Ceremony for former soldier is 40 years late
Former soldier William Jones has finally picked up his active service medals – 40 years after he was awarded them.
William Jones, 69, of Sutton Hill, served with the 22nd Royal Artillery from 1963 to 1967 during a resurgence in the Malayan Emergency.
This was a communist uprising in the Far East country which took place mainly between 1948 and 1960, although it continued until 1989.
Mr Jones visited the Imperial War Museum in Manchester were he received the medal alongside 20 of his former colleagues, including his brother-in-law, Gordon Harrison. Mr Jones spent four years serving in Malaya, Borneo and Singapore after joining the Army aged 18, where he worked using anti-aircraft machinery. He said: "I knew that there were medals around but I didn't really expect to be getting one any time soon. I understand that they had been trying to trace me for a number of years and I was one of the last ones they managed to contact."
The citation that was read out during the presentation thanked soldiers like Mr Jones' for "distinguishing themselves in chivalry, gallantry and loyalty while performing their service". The medal's official title is Pingat Jasa Malaysia, or the Service to Malaysia Award.
