The British Commonwealth Far East Strategic Reserve (commonly referred to as the ''Far East Strategic Reserve'' or the ''FESR'') was a joint military force of the British, Australian, and New Zealand armed forces. Created in the 1950s and based in Malaya, the FESR was conceived as a forward defence point for Australia and New Zealand, while protecting

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

interests in the

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

n region from both internal and external

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

threats. The FESR was made up of an infantry brigade and an aircraft carrier group, supported by squadrons of aircraft.

Creation

The FESR originated from a June 1953 letter from Harold Alexander, the British

Minister of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

, to Philip McBride and Tom Macdonald, his equivalents in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

ministries, respectively.Pfennigwerth, 2008, p. 55 The letter suggested the creation of a joint military force based in South-East Asia and tasked with protecting strategically important Commonwealth interests in the region (namely

Sarawak Sarawak ( , ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. It is the largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak is located in East Malaysia in northwest Borneo, and is ...

North Borneo North Borneo (usually known as British North Borneo, also known as the State of North Borneo) was a British Protectorate, British protectorate in the northern part of the island of Borneo, (present-day Sabah). The territory of North Borneo wa ...

, Malaya and

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

), from the threat of attack by communist forces. The freeing up of military resources following the end of the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

was another factor.Dennis et al., 2008, p. 202 Correspondence between the defence ministers of the three nations and their subordinates led to a meeting in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, Australia during October 1953. From this meeting, it was decided to create the FESR: a multinational force consisting of army, navy, and air force units from the three nations' armed forces.Pfennigwerth, 2008, p. 56MacDougall, 2002, p. 352 It was not until 1955 that the Reserve was established.

Commitments

The FESR consisted of a

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

-strength infantry force known as 28th British Commonwealth Brigade and a carrier battle group, supported by land- and ship-based fighter and bomber squadrons. The Strategic Reserve's primary role was to protect Malaya and other Commonwealth interests in Southeast Asia from attack by external communist forces, with operations against internal communist organisations listed as the secondary role.

Australia

The decision to participate in the FESR was formally announced by Australian prime minister

Robert Menzies The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, praise, reno ...

in April 1955.MacDougall, 2002, p. 326 Australian military units committed to the force included one

light infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...

battalion, between two and four destroyers or

frigates A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

, and two to three squadrons of aircraft (at least one each of bombers and fighters).Royal Australian Navy, ''The RAN, the Strategic Reserve and the Malayan Emergency'' An Australian aircraft carrier was to make an annual visit to participate in training exercises. Australian forces remained under Australian command and control (unlike most earlier deployments in conjunction with British forces), but were to be used under the directives of the British Commander in Chief, Far East Fleet. Australian units deployed to the FESR included: ;

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...

* 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1959–61), * 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (two tours of duty), * 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment. * 103rd Battery, Royal Australian Artillery (1961 - 1963), http://www.australianartilleryassociation.org/books/Whose-Name-We-Share/60/index.html ;

Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...

* No. 1 Squadron RAAF (flying

Avro Lincoln The Avro Type 694 Lincoln is a British four-engined heavy bomber, which maiden flight, first flew on 9 June 1944. Developed from the Avro Lancaster, the first Lincoln variants were initially known as the Lancaster IV and V; these were renamed L ...

s and later

English Electric Canberra The English Electric Canberra is a British first-generation, jet-powered medium bomber. It was developed by English Electric during the mid- to late 1940s in response to a 1944 Air Ministry requirement for a successor to the wartime de Havilla ...

bombers), * No. 2 Squadron RAAF (flying Avro Lincolns and later English Electric Canberra bombers), * No. 3 Squadron RAAF (flying CAC Sabre fighters), * No. 77 Squadron RAAF (flying CAC Sabre fighters), ;

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the navy, naval branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (Australia), Chief of Navy (CN) Vice admiral (Australia), Vice Admiral Mark Hammond (admiral), Ma ...

:(based out of Singapore Naval Base) *, *, * - anti-submarine frigate *, - light aircraft carrier * - Type 12 frigate *, *, *, *, *, *, - light aircraft carrier *, *, *, *, * * - anti-submarine frigate

New Zealand

New Zealand contributed to the FESR from 1955. New Zealand's contribution to the FESR included:

Royal New Zealand Navy The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN; ) is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The fleet currently consists of eight ships. The Navy had its origins in the Naval Defence Act 1913, and the subsequent acquisition of the cruiser , whi ...

New Zealand would commit two frigates with another available in case of emergencies. * HMNZS ''Blackpool'' - Type 12 frigate * HMNZS ''Royalist'' - light cruiser * HMNZS ''Taranaki'' - Type 12M frigate * HMNZS ''Otago'' - Type 12M frigate * HMNZS ''Hickleton'' - minesweeper * HMNZS ''Santon'' - minesweeper * HMNZS ''Waikato'' - ''Leander''-class frigate

New Zealand Army The New Zealand Army (, ) is the principal Army, land warfare force of New Zealand, a component of the New Zealand Defence Force alongside the Royal New Zealand Navy and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Formed in 1845, as the New Zealand Mil ...

New Zealand Special Air Service The 1st New Zealand Special Air Service Regiment, abbreviated as 1 NZSAS Regt, is the special forces unit of the New Zealand Army, closely modelled on the British Special Air Service (SAS). It was formed on 7 July 1955. It traces its origins to ...

, (1955 to 1957) New Zealand Infantry Battalion and support units as part of 28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade Group. * 1st Battalion of the New Zealand Regiment (1958 to 1959) * 2nd Battalion of the New Zealand Regiment (1959 to 1961) * 1st Battalion of the New Zealand Regiment (1961 to 1964) * 1st Battalion,

Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment The Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment is the parent administrative regiment and corps of regular and reserve infantry battalions in the New Zealand Army. It was originally formed in 1947 with a singular Regular regiment and multiple reserve ...

(1964 to 1971)

Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF; ) is the aerial warfare, aerial military service, service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed initially in 1923 as a branch of the New Zealand Army, being known as the New Zealand Perm ...

* No. 14 Squadron (1955 to 1958) * No. 75 Squadron (1958 to 1962) * No. 41 Squadron (1955 to 1971)

United Kingdom

The British commitment was based around forces already in South-East Asia, including the Eastern Fleet, the Far East Air Force, and British Far East Command.

History

From late 1955 until 1960, FESR infantry forces operated against the

Malayan National Liberation Army The Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) was a Communist guerrilla army that fought for Malayan independence from the British Empire during the Malayan Emergency (1948–1960) and later fought against the Malaysian government in the Commun ...

during the

Malayan Emergency The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War, was a guerrilla warfare, guerrilla war fought in Federation of Malaya, Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Arm ...

. The Strategic Reserve was also involved in the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation. FESR forces participated in South East Asia Treaty Organisation exercises. In 1971 the FESR was superseded by the ANZUK Force. Today, the Shrine of Remembrance memorial in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia conducts regular wreath laying commemorations in honor of FESR soldiers.

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * * * * {{Refend

External links

Far East Strategic Reserve War Memorial Foundation Inc.
''(FESR)''
Far East Strategic Reserve Navy Association (Australia) Inc.
''(FESR)''
Malayan Emergency
at the Australian War Memorial 1955 establishments in Malaya Military history of New Zealand Military history of Australia Military history of Malaysia Military units and formations of Australia Military units and formations of New Zealand Military units and formations of the United Kingdom Reserve forces of Malaysia