Dear
Richard,
I do hope that you get the entire photo. It starts on the left with
Pete Fox shaving, behind Reg Russell's arm & goes across to the
right to Derek Fisk. If it doesn't come out completely, please tell
me & I can send you a copy by post: I've had some printed.
The picture was taken on Sebatik Island off Sabah, Malaysia in 1965.
It was a nasty place to be as the island was split between Sabah &
Indonesia. At the time they were in a state of Confrontation. The
band of 3 Commando Brigade used to go to 45 Cdo. in Aden, 40 Cdo.
in Malaya, & 42 in Borneo at regular intervals. We had riots in
Singapore as well. Curfews made getting to work a doddle. I well remember
my wife coming back by bus from town & saying that it was very
busy there, folk shouting & banging the bus etc.. It was only
when we switched on the evening news that we found she had been in
the middle of a riot that had claimed the lives of 23 people!
The photo. shows our accommodation. We shared it with the trackers
whose fighting cocks used to wake at some ungodly hour living as they
did under our longhouse, built, like all the houses out there, on
stilts. If I say that the toilets, rough wooden open-air slats, would
be a fishermans' dream, you probably get my drift.
From
left to right the photo shows:-Tracker,
Pete Fox (RMB/X2323 Sgt. Tenor Sax. Clt. &
Vln) who nipped out from having a shave,
Tracker, Reg. Russell ( Alto Sax. Clt.
& Vln) Tracker,
Jock Hunter (Flt. & Pno.) Tracker,
Alf. Bromley (Alto Sax. Clt. & Pno.) Frank
Williams (Sgt. Cnt. & Vln.) George Fenlon (Clt. & Vln.) Alan
Rigden (Tbn.) Tony Oberdries (Cpl. Basses) & Derek Fisk. (Perc.)
I took the picture!
Somewhere I also have a picture of Charlie Laws & Pete Reeves
at the back of a Pusser's 3 tonner as well as one of most of the band
trying (unsuccessfully!) to lift a tree across our path with "Chippy"
Carpenter doing his Bandmaster supervision bit. It didn't occur to
us that it might have been an ambush!
I do hope that you can get this on the website as it will bring back
many mixed emotions. Eddie Pescud, Sid. Sheard & myself tried
to put names to those I couldn't remember in full detail, at the re-union,
but it wasn't until I was outside the Cathedral on Sunday when the
3 of us, plus Mik Hickman found that we need not have bothered because
we found that Mick Bromley was Alf & Fisk hadn't an 'e' at the
end! I hope to get this in the "Blue Band" as well as not
everyone is enlightened enough to visit your excellent site.
Shiner
Wright (ex RMB 3716)
Several people have asked how I became Euph, Cello AND Trombone. Blame
Dougie Haigh. When the F- change trombone came out for issue, he wanted
one, so issued me with his pea-shooter, changed my category, &
drew a F-change for himself!
Mystery over!
