The British Announcement
The first British 'announcement' was a blunt "No". And it was made in a written answer in the Lords!
Here is the question and answer in the House of Lords taken from Hansard:
"Service Medals
Lord Chadlington asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether present or former eligible members of Her Majesty's forces will be entitled to wear the medal recently awarded by the government of Malaysia to all Commonwealth ex-servicemen who served in either the emergency or the confrontation between 1957 and 1966. [HL582]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean:
No. HMG's rules on the acceptance and wearing of foreign awards preclude the acceptance of medals for events in the distant past or more than five years previously. In addition, the rules do not allow for a foreign award to be accepted if a British award has been given for the same service. Eligible veterans of the Emergency or Confrontation in Malaya should already have received the Malaya Bar to their General Service Medal.
[Source: Written Answers, Lord's Hansard, 11th January 2005]
So, not much change to be had there, it would seem (compare the unelected Baroness's buttock-clenching response to the gracious announcements made 'down under').
I 'borrowed' this 2003 piccie of Baroness Symons (the FO Minister who said "No" to the PJM in the Lords) from a DTI web page - hope they don't mind! Actually, I don't much care if they do - they can have it back, I'll present it at an official ceremony, and she/they can pin it wherever they want - with formal permission, natch.
Now then, call me Mr Cynical if you must, but what conceivable understanding can she have of the meaning of the PJM? Of the meaning to us, of the meaning to Malaysia? She wasn't even born when we were out there serving Malaysia.
Having given us not a nanosecond's thought and having done the dirty on us, she wasted no time in getting into something a tad more 'rewarding'. This is what happened to her career! Is there no justice?
Now then, where was I? Oh yes ... Baroness Symons went on to say in the Lords that day in January 2005.:
"All British citizens require permission from HMG to accept and wear foreign state awards. HMG have to date, received no request from the Malaysian Government for this medal to be presented to British ex-servicemen who are veterans of the Emergency or Confrontation in Malaya. "
Note the Hansard date: 11 January 2005. Apparently the Malaysians had not yet asked the Brits! Compare that with what happened in Australia, for example - they were offered the PJM in 2004!
Now, if Baroness Symons was correct in her statement (and it was a written statement so she had time to do her homework), why were the Brits the last to be offered the award? Nothing to do with an anticipated snub, then!
Footnote: Baroness Symons was removed from her Ministerial post soon after that written answer.
With that rejection, our campaign started - a campaign to reverse that thinking and within a month or so the Lobbyists achieved a major success when the Foreign Secretary announced that he had asked the Committee on the Grants of Honours, Decorations and Medals to reconsider British Medals Policy in respect of 'Foreign' Awards in the context of the PJM offer. The first battle was won ... but more were to follow.
Your turn now!
If you would like to comment on this page, please click here and send us your thoughts.
And here are some comments we've received:
Subject=Announcement (Brit)
Comment =I feel very insulted by this goverment in refusing us who served in Malaya during the emergency the right to wear the PJM Medal. I for one look forward to receiving this honour. I served with the RAF in Malaya 1956/58 and I consider the award of this medal is a big thank you from the Malaysian govt.
(DL, UK - name and contact details supplied)
Subject=The Recommendation
Comment=It is disgraceful that limp-wristed politicians who have never seen active service should be able to deprive that privilege to those entitled to wear the medal.(Sqn Ldr DT, MA RAF (Retd), UK - name and contact details supplied)
Subject=The Recommendation
Comment=I am extremely pleased that at long last the Malayasian Government have awarded this medal to Commonwealth forces who served their respective countries during the period stated. I would be honored to wear it along with my GSM. The British Government , in refusing to allow ex- servicemen¦women to wear this decoration has insulted the people of Malaysia. Is'nt this just typical of the stuffey, British government. Please save face, and accept this award.(AJS, UK - name and contact details supplied)
Subject=The Recommendation
Comment=Comrades, When I was in Malaya/Borneo, the Defence Minister was Denis Healey, possibly the last Labour Defence minister to take his job seriously. I doubt whether he would have allowed this anomalous situation to exist. The ludicrous situation where our Aussie and NZed mates are allowed to wear this medal whilst we are are not is typical of the hypocrisy which pervades the current government. They have been quick enough to continue the commitment of troops to spurious conflicts outside the Commonwealth, but deny those of us who protected the lives and welfare of Commonwealth citizens the right to display the gratitude of those citizens in public.
It is no wonder that so many veterans are leaving the country of their birth in large numbers.
Yours incandescently,
Dave Wakelam.(Dave Wakelam, Germany - contact details supplied)
Subject=The Recommendation
Comment= In ref to the Baroness and her comments ref the P J M, now she is in a position to get free travel with British Airways she should now take the opportunity to go and see what the real world is like, in Afghanistan & Iraq. I have two sons there and have served in many trouble spots.I too served in Borneo and as the result fought for an army pension caused by military service one son on his 25th year the other on his 20th year. My father lies in Indonesia killed by the Japanese in a P.O.W. camp and I never had the chance of seeing him. We are fourth generation ARMY, wouldn't it be more fitting that the P M‘s son go to Iraq or Afghanistan to lead from the front so to speak then he could come home, if he's lucky enough, to show off his medals to his father who hasn’t any fair comment I’d say rather than have a free holiday in the U.S.A, and as for the baroness her title is by way of hereditary, ours earned by BLOOD AND GUTS maybe her old man has nothing to wear on his left breast. Also she should make sure that all the royals are entitled to wear all their foreign medals. Where did Edward get his from - only his brother earned his in the Falklands and rightly so, and that goes for all the others in parliament who wear non-bona fide decorations. Judge not that you may be judged.
(WC, UK - name and contact details supplied)
Subject=The Medal
Message=Having spent 6 months under canvas at Kuantan with 16 Squadron RAF, enduring mosquitos and monsoons. Having spent endless nights on guard duty awaiting the arival of terrorist infiltrators and having carried out AT patrols in the jungle and in the kampongs, I reckon I've earned my PJM. I will ignore the instructions of the "Whitehal Warriors" (most of whom have never left their offices) and wear it with pride.(SG, UK - name and contact details supplied)
Subject=The Recommendation
Comment=This medal has been presented (in the British case eventually?) to thank the veterans and others who helped Malaysia out in it's troubled early years - True the Majority of us were service personnel in one or other of our nations armed forces (in my case Royal Navy - HMS Brighton) however we had volunteered to help out our nations in their fight against their perceived enemies, but we still had volunteered for the job (OK maybe in a roundabout way - see above).But I believe this honour (and an honour it most definitely is) is from the Government of Malaysia to those who served (in whatever capacity) thus the present Government has no right to refuse us the right to wear it!! (and I'd like to know when I'm getting mine - but that's beside the point).
Interesting to note that the present government is of the same political party as sent us into the 'forgotten war' in the first place, also someone has noted we actually won that one! Unlike some of the less than legal efforts the poor bloody serviceman is sent into today - maybe it's because it was legal and for the right reasons that we did!
(Mike Eaton, UK - contact details supplied)
[Ed: Mike, it's interesting to note that the Defence Minister in the 1960's and during Confrontation, Denis, now Lord, Healey, fully supports our campaign for the right to wear the PJM.]
Subject=The Medal
Message=Having spent 6 months under canvas at Kuantan with 16 Squadron RAF, enduring mosquitos and monsoons. Having spent endless nights on guard duty awaiting the arival of terrorist infiltrators and having carried out AT patrols in the jungle and in the kampongs, I reckon I've earned my PJM. I will ignore the instructions of the "Whitehal Warriors" (most of whom have never left their offices) and wear it with pride.(SG, UK - name and contact details supplied)
Subject=The Medal
Message=Have never known a Country like England to treat us War Veterans shameless and not with out any thought of what we went through serving our Queen and Country's interests in Borneo and Sarawak.l am disgusted to say the least and will be glad to see the back of England.
(Thomas Weatherall, UK - name and contact details supplied)
Subject=The British Announcement
Message=One of the reasons used in the Governments excuses for not allowing the wearing of the PJM was that the GSM was awarded,this is utter b******t as the MOD did not award it until sometime in September/October 1964,in my case about two weeks after I left Singapore having served two and a half years there.(John Chambers, UK - name and contact details supplied)
