This letter courtesy of Keith Frape....posted here with his permission...
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Dear Mr. Edge.
Sir.
Firstly please accept my apologies for contacting you directly but being an Ex member of The Life Guards and now a US citizen, I thought that going directly to those who hold the highest office are most likely to be able to assist me and many others living abroad in the shortest possible amount of time with a VERY troubling subject. .
I am ex CoH Frape. KJ, late of The Life Guards.
My first posting after graduating from the Junior Leaders Regiment RAC.
was to fly out to the Far East and join the regiment in Seremban, Malaysia in late June of 1966.
Our C Sqn. was deployed in Borneo at the time and I was attached to the regiments B Sqn.in Paroi Camp, Seremban, Malaysia awaiting their return.
As you are fully aware we, the British veterans of this era and conflict, are now being offered the Pingat Jasa Malaysia medal by the Malaysian government for our service during the confrontation and as such my service time in Malaysia falls within the start and ending date of 31 December 1966 (due to the cooling off period as laid out by the Malaysians).
Myself, like many officers and other ranks of the Life Guards, RHG and attached personnel of the day are entitled to receive this medal and I have applied for it through the correct channels.
HOWEVER..Unlike those members of our C Sqn, and those serving alongside of them, we are NOT entitled to the British award, GSM 1962. Borneo Bar.
So the PJM will be the ONLY medal and recognition for my/our time served
during the hostility dates and qualifying days as laid out by the 'Malaysian government'.
What saddens me Sir, is the fact that we are being denied the right and formal
permission to actually wear it when we get it.
Yes I know and am FULLY aware of all the half baked and twisted tales and so called rules governing our medal, thrown around by various departments of government, the MoD and HD committee members, and those who claim to advise Her Majesty in the correctness of these matters.
Poorly so it appears in this case.
None of these so called rules or guidelines hold enough water to float a paper boat I might add!
The New Zealand and Australian Governments have embraced this medal for
their Veterans and are only to delighted to allow it to be worn and I might add, with the permission of Her Majesty.
It is a poorly fudged and cobbled together set of conflicting statements (so called rules) that nobody in the correct seats of power feel we should have corrected.
The press and other members of Parliament are now starting to take notice of our plight and fight!
Can you posibly on behalf of myself and many others of The Life Guards, attached RHG and other arms, AAC, Pay Corps, ACC, R. Sigs. REME. etc. ask that this be re addressed and corrected so we, as ex service persons may wear our medal not only with pride but with the formal permission of Her Majesty the Queen.
This affects not only myself but roughly 35,000 Veterans and is very important to each and every one of us.
Many thanks for taking the time to read this Sir.
For complete and up to date information about the fight to reverse
this situation, please look at the following site.
It will not only bring you up to date and answer many questions you may have but also give you access to accurate facts and ammunition for taking the fight forward.
Keith Frape
http://www.fight4thepjm.org/
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...................'Jock'
Paroi...Rasah...Batu Signals Troop.
