LIMBANG REBELLION
E ILEEN C HANIN is a Sydney-based historian. Her most recent book, Book Life: The life and times of David Scott Mitchell , received the 2011 Alex Buzo Prize and was shortlisted for the 2011 CAL Waverley Library Award for Literature and the 2012 Australian Historical Association Magarey Medal for Biography. Her earlier book, Degenerates and Perverts: The 1939 Herald Exhibition of French and British Contemporary Art , was awarded the New South Wales Premiers Literary Awards Australian History Prize and shortlisted for the Victorian Premiers Literary Awards Nettie Palmer Prize for Non-Fiction. Eileen holds a PhD from the University of New South Wales, where she teaches at the College of Fine Arts. She writes for the press and Australian and international journals.
![First published in Australia in 2013 by New South Publishing University of New - photo 2](/uploads/posts/book/186054/images/titlepage.jpg)
First published in Australia in 2013 by New South Publishing,
University of New South Wales Press Ltd
Sydney NSW 2052
Reprinted in this format in 2014 by
PEN & SWORD MILITARY
An imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
47 Church Street
Barnsley, South Yorkshire
S70 2AS
Copyright Eileen Chanin 2013
ISBN 978 1 78346 191 2
eISBN 9781473831957
The right of Eileen Chanin to be identified as Author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
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CONTENTS
ABBREVIATIONS
ADC | Assistant District Commissioner; also, Aide-de-camp |
ADO | Assistant District Officer |
AIF | Australian Imperial Force |
BBCAU | British Borneo Civil Administration Unit |
BOAC | British Overseas Airways Corporation |
Cdo | Commando Unit |
Coy | Company |
CQ | Company Quartermaster |
CSM | Company Sergeant Major |
DO | District Officer |
FARELF | Far Eastern Land Force |
GHQ | General Headquarters |
GPMG | general purpose machine gun |
HQ | Headquarters |
IS | internal security |
LMG | light machine gun |
LPH | Landing Platform Helicopter |
MAS | Malaysian Airways System |
MC | Military Cross |
MMGs | medium machine guns |
MOA | Marine Officers Attendant |
NCO | Non-Commissioned Officer |
O Group | Operations Group Meeting |
PERINTREP | Periodic Intelligence Report |
PRB | Parti Rakyat Brunei (Peoples Party of Brunei) |
SITREP | Situation Report |
SLR | self-loading rifle |
SNCO | Senior Non-Commissioned Officer |
SP | Special Purpose |
TNKU | Tentera Nasional Kalimantan Utara (North Kalimantan National Army) |
VAD | Voluntary Aid Detachment |
VSO | Voluntary Service Overseas |
GLOSSARY
Abang/Awang | traditionally a title for aristocrats, now a courteous form of address equivalent to the English Mr |
Apai | father |
Astana/Istana | a palace |
Attap house | traditional Kampong housing, made of attap palm (commonly known as the nippa palm) that grows widely in estuarine areas |
Ayer | water |
Bedara | make offering and sacrifice to accompany prayer |
Belian | Borneo ironwood |
Bibi | dear/loved one, term of endearment derived from the Arabic habib , beloved |
Bilek | room, bedroom family space in longhouse |
Bin | son of |
Bruang | Malayan sun bear, bear |
Bujang | young man, bachelor |
Council Negri | Sarawak State Legislative Council |
Dato | a title of honour |
Dayang | a courteous form of address to women (the feminine of Awang ) |
Duku | sword, weapon; hunting knife with blade of around two feet (0.6 m) in length |
Emergency | the State of Emergency throughout Malaya, 194860 |
Ganesha | Hindu elephant-deity, remover of obstacles |
Hadj | pilgrimage to Mecca |
Jalan | road |
Jamban | toilet |
Kalimantan | Borneo |
Kampong | a Malay village |
Kris | traditional Malay dagger |
Ladang | clearing |
Ngajat | Iban dance |
Padang | field |
Parang | bush-knife |
Penghulu | district or village headman |
Perentah | government |
Pulau | island |
Rakyat | the people |
Ruai | gallery, verandah, commonly shared space of longhouse |
Sais | driver |
Sangar | fortified position above ground built with sandbags etc., with overhead cover to protect against shrapnel etc. |
Sirat | mans loincloth |
Songkok | Malay male headdress, cap |
Sungei | a river, stream |
Tabek | greeting, salute |
Tuak | rice wine |
Tuan | sir |
Tuhan | Almighty, God |
Ulu | upriver |
Utara | north |
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book has been many years in the making. The story and many of those who have been part of it have been also a part of my life. Some of the people whom I would like to thank have sadly passed away, including my parents-in-law Dick and Dorothy Morris; Major General Sir Jeremy Moore KCB, OBE, MC & Bar; Tun Jugah; Professor William R Geddes; Alastair Morrison MBE; Wan Ali Ibrahim and Wan Alwi bin Tuanku Ibrahim.
There are many to whom I owe great personal debts that I have accumulated in researching and writing this book. I am sincerely grateful to them for their generosity in sharing their thoughts and records, and for discussing at length what has been a significant experience in their lives. Captain Derek Oakley MBE, RM has been unstintingly generous with his encouragement, time and hospitality. Lady Veryan Moore and Helen Arthy have given me much help. Major General Julian Thompson CB, OBE gave me his time and valuable insights.