‘Yes, take a couple of men to the border, change into plain clothes and give them your guerrilla clothes to bring back to me. I’ll bring them back with me for the meeting.’
The Bear sat quietly, envisaging any snags. ‘I won’t be armed, will I?’
‘No. Sorry about that but you’ve brought up a good point. Tell C C Too to tell Shandung P’aau to carry a pistol, even though he, too, will be wearing plain clothes once you have started coming my way.’
27 November 1955, Kuala Lumpur and Seremban: The unlisted phone in C C Too’s office rang and Wang Ming introduced himself when asked who was calling. ‘I have been told that Operation Red Tidings Mark II is ready to launch and so Shandung P’aau has to be alerted.’
‘Where are you?’ C C Too looked at his watch and noted 1029 hours.
‘Just this side of the border. Are you in a hurry to see me?’
‘No desperate hurry but make it as soon as you can. Use this number when get here. Best to stay at home until I call you. Everything okay?’
‘So far we are all healthy and,’ unusual for the Bear to add any superfluous commentary, ‘long may that remain. Details later but there’s great excitement and heads are nodding,’
Can’t get vaguer or more veiled than that, can one? Too grinned and then rang Colonel Mason’s unlisted number and introduced himself. ‘We have a date for when the operation Captain Rance named Red Tidings Mark II must be launched. Is this line safe or shall we have a face-to-face meeting?’
‘Can you come round right away? I’ll alert the gate sentry to allow you in.’
‘Yes, I’ll come round now. The sooner we meet the better.‘
In Colonel Mason’s office C C Too told him that he had had a phone call from Ah Fat’s deputy, from the border, and ‘I told him to come to KL. He hinted that there was a lot of activity in the MCP HQ but only once he’s here will I get details so you and I will have to meet again. Our first priority must be getting Captain Rance out of the battalion unostentatiously to meet up with us here before leaving for the meeting with Ah Fat. We have some time as the proposed date is 28 December.’
‘Yes, that agrees with what we’ve heard here. Let me think.’ The Director of Intelligence had heard how Rance had reacted with the RAF and how ‘feathers had flown’. The thought was that he had been overtaxing himself and so needed a few days local leave. ‘The General has blown hot and cold about bringing Rance into it but bring him into it we must. It will seem unusual to his CO for me to ask him but I’ll word it somehow so as not to sound suspicious. I will suggest that he is being asked to lecture to the Gurkha recruits on jungle warfare before they disperse in mid-December after the Passing Out Parade, which, I have heard, is to be inspected by the High Commissioner, but which may be too early for when Ah Fat wants to move. And after that he takes some local leave up north, say in or near Penang’ – a bit of casuistry?
‘That will be phase 1 and I’ll only come active in phase 2.’
The Colonel nodded. ‘That’s how best to play it. Keep in touch and thanks for coming round.’
Colonel Mason was a friend of the Colonel of the Gurkha Training Depot so he was the first person he rang. ‘John, it’s James from KL. How’s it going?’
‘James, good to hear from you. How’s the family?’
‘Fine. The wife’s with me and the kids are back in England in college. I’ve something to put to you.’
‘I knew it, let’s have it.’
‘Would you like your recruits to have a lecture on jungle warfare before they pass out?’
‘They have been doing jungle training so this might be a bit of icing to put on the cake. Who have you in mind?’
‘Captain Rance of 1/12 GR. His prowess in the jungle on ops is unsurpassed.’
‘Yes, I’ve heard the name but have yet to meet him. Let me look at my programme. We’re pretty busy practising for the Passing-Out Parade …’ his voice trailed away and it sounded as if pages of a book were being turned over. ‘I can only fix him an hour on the afternoon of Friday the 16th.’
‘That’s too early for us our end. A pity but there it is.’ Pleasantries were exchanged before they rang off.
‘CO 1/12 GR speaking!’
‘Eustace, it’s James Mason from KL here. I’ve heard about young Rance and the RAF and the idea that he needs local leave. Correct?’
‘And how!’ But why should you worry?
‘When do you think you’ll let him go on local leave?’ Again why? I’ll hear him out before asking him.
‘Let me look at my diary.’ He put the phone on the table and Mason heard sounds of a book being opened. ‘Not before Monday, 19th of December.’
‘The Director of Operations had some idea that Rance lectured the recruits before they pass out but the date, Friday the 16th of December, is the last possible date given, so that has to be dropped. However, from an Int point of view, I’d like to have a word with him. Do you know where he’ll go on leave?’
‘No idea’ and no interest.
‘Can you get him to ring me just in case he goes to or through KL? I’d like to hear just what is the matter with Smash-Hit?’
‘Have you got a number you’d like him to ring?
‘Yes, please take this down and give it to him.’
After a few more words, the conversation ended. The CO sat silently, staring at the far wall. There must be more to this than meets the eye. And if there is, should I be worried? He called out to the Adjutant, ‘Get Captain Rance to come and see me after lunch.’
‘What do you know about going to the Gurkha Training Depot to lecture the recruits?’ the CO asked Jason, standing to attention in front of him.
‘Who are you referring to, sir?’ he replied in puzzlement. After being told the CO wanted to see him, all he could think of was his bad standing with the Brigadier and the RAF. Lecturing Gurkha recruits was a new one.
‘To you,’ answered the CO, more hesitantly than he had expected to. ‘Have you been told anything about it?’
‘No, sir. This is entirely new.’ His obvious ignorance of anything previously planned was plain.
‘No matter, it had been mooted by the Director of Operations, though why I can’t imagine. The Training Depot staff is more than capable of giving lectures on jungle warfare.’
