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: His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales
Clarence House
London SWIA 1BA
UNITED KINGDOM


15th February 2006


Your Royal Highness

The Malaysian Service Medal 'Pingat Jasa Malaysia' (PJM)

I am a veteran of the British Army having served in Borneo in 1966 and am now resident in Australia.

Following the written Ministerial Statement by the Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs ( Mr Ian Pearson) on 31 January 2006 means eligible British service personnel will be able to receive the medal so graciously offered by the King and Government of Malaysia. Following the advice of the Honours Directorate committee we are told permission to wear the medal has not been given. The Australian and New Zealand Governments readily accepted the award to be given to their service personnel who are eligible for the PJM without any restrictions.

The British Government only accepted the award after much campaigning by veterans. The Queen of Australia of course places no restrictions on eligible service personnel wearing this medal. I believe the Committee on the Grant of Honours , Decorations and Medals in the UK made a grave error of judgement in their decision in not allowing veterans to wear this medal. I like many British veterans who reside in Australia will wear the Malaysian medal with pride in line with my General Service Medal at ANZAC day parades alongside Australian veterans who have no restriction on the wearing of the medal. I do in fact have dual Australian and British nationality and I know that as a citizen of Australia I can wear this award.

There are approximately 30,000 British service personnel who are eligible for this award. Veterans from some regiments which you are or were Colonel in Chief of such as The Gurkha Rifles, The Parachute Regiment, The Gordon Highlanders, and Army Air Corps are directed not to wear this medal, whilst those veterans that served in the Royal Australian Regiment and other Australian and New Zealand service personnel can wear the medal including His Excellency Major General Michael Jeffery AC CVO MC, Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia . Major General Jeffery was seconded to the British Special Air Service Regiment in Borneo in 1965. I would like your support in persuading HMG and the Honours Directorate to lift the restriction on wearing this medal. The issue of double medalling put out by some is not a valid argument since many veterans who are eligible for the PJM did not receive a GSM. Veterans I am in touch with say they will wear the medal anyway and many make the comment that as civilians they are not subject to martial law. Veterans by and large have allegiance to the monarchy but on this issue veterans are bitterly disappointed and some have been heard to say 'Roll on the Republic' The PJM is a Commonwealth and not a foreign medal and should be allowed to be worn on formal occasions in the same way members of the Royal family wear the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration medal Further information on this issue can be obtained on the National Malaya and Borneo Veterans Association web site at www.nmbva.co.uk or at http://www.fight4thepjm.org/. Now is not the time to treat an award by a Commonwealth country with a large Muslim population as second rate. I have dual British Australian nationality and will wear my Malaysian medal on ANZAC day as permitted by The Queen of Australia.

Enclosed is a letter that I recently wrote to the British press which expresses by sentiments on this subject together with a copy of the letter I wrote to the Governor General of Australia.

I hope I have your support and look forward to hearing from you.


Yours faithfully







Hamish Waters


Letter to the Press

Malaya Borneo Veterans Snubbed

Sir, The Ministerial Statement by Mr Ian Pearson concerning the commemorative medal awarded to British and Commonwealth veterans for their service in Malaya or Malaysia between 1957 and 1966 by the Government of Malaysia appals me and many other veterans. We are now told, after government ministers and the Committee on the Grant of Honours have prevaricated on this issue for one year, that whilst we can receive the medal we are not allowed to wear it. Is this the way to treat a Commonwealth award from the King and Government of Malaysia?

It is ironic that this week His Excellency the Governor General of Australia was awarded the same Malaysian medal with an unrestricted right to wear for his service in the Australian Army . I like many British veterans who reside in Australia will wear the Malaysian medal with pride in line with our General Service Medal at ANZAC day parades alongside Australian veterans who have no restriction on the wearing of the medal.

I can understand why the Australian and New Zealand government left the Imperial Honours system. Perhaps it is now time to dissolve the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals.

Hamish Waters- Borneo Veteran, Melbourne, Australia


Extract from Ministerial statement below:

Written Ministerial Statement31 January 2006
Pingat Jasa Malaysia
“The Pingat Jasa Malaysia (PJM) is a commemorative medal which the Government of Malaysia would like to award to eligible British citizens, for their service in Malaya or Malaysia between 31August 1957 and 12 August 1966.
The Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals (the official committee which advises Her Majesty The Queen on matters of honours policy) has recommended that an exception to two of the long-established Rules governing the accepting and wearing of foreign (including Commonwealth) awards be made, to enable the Malaysian Government to present the PJM. Her Majesty The Queen has been graciously pleased to approve this recommendation.
This exception to the Rules means that all of the many thousands of eligible former members of the Armed Forces/Veterans, and others, may receive the PJM. This will be in addition to the British General Service Medal (with appropriate Malaya/Borneo clasp) that many veterans will have been eligible to receive for their service in Malaya/Borneo.
Permission to wear the PJM will not, however, formally be given

Letter to GG


His Excellency Major General Michael Jeffery AC CVO MC
Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia
Government House
Dunrossil Drive
Yarralumla, ACT 2600


13th February 2006


Dear General Jeffery

Pingat Jasa Malaysia (PJM)

Congratulations on receiving the above medal the other day from the Government of Malaysia.

I am a veteran of the British Army having served in Borneo in 1966. The Australian Government readily accepted the award to be given to their service personnel who are eligible for the PJM without any restrictions. The British Government, after much campaigning by veterans, recently issued a written ministerial statement accepting the award but placed a restriction on wearing the medal following the advice of the Honours Directorate. The Queen of Australia of course places no restrictions on eligible service personnel wearing this medal.

I believe the Committee on the Grant of Honours , Decorations and Medals in the UK made a grave error of judgement in their decision in not allowing veterans to wear this medal. I like many British veterans who reside in Australia will wear the Malaysian medal with pride in line with my General Service Medal at ANZAC day parades alongside Australian veterans who have no restriction on the wearing of the medal. I do in fact have dual Australian and British nationality and I know that as a citizen of Australia I can wear this award.

There are approximately 30,000 British service personnel who are eligible for this award including the British SAS who you served with in Borneo. I would like your support in writing to the HMG and the HD committee to get the restriction on wearing the medal lifted. The issue of double medalling put out by some is not a valid argument since many veterans who are eligible for the PJM did not receive a GSM. Further information on this issue can be obtained on the National Malaya and Borneo Veterans Association web site at www.nmbva.co.uk. The Malaysian Government have been very gracious in making this award and I believe the British Government are in error in placing restrictions on wearing this Commonwealth medal.

Enclosed is a letter that I recently wrote to the British press which expresses by sentiments on this subject.

I hope I have your support and look forward to hearing from you.


Yours sincerely








Hamish Waters

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Hamish,

Your letters are brilliant. I'm going to place them on the What We Say page as soon as I return to the office on Thursday.

I hope others will be inspired to write similar letters.


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BarryF, who fought for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia
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