Hi-Tea with the Master Gunner

I attended the afternoon tea with the Master Gunner at the Royal Chulan Hotel KL on 3 April 2016. I was glad that I did as there were about 50 other retired Gunners present. It was a pleasant gathering with the adage Once A Gunner Always A Gunner. There were so much to stories catch up. A favourite GPO of mine confessed that he had played a trick on me. We were in Bau area Sarawak. I wanted to deploy a troop of guns at 1800 hours to which the GPO was not too keen to do so. He preferred a first light deployment the next day. However how could he disobey his BC? A simple but very effective plan.

I called him on the Bty command net on the HF radio and ordered for him to deploy urgently that evening. He pretended the radio conversation was full of static interference and kept telling me so. I eventually gave up giving the orders that evening and he deployed the next morning, when the Bty command net was at strength five. We had a good laugh but I could not pick a bone with him now as he retired as a two star general. That was regimental life then. No harm done. The prank was worth his sleep.

I also took the opportunity to snap some photos with my old iPhone of Gunners not seen in this blog for sometime. I forget some of the names though. I hope Rama or Ganeson will help out naming them. I wish to apologise for the poor quality and low resolution of the photos below. I have taken a new hobby of photographing birds instead. I have lost my skills in taking portrait photos of people and I am also using an old iPhone to boot. I hope somebody can take on this important task to update us with photos of old Gunners not met/seen for sometime. This blog will be a treasure in prosperity for new Gunners to come.
Thank you.

Master Gunner Lt General Jaafar Mohammad

Lt General Aziz Hassan

Maj Rahim

Maj Jen Dato' Ibrahim

Col Zainal

Major Jamaluddin

Capt Asri

Lt Col Kasiran

Maj. Najibuddin

Brig General Dato' Hussein Kamal

Lt Col Basri

Lt Col Heera Singh

Take care all

Once a Gunner always a Gunner

Allen Lai

OF THE GUNNERS, FOR THE GUNNERS, BY THE GUNNERS

On Sunday 3rd April our very own Master Gunner hosted a Hi Tea at the Warisan Cafe, Royale Chulan Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. About fifty officers were invited and the turnout was excellent. A full spread of local and western dishes made up the scrumptious lunch. It goes without saying that the camaraderie was incredible. Being informal and relaxed the atmosphere was too inviting to miss.

Finally, as the event moved on The Master Gunner opened his speech on an impromptu note to address why he gathered the "Eagles"of the Artillery, or rather the "old war horses". The message was simple and direct - The "Gunners" welfare is of utmost priority in these twilight years. There must be some means for us to take care of ourselves rather than depending on other agencies to do it for us. A fund raising is required to realise a "Home for The Gunners", medical equipment for bedridden, physically challenged members and also the wives. There is simply too much need, and too little resources. Many ideas need to be tapped, many roads need to be walked, and also many doors need to be knocked.

The clarion call of the Master Gunner was loud and clear with the Gunners Club Advisor taking on the rostrum to echo and further detail out plans. He made a powerful appeal to all gunners present to start the ball rolling, and as true gunners, garner all means and resources to meet the objectives of fund raising.

The Hi Tea presented an excellent platform to exchange views and also quite expectedly, there simply was no objection to the fund raising effort. Yes, my fellow Gunners, we have to do this "Of the Gunners, For the Gunners, By the Gunners". There is no other recourse. Let's make it all happen.

ALWAYS A GUNNER

ONE MOMENT IN HISTORY

As the Ubique 300 mission in Malaysia comes to a close, it was a fitting gesture to get the Director of Artillery to sign the scroll as an acknowledgement of the baton's journey, as well as to put on record his participation in the greetings. Lt. Robbie Lee Knowles RA accompanied by Maj Rama and Maj Ganeson dropped in to the Director's office for a courtesy call. With typical Malaysian hospitality, warm greetings and informal chats were held. It was indeed a meaningful final moment before the baton left our shores to Brunei. "FAREWELL THEE, THE QUEEN'S BATON, AND SAFE JOURNEY ONWARDS TO THE REST OF THE WORLD".

The Director Artillery with his staff officers taking a pose

Lt Robbie chatting over tea

Discussing the fine details of the historical baton

The Scroll with the Director's endorsement below left

HISTORY IN THE MAKING - UBIQUE 300 MALAYSIA

A PHOTO GALLERY OF THE EVENT ON 13TH JANUARY 2016

MAJ THOMAS OH RECEIVING A GIFT

LT COL ALI REPRESENTING THE DIRECTOR EXCHANGING MEMENTOS

THE ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT RECEIVING A MEMENTO

THE PATRON HANDING OVER MEMENTO TO LT ROBBIE KNOWLES

THE MEMENTO FROM THE EX GUNNERS ASSOCIATION TO 43 BTY/47REGT RA

POSING WITH THE QUEEN'S BATON

FOR THE GOOD TIMES

THE TEAM WITH THE DA BRITISH HIGH COMM KL

Ubique 300 Malaysia Leg

Me proud and smiling broadly as I cradled the Baton

Hi all,

The team from 47 Regiment RA had finally arrived in Malaysia bringing along the UBIQUE 300 Baton bearing the greeting message from HM Queen Elizabeth 2 , the Captain General RA.
A simple but significant lunch was organised by the Gunners Club. Many old Gunners attended the function and had the opportunity to touch and feel the Baton.

I felt proud to be part of the RA legacy after spending more than 35 years as a Gunner.

Below is the full text of the occasion by Major Rama :

Yesterday, a historic event occurred at the Warisan Cafe, Royale Chulan Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. A Baton bearing the message of greetings from the British Royal Artillery to the Queen who is its Captain General arrived in Malaysia on its global circumnavigation. The journey started in early 2015 and has passed Europe, India and now on its way through South East Asia and Australasia. Finally, it shall arrive in the UK on completion and shall be handed to the Queen on 26th May 2016. The Royal Malaysian Artillery was born out of the Royal Artillery in 1957, upon independence. Eighty nine pioneers crossed the causeway from Belakang Mati, Singapore and formed the 1st Field Battery Federation Artillery in Kajang, Selangor. They also incidentally fired the Ceremonial Gun Salute from the Victoria Institution field on declaration of independence. Such is the richness of our history and heritage, and this event on 13th January 2016 rekindles the everlasting bond between Britain and Malaysia. A team of mountain cyclists carried out mission "PENINSULAR PEDAL". These bravehearts from 43 Battery (Lloyd's Company), 47th Regiment RA did cycling stints around Kuala Lumpur and Selangor as part of the challenge of UBIQUE 300 (the reference to the Artillery motto "Everywhere" and 300 years in existence). The local host for these fine military men, led by Lt. Robbie Lee Knowles RA, was the Ex Artillery Association of Malaysia (Persatuan Bekas Artillery Malaysia). Its patron Lt. Gen. Dato'Jaffar Mohamed (retired), who is also the senior most Artillery Officer, received the baton as a token of respect and offered best wishes from the thousands of Malaysian Gunners on its onward journey. The ceremony was witnessed by a small group of Malaysian Senior Artillery Generals, Officers and the Association Committee, together with the the current Defence Attache of the British High Commission, Col. Stephen Hall. The team now  carries the baton to Singapore.


Maj. A R Ramachandran (Retd)
Seremban NSDK


Once a Gunner always a Gunner.

Allen Lai

Photo updates September 2015

These Gunners' photo update were taken during the recent Return to Kajang Get-together. in September 2015. Some of the names are missing and I apologise not being to remember them off hand. Give me some time and I will insert the names accordingly. Heh I am seventy one years old and have the norms of forgetting names.

If you can help out, please write their names in the comments below, first name from the top of the photos without their names. I appreciate your help.

Thank you

Allen Lai

Mej. Mukhtar

Mej. Jen. Dato'Rohisha

Mej. Samsudin

Mej.Fadzil

Lt Col Mohd Nadzri

Lt Col Ab Aziz

Mej. A. Latif

Lt Col.Abdul Aziz 

Col.Bakar Salleh

Mej. Mustaffa

Mej.Jen. Dato Husin Tahak

Lt Jen.Dato Jaffar Mohammed

Lt Col Abdullah

Mej.Ganeson

Lt Col. Hamdan

Lt Col.Hamzah

Mej.Ishak

Lt Col.Maskan

Mej.Oh Teng Lim

Lt Col. Omar Mohammed

Mej (KM) Rahman

Brig Jen Dato Mohd Rais

Mej.Ramachandran

 Lt Col.Sidambaram

 Lt Col.Masoud

Brig Jen. Dato Yusri

Col Zanib

Mej (KM) Yazid

Yusuf Mahat

Kapt. Ahmad Suhaini

 Lt Col.Ali Baharom

 Brig Jen.Dato Hadi

Col.Ho Wah Juan