Merdeka
Malaya 1957. A country gains freedom, but deep in the jungle fighting continues......
by
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Prologue The acrid smell of cordite filled her nostrils as the Tommy gun chattered, hurling bullets out towards the enemy position. Peering cautiously over the tree root she could see the slow, placid waters of the brown river meandering around the edge of the swamp she had so recently crossed. The soldiers had taken cover on a small beach, hidden from view by some fallen branches. As they fired at her their red and yellow muzzle flashes were startlingly bright in the fading light of the jungle gloaming, but any illusion of beauty was quickly dispelled by the sound of bullets cracking over her head, accompanied by dull thuds as some of them hit the trunks and branches of trees. Leaves drifted down slowly from the gloom of the jungle canopy, sliced away from their stems by the high velocity rounds. Her stomach tensed as she gently squeezed the trigger again, aiming at where she knew that she had seen one of the men go to ground. She tried to ignore the throbbing pain from her injured leg and bit her lip as she forced herself to focus, raising her left hand to wipe away the sweat that was stinging her eyes. There was a sudden movement to her right and, switching her aim, she fired another burst, vaguely registering that the soldier had thrown himself backwards into the swamp to avoid her bullets. The fire fight continued and, as the shadows lengthened, she realised that this was going to be the place of her death. Emotion choked her and it wasn’t just the sweat in her eyes now, tears were also welling. As she stifled a sob she saw a man on the beach raise himself and begin to shoot. The bullets were too close for comfort and, gritting her teeth, she lowered her head and began to return fire. She didn’t see the approach of her killer until it was too late. He must have moved along the edge of the swamp and then used the dead ground to her right to get as close as possible. She rolled onto her left side to try to shoot him as he raced towards her, but she could not move quickly enough. As his bullets began slamming into her she saw his face – it was kind and not the face of a killer. She rolled backwards with her arms out flung……yet felt no pain. The man’s face began to drift away from her. His dark eyes were wet and he seemed to be trying to tell her something. His mouth moved but she couldn’t hear the words. She held his gaze, trying to understand him, but his face began to drift away into a misty haze. She tried to call out to him but no sound came. Suddenly the mist began to clear as light started to dispel the darkness. She heard a woman’s voice. A cock crowed and a dog started to bark. She sat up, realising with relief that she was in a bed, cocooned by a mosquito net. Her mind clearing, she registered that she was in Yong Peng and had just had a vivid dream. The voice that she could hear belonged to Aunty Ma who was outside in the yard carrying out some of her morning chores. The first rays of the rising sun suddenly shot through the slatted shutters on the bedroom window and the sound of happy chickens being fed drifted up from the yard. Glad to be alive and away from the jungle, and still heavy with sleep, she yawned, stretched, and began to prepare her mind for the day ahead.
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About the Book
Malaya 1957 and a country on the brink of independence. Acting on secret intelligence a Gurkha patrol from the British Army is sent deep into the jungle to ambush a group of Chinese Communist Terrorists. It is accompanied by Alick Gordon, a young officer from the Scottish Border Regiment, Arthur Bryant, a seasoned District Superintendent from the Special Branch of the Malayan Police and Jalil, a tracker and guide from the local orang asli people. The Communist Unit is led by Hor Too, a renowned and ruthless jungle fighter and is accompanied by Ah Sim, a female member of the Politburo. The tide has turned for the Communists due to the successful counter-insurgency campaign, where the phrase winning the 'hearts and minds' of a population was first coined. The outcome of the ambush is unexpected and Alick Gordon is deeply affected by some of the deaths. In the days after independence (Merdeka) he takes a short break and makes a journey across Malaya. He finds comfort and solace in the company of those he meets, and one person will change his life forever.
About the Author
Lachlan was educated in Edinburgh, except for two years spent in Malaysia and Singapore where he attended the Royal Naval Primary Schools in Johor Bahru and Singapore. He was awarded a University Cadetship by the Royal Navy, and went to Edinburgh University. A six month deployment to the Falkland Islands convinced him to join the Army, and he was commissioned into the Kings Own Scottish Borderers. During his military career he saw active service in Northern Ireland, before seconding to a Gurkha battalion (1/2 GR) in Hong Kong. He finished his Army career in charge of a Rifle Company and commanded a UK Contingent on a major international training exercise in New Zealand. He also attended a military training exercise in Malaysia, based at Terendak Camp near Malacca. He left the Army in Hong Kong and started work as a management consultant, before taking up a management position in a regional joint venture between Securicor plc in the UK and Jardine Pacific Ltd in Hong Kong. After nearly seven years in Hong Kong, he was sent to Taiwan where he set up Securicor Taiwan Ltd. Four years later he was sent to Thailand where he ran Securicor’s businesses for two years. After a short spell in India, he returned to the UK at the millennium and, in July 2000, set up his own business, BenAlpin Ltd, a UK based independent consultancy providing commercial security advice and business support & advisory services. In 2004 Lachlan co-founded the European ATM Security Team (EAST), which gathers and provides security related information for the European ATM industry and facilitates effective representation of ATM related security issues at relevant European central institutions. He is a Director of EAST and manages the group, which now has representation from 28 countries. Married to Becky, and father of Neil and Craig, Lachlan now lives in Scotland on a hill overlooking the River Tay. Neil M. Gunn, the acclaimed Scottish writer, is Lachlan’s great-uncle. ‘Merdeka’ is Lachlan’s first novel.