcripts include deaths as far back as 1905 (a Malayan police officer who died while playing Russian roulette) up until 1971.
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What can these records tell me?keyboard_arrow_down
Each record includes a transcript of the original document. The amount of information listed can vary, but most of the Malayan Emergency - Commonwealth Deaths records reveal a combination of the following information about your relative:
- Name
- Soldier Number
- Rank and Regiment
- Battalion
- Year and date of birth
- Age
- Year of death
- Details of event – explains how the person died
- Awards
- Buried or commemorated
- Burial or commemoration location
Discover More about Malayan Emergency - Commonwealth Deaths 1949-1963keyboard_arrow_down
The Malayan Emergency officially lasted from 1948 until 1963. However, the deaths recorded here extend from 1905 until 1971, due to extended security involvement of the Commonwealth forces. The records show the accounts of 1,541 deaths.
The Malayan Emergency
After the Second World War Malaya was under British rule. In 1946, the British government proposed creating a Malayan Union. This proposal resulted in political unrest which ended with the creation, in 1948, of the Federation of Malaya.
The Federation created a union among the territories and guaranteed rights of Malayans. The developments distressed the Malayan Communist Party, created in 1930, who proceeded to engage in guerrilla warfare through their military branch, the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA).
18 June 1948 was the beginning of the twelve year Malayan Emergency conflict between the MNLA and the Commonwealth armed forces. The Commonwealth armed forces represented regiments from the British Army, New Zealand Army, Australian Army, British Indian Army, Canadian Army and the Malayan Police.
The Federation of Malaya achieved independence in 1957 but the Malayan Emergency was not declared over until 1960 by the Malayan government. The Federation of Malaya became the Federation of Malaysia in 1963 (or Malaysia as we know it today) and federated with Singapore, Sarawak and North Borneo.
Some of the Commonwealth Regiments included in the Malayan Emergency:
Army Catering Corps (ACC)
Australian Army, SAS (Special Air Service) Squadron
Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
Devonshire Regiment
Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles
Federation of Malaya Police
Green Howards
Green Jackets
Gurkhas Depot Brigade
Intelligence Corps
King's Dragoon Guards
King Edward's Own Gurkha Rifles
King George V's Own Gurkha Rifles
King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry
Manchester Regiment
Military Provost Staff Corps
New Zealand Regiment
Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles
Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles
Queen's Own Hussars
Queen's Own (West Surrey Regiment)
Royal Air Force
Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC)
Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC)
Royal Army Service Corps (RASC)
Royal Artillery Regiment (RA)
Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Army Medical Corps
Royal Australian Artillery
Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Regiment
Royal Australian Signals
Royal Corps of Signals
Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers (REME)
Royal Engineers
Royal Hampshire Regiment
Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own)
Royal Lincolnshire Regiment
Royal Marine Commando Brigade
Royal New Zealand Air Force
Royal Scots Fusiliers
Royal Welch Fusiliers
Sarawak Rangers
Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs Duke of Albany's)
Special Air Service Regiment (SAS)
Suffolk Regiment
Womens' Royal Army Corps
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