, October 1941 Beginning in 1920, local rulers in
British Malaya, led by
Sultan Iskandar (
Sultan of Perak),
Tuanku Muhammad (
Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan),
Raja Chulan (Perak royalty) and Abdullah Dahan (
Undang of
Rembau) urged Britain's
Colonial Office to raise an infantry regiment from the colonial population. During this period,
British and
Indian troops, including the
Burma Rifles, were stationed in Malaya for
internal security duties. On 23 November 1932, the
War Office approved the formation of the Malay Regiment as a
British Colonial Auxiliary Forces unit consisting of British officers and Malayan
other ranks. Shortly afterwards on 23 January 1933, the
Federated Malay States passed the
Malay Regiment Act, which stipulated that $70,000 of government funds would be used to purchase the Kong Sang Rubber Estate in
Port Dickson and convert it into a
military recruit training centre for the regiment's new recruits. On 1 February 1933, 25 Malayans were chosen from 1,000 applicants to serve in the first
company of the regiment. A month later on 1 March, the company was officially formed in Port Dickson under
commanding officer G. McBruce and his
adjutant,
Captain K. G. Exham; the regiment's
regimental sergeant major was A. E. McCarthy, and E. Oldfield served as its
quartermaster sergeant. Since the company was solely an attempt to "find out how the Malays would react to military discipline", it was designated as the 1st (Experimental) Company. On 1 January 1935, the company was expanded into a regiment with 150 personnel. Recruitment efforts for the unit proceeded to accelerate, and a further 232 recruits were formed into two
rifle companies and a
headquarters section which included a
Vickers machine gun platoon, a
signallers section and a corps of
drummers. By 1 January 1938, the regiment had a complement of 17 British officers, six Malayan officers, 11
warrant officers and 759
non-commissioned officers and other ranks. In the leadup to
World War II, the regiment's training intensified with more frequent and longer marches and exercises and both regimental and brigade level. The regiment also began training with
mortars and
anti-tank weapons. In March 1941, Governor
Shenton Thomas authorised an increase of the regiment's size to two battalions, which along with the 2nd Battalion of the British Army's
Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) formed the
1st Malaya Infantry Brigade. Five months later, a
Bren Gun Carrier platoon was formed under Captain R. R. C. Carter and began training with the 2nd Loyal Regiment.
Battle of Pasir Panjang Ridge The first clash between the Malay Regiment and the
Imperial Japanese Armed Forces occurred on 13 February 1942 at around 1400 hrs when the Japanese 18th Division attacked the south-western coast along the
Pasir Panjang Ridge and across Ayer Rajah Road. That morning, the Japanese 56th Infantry Regiment, with considerable artillery support, attacked. B Company of 1st Battalion, Malay Regiment, defending their position on the ridge came under heavy fire from Japanese troops supported by artillery and tanks and were forced to retreat to the rear. However, before their withdrawal was complete, the Japanese broke through B Company's position encircling the entire company. When their ammunition ran out, B Company fought on savagely in hand-to-hand combat using bayonets. Captain
Yazid Ahmad of the Federated Malay States Volunteer Force, on secondment to the Malay Regiment, took over B Company. They were reduced owing to mounting officer casualties: in a heroic and glorious last stand eclipsing the later achievements of 2nd Lieutenant
Adnan Saidi. Captain Yazid died where he stood at the head of his men. A few soldiers from B Company managed to break out from the encirclement while other survivors were captured and became prisoners-of-war. The company's destruction triggered an immediate night withdrawal of both the 44th Indian and 1st Malaya Brigade to the general line running from Mount Echo (at the junction of Ayer Rajah and Depot Road) to Buona Vista.
Battle of Bukit Chandu On 14 February, the Japanese launched a further heavy attack at 0830 hours, supported by intense mortar and artillery fire, on the front held by the 1st Malaya infantry Brigade. The fighting included bitter hand-to-hand combat with heavy losses on both sides. At 1600 hours, an attack supported by tanks eventually succeeded in penetrating the left flank where the defenders were forced back to a line from the junction of the Ayer Rajah and Depot Road through the Brick Works and along the canal to Bukit Chermin. Owing to the failure of units on both its flanks to hold their ground, the 1st Malaya Infantry Brigade withdrew at 1430 hours. At this point, the Malay Regiment's C Company were ordered to move to a new defence position, Pt. 226 at Bukit Chandu. Had the Japanese gained control of the hill and ridge that overlooked the north of the island, it would have given them direct passage to the Alexandra area where the British army had its main ammunition and supply depots, a military hospital and other key installations. Second Lieutenant Adnan Saidi and his men of 7 Platoon, C Company of the 1st Bn Malay Regiment made their well-known final stand against the Japanese attack on Bukit Chandu, now being commemorated as
Reflections at Bukit Chandu. Saidi's bravery was exemplified in the battle where he was killed along with many of the Malay Regiment in the last defensive battle at Pasir Panjang. His motto "Biar Putih Tulang Jangan Putih Mata" is still remembered. The translation loosely means, "it is better to die fighting than to live crying in regret till the eyes becomes blind." In other words, "Death Before Dishonour". Separated from D Company by a big canal on fire with oil flowing from Normanton Depot, C Company were prevented from retreating further south. C Company Commander Captain Rix died during the early part of the engagement whereupon command automatically passed to Saidi. The Japanese troops pressed their attack on Bukit Chandu in the afternoon. As a ruse, they sent a group of soldiers dressed in captured Indian Army uniforms who attempted to pass themselves off as
Punjabi troops. However, Saidi saw through the ruse as Indian soldiers marched in threes and Japanese troops marched in fours. When the disguised soldiers reached the Malay Regiment's defence line, C Company's squad opened fire with their
Lewis guns, killing some and badly wounding the rest — those who survived rolled and crawled downhill to save themselves. Four of the top marksmen in the previous years military competition held in Singapore were men from C Company. Two hours later, the Japanese launched an all-out assault in great numbers despite being within point blank range of the Australian artillery. To save ammunition, the artillery did not open fire, a manoeuvre that greatly surprised the Japanese. The shell that had been "saved" by the Australian artillery was handed over to the Japanese army the next day when General Percival surrendered Singapore to General Yamashita. The Malay Regiment were soon overwhelmed by the attack. Although greatly outnumbered and short of ammunition and supplies, they continued to put up resistance. Reports claimed that Saidi manned a Lewis gun others engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat using only bayonets. Nevertheless, the troops stood their ground and frustrated the Japanese. Saidi was seriously wounded but refused to retreat; instead he encouraged his men to fight to the last, showing a disregard for personal danger that inspired the company to fight on. Saidi was later captured and tortured before being bayoneted to death. On 28 February 1942, four captive Malay Regiment officers were executed by firing squad in
Pasir Panjang for refusing to join the Japanese army when instructed to do so by a Malaysian collaborator, Major Mustapha Hussein of the
F Kikan. They were Lieutenant (No.8) Ariffin Hj Sulaiman, Lieutenant (No.29) Abdul Wahid Jidin, Lieutenant (No.57) Abdullah Saad and Lieutenant (No.12) Ibrahim Sidek. Lieutenant Ahmad Noordin of 'A' Company, 1st Battalion was executed earlier on 15 February 1942 while Lieutenant Muhammad Isa Mahmud of HQ Company, 1st Battalion was executed on 12 February 1943. Most of the surviving captured Malay Regiment officers defected or joined the Imperial Japanese Army. During the
Malayan campaign, primarily between 12-14 February 1942 in Singapore, the Malay Regiment suffered a total of 159 killed (six British officers, seven Malaysian officers, and 146 other ranks) and a large but unspecified number wounded. On the whole the British were not convinced that the Malays were a
martial race in view of the widespread desertions among Malay Regiment troops leading to most of the remaining Malaysian soldiers being disarmed before they entered Johor and were ordered home. A small core of well trained and loyal Malaysian officers and non-commissioned officers fought to the end in the defence of Singapore.
Reconstruction during the British Military Administration By mid 1946, the idea of a multi-racial Malay Regiment, raised after the war, had been dropped due to opposition from state rulers and governments. The all-Malay Malay Regiment would become part of a Federation Army of
divisional strength thereby freeing up British regiments for other more strategic duties. The British plan to develop a strategic reserve of three brigades held in Britain would require the raising of more local regimental strength. The Overseas Defence Committee thereafter endorsed a gradual expansion of the Malay Regiment to six battalions by 1950 whereby the Malay Regiment would be used mainly for internal security, with multi-racial formations in the supporting arms. But in fact by 1954 it reached seven battalions at the height of The Emergency.
The Malayan Emergency By 1948, the
British Army had seven partially reformed
Gurkha battalions in
Malaya, in addition to two battalions of the Malay Regiment. By mid-1948, only three British battalions remained in Malaya to provide security to the Federation. The Malay Regiment also played a major role against the
Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) when an eventual seven battalions served during the
Malayan Emergency, with the 3rd battalion, which was raised in 1948. During the campaigns privates carried a
No.4 and
No.5 .303 service rifle in sporting guise to hide it for jungle warfare. A sling swivel on the side of the butt was one feature. Another was the flash eliminator on the muzzle designed to mask firing with a bayonet to affix. The regiment gained the 'royal' prefix in 1960 when many of its officers were still trained at
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. It became the Royal Malay Regiment and by 1961 had a strength of 11 battalions. The Sovereign's
Colours were received in 1963, seven years after Malaysia became an independent country.
Indonesian confrontation , Sabah commemorates the seven Royal Malay Regiment soldiers and their commander who were killed on 29 December 1963 when intruders from Indonesia attacked their camp. During the confrontation, the Royal Malay Regiment were also deployed in Sabah and Sarawak. During this deployment, the Kalabakan incident occurred on 29 December 1963. An outpost in Kalabakan in
Tawau, established and manned by members of C Company of the 3rd Battalion under the command of Maj Zainal Abidin bin Haji Yaacob was ambushed by "volunteers" of the North Kalimantan Army while performing their Maghrib prayers. The company reacted and stood to, and were finally able to repel the attacking force. However, seven members of the company, including Major Zainal Abidin were killed and 16 others wounded.
Second Emergency Lahad Datu Standoff ==Serving the United Nations==