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BUKIT MENDI

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BUKIT MENDI

With any thing you remember about this
project
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I was up there at the start of the project in late 1968/69.  I think it went into full swing later in 1969.
We, (54), did quite a bit of plant work in the early days.


Mick Norton 54 Sqn
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John Hunt 11 Sqn
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I have a few photos' of the project at Bukit Mendi....I will send them to you as soon as I have scanned them.

A few memories that I have of  my time there:

     Having to track my dozer down to the main road and meet up with a couple of REME recovery mechs.
Load the dozer onto a low loader and head for a Guthrie's Plantation near Kuala Lumpur to recovery 3 Saladin from the 17/21 Lancers who could not read a map!!!! they ran out of a track down a steep valley and could not get out.(still waiting for a case of beer from them)
It was a noisy journey, if I remember in the Leyland Recovery veh.  The recovery mechs  where worried we might have problems with the prop shaft bearing but we arrived with no problems.  Due to wt. problems in having to cross a bridge in the plantation; we had to wait for the plantation manager & engineer + plenty of phone calls, eventually we where allowed to cross the bridge and get to the mini tanks.  To cut a long story short we managed to get them out of there predicament but in doing so damaged a few rubber trees in the process + 1 winch rope on dozer...I would not like to guess how much compensation it must of cost MOD.

    Being asleep in the wooden planters hut and awoke smelling smoke,  discovered one of my room mates had fallen asleep with a cigarette and his mosey net was on fire, managed to get everybody out + net but in doing so tore all the skin of one of my big toes.
A few items that stick in my brain......Aussies and petrol, a Aussie/Hong Kong bible/swarfega on forward clearance,  27 KVA generator running out of engine oil. & somebody falling in a newly dug latrine pissed.

Regards,
John Cruddas
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PHOTO ALBUM picasa
PHOTO ALBUM google photo
 One of the photo`s showing a group next to a newly built "House" was part of the Project, one of the bodies is Terry Gilhooly also Dave Hudson, Ted ?. Rod Dowling

4 comments:

  1. Hank,
    I was up there at the start of the project in late 1968/69. I think it went into full swing later in 1969.
    We, (54), did quite a bit of plant work in the early days. Howard Tomlinson runs a 54 website and was there, he should be able to help. i've copied in, (CC), a few others from 54 who might add to the story.

    If you get hold of Jonny McGuigan and Geordie Golightly they'll tell you a few cracking tales about 59 and Blackjack Vowells at Bukit Mendi....

    Mick Norton

    ReplyDelete
  2. John Hunt
    Hank, one of the photo`s showing a group next to a newly built "House" was part of the Project, one of the bodies is Terry Gilhooly also Dave Hudson, Ted ?. Rod Dowling


    Terymight have some more photo`s / info.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I was at Bukit early days with 11sqn with joe mc cann big ollie mick norton sid tynan a right bunch I have vivid memories of the naffi tent,we were involved in building the planters huts

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks Geordie are you getting my emails okay check your spam folder or bin if not.
    Cheers Mate

    ReplyDelete