Search results Next record Previous record English Māori Nigel Marshall Laing Born 18 December 1918 - Died 4 January 2007 PDF Key details Service number458414 AWMM 31128 AWMM Also known asTubby AWMM Armed force / branchArmy AWMM Last rankMajor/Military AWMM New Zealand Defence Force AWMM WarWorld War II, 1939-1945 AWMM Regular Military Service AWMM Malayan Emergency, 1948-1960 AWMM Enquire Lay a poppy Hide sources Show empty fields Identity About Contribute › Title ForenamesNigel Marshall AWMM SurnameLaing AWMM Ingoa Also known asTubby AWMM Service number458414 AWMM 31128 AWMM GenderMale AWMM Iwi Hapū Waka Rohe ReligionAnglican, Christian AWMM Images and documents Images Contribute › Documents Contribute › Civilian life About birth Contribute › Birth18 December 1918 AWMM AWMM Date of birth Place of birth Birth notes Address before enlistment Post war occupationSoldier, New Zealand Military Services/Civilian AWMM Manager Canterbury University Students Hostel/Civilian AWMM Next of kin on embarkationMr J.M. Laing (father), Ruawai, New Zealand AWMM Relationship statusUnknown AWMM Single AWMM Unknown AWMM Single AWMM Service Wars and conflicts Contribute › WarWorld War II, 1939-1945 AWMM Regular Military Service AWMM Malayan Emergency, 1948-1960 AWMM CampaignPacific AWMM Fanning Island AWMM 1948-1960 AWMM The Malayan Emergency AWMM The Malayan Emergency (1948-1960) After the defeat of the Japanese in WWII, a new problem emerged for Malaya. In 1948 Chinese guerrilla fighters (who had been armed and air supplied by the British during the war) emerged from the jungle and under Chin Peng, began their terror campaign to take over the country by force. Thus an intense jungle war began, fought by the British, British Commonwealth and Malay forces against the Malayan Communist Party. The Australian Government of the day, along with many others in the Western bloc, was apprehensive about the spread of international communism. Initially there was not much coordination between security forces until Lt.-Gen.Sir Harold Briggs was appointed as Director of Operations in 1949. His war executive committees (including Sir Henry Gurney) coordinated emergency operations, and created 500 new villages for Malayan citizens who lived in remote areas beyond government protection. These citizens had lived in constant fear that the Communists would appear and force them to supply food and money. Travelling was dangerous as a Communist ambush could lurk behind any roadside bush. So, by depriving the insurgents of their crucial sources of supplies and information, the Communists began to attack the new settlements. But the security forces were now fighting on their own ground, and proved to be too strong for the Communists. These forces were able to concentrate on jungle operations, thereby destroying the Communists and their camps. This was the longest continuous military commitment in Australia's history. It was to be the only war the West had won against Communism. The Emergency lasted for twelve years, ending in 1960. Australia suffered 15 killed and 27 wounded in action. From http://www.raafschoolpenang.com/malaysia.htm AWMM Armed force / branchArmy AWMM Service number458414 AWMM 31128 AWMM Military serviceTerritorial Service 6 years AWMM Enlisted as soldier before WW2 AWMM Fijian Infantry Regiment AWMM Trentham Military Camp AWMM Instructor (also Burnham) AWMM Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers Military decorations Contribute › Medals and Awards Training and Enlistment Contribute › Military trainingSoldier, Regular Forces AWMM Branch Trade Proficiency EnlistmentInter War Unknown AWMM Soldier/Civilian AWMM Pahautanui, Wellington Region AWMM Occupation before enlistment Age on enlistment Embarkations Contribute › Embarkation detailsInter War Warrant Officer Class 2 AWMM Infantry Brigade AWMM Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force AWMM WW2 Second Lieutenant AWMM Prisoner of war Contribute › Capture details Days interned Liberation date Liberation Repatriation POW liberation details POW serial number Medical history Contribute › Medical notes Last known rank Contribute › Last rankMajor/Military AWMM New Zealand Defence Force AWMM Biographical information Biographical information Contribute › Posted to Fanning Island with a detachment protecting the communications cable shortly before WW2According to Marjorie Traill, a friend, Nigel was initially a territorial then joined the regular force and was serving in New Zealand at the outbreak of WW2.His first posting overseas to Fanning Island in the Pacific area to protect the communication cable, was as a regular soldier at the start of WW2 and is not recorded on the Nominal Rolls.With the mass recruiting for WW2 underway he was an instructor at Trentham, then BurnhamHusband of Olive M; father of Donald, Briar.Posted to Dunedin as a regimental sergeant major to the Otago Regiment at age 23In 1942 he joined 8th reinforcements at Burnham and posted to Fiji, commissioned with rank as Lieutenant. He did active service in the Pacific returning to Fiji in 1945.Briefly worked as instructor at Burnham before transferred to Jayforce in 1946 and spent 15 months in Japan on postwar reconstructionOn return to NZ he specialised in stores work, with 5 years as quartermaster at Waiouru before returning to Burnham as accounting officer.In 1959 posted to Malaya, Taiping (1959-1961) 2 Battalion, 2nd Regiment as Quarter Master with the rank of Captain. Served there for 2 years and promoted to MajorReturned to Burnham in 1961 and became 2nd in command of the base.Retired from Burnham Military Camp with the rank of Major in 1973 with 35 consecutive years of serviceGave wrong age to enlist with territorials AWMM Read more Death About death Contribute › Death4 January 2007 AWMM Age 88 AWMM Christchurch, Canterbury AWMM Date of death Age at death Place of death Cause of death Death notes Cemetery Cemetery name Grave reference ObituaryObituary: Christchurch Press 20 January 2007 p. D18Death notice: New Zealand Herald, 6 January 2007 AWMM Memorial name Memorial reference Memorials Memorial Contribute › Memorial name Roll of Honour Remember Nigel Marshall Laing by laying a poppy. Millar Laing Morton Robert Filmer Laing Nigel Marshall Laing Noel Alexander Laing Percy Harold Laing Lay a poppy for 2020 Leave a note Leave a tribute or memory of Nigel Marshall Laing Leave a note Contribute › Processing Sources Sources Contribute › External links DocumentsPugsley, C. (2003). From emergency to confrontation: the New Zealand armed forces in Southeast Asia, 1949-1966. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. AWMM The New Zealand Herald AWMM Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force. (1945). Nominal Roll Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force No. 9 (Embarkations from 1st July, 1942 to 31st December, 1942). Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer. AWMM WW2 9: WW2 224 AWMM The Christchurch Press AWMM Crean, M. (2007, 20 January). Long-serving NZ soldier. p. D18. AWMM The Christchurch Press AWMM Obituary: 20 January 2007 p. D18 AWMM The New Zealand Herald AWMM Death notice: 6 January 2007 AWMM Information kindly provided by family AWMM The development of the Online Cenotaph is an ongoing process; updates, new images and records are added weekly. In some cases, records have yet to be confirmed by Museum staff, and there could be mistakes or omissions in the information provided. Online Cenotaph Data by Auckland War Memorial Museum is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License Search results Next record Previous record
