My attention is drawn today, to the Malayan Emergency and in particular the part played by 1st Suffolk. I’ve been put back onto shifts at work in view of the continuing situation, so my afternoons have been spent in the loft, sifting through reams and reams of paper, copies of photographs and notebooks of interviews with Suffolk veterans.
Last night I finally found what I was looking for. The one small and flimsy copy of the rare periodical the ‘Castle and Key’ produced by the 1st Battalion in Malaya.
It was a simple typed booklet of usually around 8 pages long that was copied on the Battalion Office duplicating machine.
It told of the day-to-day activities of the Battalion with many humourless quips at officers and senior NCOs but it was a great tool in keeping up the morale of the Battalion, during their tough and arduous campaign.
If anyone else has copies of this magazine, please do get in contact - it’s so rare that the Regimental Archives don’t have a single copy!
