Soldier H: The Headhunters of Borneo

Book excerpt: In 1963, the former British colony of Malaya was lobbying for the formation of a new political entity, the Federation of Malaysia, Singapore, Sabeh (North Borneo), Brunei and Sarawak. Viewing this as a threat to his dreams of expansion, President Sukarno of Indonesia began infiltrating insurgents into Borneo. In response, the British organised a force of Malay, British and Commonwealth troops to contain the rebels. What was most desperately needed, however, was a specialist group who could perform highly dangerous and arduous military tasks in the inhospitable, perilous terrain. The only men suitable for such operations were the legendary Special Air Service the SAS! Soldier H SAS: The Headhunters of Borneo is the story of one of the least-known, most extraordinary wars in British history. The SAS braved jungle and swamp infested with snakes, lizards, leeches, wild pigs and all kinds of poisonous insects to live with the primitive, headhunting natives in their longhouses by the rivers, winning their hearts and minds with medical aid and other assistance, then training them as paramilitaries who would eventually become known as the Border Scouts. While some of the SAS remained for months with the headhunters, other moved even deeper into the unexplored jungle 'the Gap' to establish ambush sites and helicopter landing zones. They also conducted daring 'Claret' raids across the border when, as the renowned 'Tiptoe Boys' who hit hard and vanished fast, they set booby traps and ambushed enemy troops moving along the many jungle tracks and rivers. They fought a bloody, nightmarish war and won it.