Orders, Decorations and Medals

An exceptional Malaya Emergency D.C.M. group of ten awarded to Captain E.R. Mason, Royal Welsh Fusiliers

DISTINGUISHED CONDUCT MEDAL, E.II.R., 1st type (4039085 A/W.O. Cl. 2, R.W.F.); 1939-45 STAR; BURMA STAR; DEFENCE AND WAR MEDALS; GENERAL SERVICE 1918- 62, 2 clasps, Malaya, Cyprus (WO. Cl. 2, R.W.F.); U.N. KOREA; CORONATION 1953; REGULAR ARMY L.S. & G.C., E.II.R., 2nd type (W.O. Cl. 2, D.C.M.., R.W.F.); CADET FORCES MEDAL, E.II.R, 2nd type (Capt., D.C.M., A.C.F.) very fine (10)

D.C.M., London Gazette, 30 April, 1957. 'At 0830 hours on the 20th January 1957 a small party of the 2nd Bn. The Royal Welsh Fusiliers which had been concealed in an ambush position all the previous night received information that terrorists had arranged a rendezvous at five hundred yards distance. The Officer in command of the party (Major H.E. Byrde) with Company Sergeant Major Mason and four men set off to lay a new ambush. After four hours crawling they saw smoke rising from a hill. After crawling up the hill for an hour and a half, when the party was thirty yards from the terrorists camp, the Officer rose to his feet and shouted 'Charge'. Unfortunately he was at once shot dead. Without hesitation C.S.M. Mason took command, leading his men forward, throwing a grenade into the terrorist camp and killing an enemy Bren gunner in spite of the heavy terrorist fire. Although he realised that the enemy were a large and well armed group which outnumbered his small command by three to one Mason determined to attack and in so doing himself killed a second enemy Bren gunner but the other terrorists' heavy fire halted the advance. Anticipating that his small party, by now almost out of ammunition, might be encircled Mason decided to withdraw. With his own F.N. rifle he first gave covering fire to permit the recovery of the weapon of his dead leader and then broke off the engagement. Having collected more ammunition from his base he returned to the attack but found the terrorists had gone leaving two of their number dead and evidence that others had been wounded.'

The group is accompanied by a 7 page handwritten letter from Captain Mason describing, in greater detail, the action in the Gelang Patah area of Johore, Malaya.

49 D.C.M.’s and one first bar were awarded for Malaya between 1949 and 1958. Only 15 of these were awarded to British Regiments, including Royal Marines.