Rhodesia, General Service Medal (726270 Tpr. W. R. Milliken) nearly extremely fine £80-100

The following extract has been taken from The Saints, by Chris Cocks:

‘At midnight on 22 January, Second Lieutenant G. Murdoch, Corporal R. J. Travers, Lieutenant A. Thrush and Troopers W. R. Milliken and M. Shipton were on a track near a large kraal complex in the Mutasa North T.T.L., near the Mozambican border. They had two officer cadets with them - R. Haylock and A. Telfer. The path was flanked on both sides by wire fences and mielie fields. The patrol had moved into the area on a mission to carry out the kidnapping of an insurgent contact man in the kraal. As they waited just off the path for first light they saw four insurgents walking in single file along the path, heading for the border. The patrol set up an immediate ambush and when the insurgents approached they opened fire, fatally wounding the second insurgent as he came into the killing ground. The first insurgent, as if triggered by a switch, took off toward the border. The last two, with similar reactionary speed, ran back the way they had come. The patrol now moved behind some decent cover at the rear of their original position. Here they were, unbelievably, challenged by what looked like a civilian from the nearby kraal. They replied to the effect that they were security forces. Apparently still believing what he was told the man persisted in maintaining the challenge. The patrol opened fire and killed him. On closer examination he turned out to be an insurgent. Two AKMs were recovered as well as a Tokarev pistol and an RPG-7 with three rockets. All weapons were handed in to S.B. Rusape.’