DURING his time in the Royal Navy, "Wink" Bilcock of Crediton spent almost a year on patrol in Borneo. Last month he was presented with his Pingat Jasa Malaysia medal at a ceremony in Plymouth.

Wink served on HMS Whitby, a Senior Naval Frigate. He says that while serving on the Borneo 1964-1966 Patrol, the Royal Navy Far East Admiral told them this was a "forgotten war", even though military personnel died during that conflict.

"I am sure that more than 80 per cent of our population still don't know that we helped to form Malaysia," said Wink.

He received his PJM Medal from Brigadier General Dato MD Tajri-Alwi, Defence Advisor for the Malaysian High Commission. Wink said that about 180 other people were at a ceremony in Plymouth.

The issue of the medal came about through the National Malaya and Borneo Veterans' Association, formed in 1994. One of its aims was to get formal recognition for British ex-service men and women who had contributed to Malaysia becoming independent and later preserving that independence.

Many years were spent fostering ties at all levels which began to bear fruit in the early part of this century.

One NMBVA member explained that in 2005 the Malaysian Government approached the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office to seek approval to present the new medal to British veterans and others who had served in operations in Malaya/Malaysia between August 1957 and August 1966.

Permission was granted in 2006 for the medal to be awarded to those eligible, but strangely no formal permission was given to wear it.

Before approaching the British authorities, the Malaysian Government consulted with the Australian and New Zealand authorities. Both countries accepted the award to their veterans, and allowed them to wear it. These governments also dealt with applications for the medal.

In Britain the Government said that applications for the PJM and its subsequent distribution were a matter for the Malaysian authorities, but the Malaysian High Commission and the British Government departments would work together to determine eligible applicants.

At first the MHC posted medals, but it soon became obvious this would cost a small fortune. Three NMBVA members and their wives undertook to process all the thousands of applications and to sort out a suitable place for award ceremonies.

So it was that Wink and his wife June had a day out in Plymouth last month, when Wink received his medal.

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