Malayan Emergency Commonwealth Deaths 1948-1960

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?

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 1949-1963

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