13/08/2026
Inside the Malayan Emergency - interview and book
When people hear the term ‘veteran’, many think of military personnel who served in World War Two, or maybe the Falklands Conflict in the UK, or the Vietnam War in the US. Recently, however, I interviewed Steve Hurst, a veteran of the Malayan Emergency, which took place from 1948 to 1960 and saw British and Malayan forces fighting Communist guerillas.
Steve’s professional career was as an artist, lecturer and author. In the 1950s, however, like most young British men of his generation, he was called up for National Service. He joined the army and volunteered to serve in the Far East, but until his troopship was approaching Singapore, he didn’t know that he would be going to , now .
Stationed in Kuala Lumpur, Steve was assigned to work in the map room at Army Intelligence HQ, using his art training to update the operations maps with incoming intelligence. But he also wanted to go on a jungle patrol, and visit the ruins at Angkor Wat in Cambodia – not realising the danger as the French colonial forces withdrew and civil war broke out.
Steve has recently published his personal diaries from the time, titling the book with the location of the Intelligence HQ – Bluff Road. Selecting extracts, I talked to him about his experience of National Service, his time in Malaya, and the unexpected distinction of having met the commanders of both the British forces and the Communist guerillas. Thanks, Steve, for a fascinating chat!
Our interview, ‘The Malayan Map Man’, is in the August issue of Britain At War Magazine, and Steve’s book, ‘Bluff Road: The Malaya Diaries 1953–1955’, is available from WarmPorch Publishing at http://warmporch.co.uk
Pic: ‘Ambush near Ampang’, linocut print by Steve Hurst
