Book review - A Face Like a Chicken's Backside - An Unconventional Soldier in Southeast Asia, 1948–71. By Lieutenant Colonel (Retd) J P Cross OBE

Review by Major General R L Clutterbuck CB OBE, Asian Affairs, Royal Society for Asian Affairs. October 1996

This is the best book about jungle fighting I have read. It evokes the atmosphere of Southeast Asia and of the wide range of peoples amongst whom Cross spent his time – Malays, Chinese, Aborigines, Dyaks, Ibans, Thais and Vietnamese – and above all, of Gurkhas, surely the world’s finest natural soldiers. It illustrates how British people have fitted into Asia’s development in the past, and also teaches lessons about personal relations in management. Having spent four years of my life in Southeast Asia I found it convincing and at times very moving.

John Cross served 38 years in the army with not a single posting outside Asia.  This would not have been possible except in a Gurkha regiment and, like so many who serve with Gurkhas, his affection and admiration for them has been the love of his life, and of course they responded in kind.

This book covers 23 of those 38 years. He served all through the Malayan Emergency (1948-60) except for a two-year stint in Hong Kong when it was nearly over. He then spent 14 arduous months (1961-63) in the wild Thai-Malay border area, patiently enlisting the help of the aborigines in preventing the Communist guerrillas from filtering South again from the refuge into which they had been driven in South Thailand – but he was pulled out when he was on the verge of lasting success and saw much of that he had achieved thrown away.

Next, he spent a year in Borneo (Sarawak and Sabah) commanding the Border Scouts, a 1,000 man force recruited from the huge range of ethnic groups of border people, the best known being the Dyaks and Ibans, along the 1,000 mile frontier between Borneo and Indonesian Kalimantan. Their task was primarily intelligence, to gain early information of the assembly of any Indonesian troops planning incursions. This was facilitated by the fact that the tribes straddled the border; the Scouts’ patrols were discreetly allowed to penetrate 3,000 yards into Kalimantan and the Indonesian army was somewhat ponderous in preparing its jungle operations. Cross’s work involved travelling huge distances, mainly by river or helicopter, through some of the most remote mountainous jungle in the world.

On his return to the 1/7 Gurkha Rifles, an unsympathetic colonel made it clear that he had no prospect of commanding a Gurkha battalion and by mutual consent he volunteered to command the Gurkha Independent Parachute Company, continuing cross border operations until the Indonesian threat collapsed with the fall of President Sukarno in 1966. From 1968 he was Chief Instructor and then Commandant of the famous Jungle Warfare School in Malaysia where he trained Thai and Vietnamese as well as Malaysian and British soldiers.  He ends the book with his posting as Defence Attaché to Laos in 1971.

Underlying what was in essence an exciting and rewarding life there is an element of bitterness. Cross was undoubtedly a superb company commander and – as one of his generals wrote – “the jungle is his home address”.  His frustration arose above all from friction between him and a brother officer in the 7th Gurkhas a few years older than him.  This was one of the hazards of the otherwise excellent British regimental system; it was like growing up in a small family with a difficult older brother. His bête noir would always be there – one rank above him. But sadly this book tells of a number of others with whom Cross did not get on, almost always British, seldom Asian.

There are people like him in every army – a brilliant Roman “Centurion” leading his 100 men, fiercely defending their interests but unable to adapt to the hierarchical structure which an army must have if it is going to win wars.  Men like Cross win battles but they cannot conceal their contempt for their more conventional superior officers.  He was well aware of this trait in his character, but he could hardly expect people he openly despised to like and trust him as much as his soldiers did.  Loyalty has to go both ways.  He liked two of his generals, Sir Walter Walker and A G Patterson, both from Gurkha regiments and with several decorations for personal bravery.  They admired and trusted him too but there was not much hope of promotion if those in between would not recommend him.  So he never commanded his beloved Gurkha battalion and never reached high command.  Who knows where he might have got to if he had?

Cross is now happily living where his heart has always belonged – among former Gurkhas with an adopted family in Nepal.

Part of a letter from Lt Col D O O’Leary, OBE, MC, August 1996

I have just read your fascinating book ‘Face LACBC’!  An absorbing account of a very interesting period of your very interesting life.  I could not put it down until I had finished it, which I did in one sitting.  Something very rare for me!  One of my daughters gave it to me as a birthday present.

What memories it brought back and not a few chuckles!  But there are so many stories that have not been told and I suppose because of sensitivities and embarrassment will never be…