Raid on Limbang

On December 9, 1962 , with the start of the uprising in Brunei , the fighters of the People’s Party of Brunei (NPB), led by Saleh bin Sambas, captured the small town of Limbang in Sarawak . At the police station, they grabbed several rifles, Sterling L2 submachine guns, and one Bren machine gun. This significantly increased their firepower, since before the attack the militants were armed only with shotguns. The militants took one British and his wife hostage, as well as 12 other local residents, and announced their intention to hang them on December 12 .

The task of releasing the hostages was entrusted to Rota L of the 42nd commando regiment under the command of Captain Jeremy Moore deployed aboard the HMS Albion warship. To deliver the commando to the target, two cargo lighters were involved. Moore planned to go up the Limbang River and then directly attack the city to prevent the rebels from executing the hostages.

Lighters approached Limbang at dawn on December 12th . The sound of the engines woke the rebels, and the special forces lost the effect of surprise. As soon as the commandos came ashore, they were greeted with heavy fire from the police station building, where Sambas himself stood up for the Vren machine gun. Lighter decks provided some protection for the special forces, but two marines were killed before landing. The Vickers machine gun mounted on one of the lighters made it possible to fire barrage, while the first special forces landed.

Special forces, regrouping, stormed the police station, where 10 rebels were killed and captured a Bren machine gun during the battle. Sambmas was injured, but managed to escape. Hostages were discovered at the hospital. After their release, the commandos spent the rest of the day mopping up Limbang, during which three marines and two more rebels were killed.

British operations continued in the following days, during which another 11 hostages were released. The command suggested that the main air force forces were destroyed in Limbang: a small portion of the militants fled into the jungle, abandoning weapons and uniforms. Their leader Sambas was captured by British forces six months after the raid. He was convicted of rebellion and sentenced to 15 years in prison at Kuching Central Prison. During the trial, he pleaded guilty to all charges and asked the judges to release the other arrested militants, saying that he was ready to take full responsibility. However, his request was not granted. He was later released from prison in the 1970s and is currently the headman of the Kampung Pahlavan village ^[1] .

For the heroism shown during the operation in Limbang, the British corporals Lester and Rawlinson were awarded military medals, and Captain Moore was awarded the Military Cross . He later went to command the British forces during the Falkland War . Rota L was named Rota Limbang.

• Commandos and Raiders: The Limbang Raid, Sarawak 1962 (neopr.) . Royal Naval Museum. Date of treatment March 28, 2010.
• The Limbang Raid ( unopened ) (link unavailable) . Britain's small wars. Date of treatment January 21, 2008. Archived January 18, 2008.
• Bavin, Richard Letter to General Cartwright-Taylor from Richard Bavin (neopr.) . Royal Naval Museum (17 December 1962). Date of treatment January 21, 2008.
• The Assault on Limbang, Sarawak by 'L' Company Group, 42 Commando, Royal Marines (Neopr.) . ARCRE. Date of treatment December 8, 2012.
• Eileen Chanin's Limbang Rebellion traces empire's sunset over southeast (neopr.) . The Australian newspaper. Date of treatment December 7, 2013.