The fine and scarce officer’s Campaign Service Medal 1962, 1 Clasp: Borneo, awarded to Lieutenant C.R.C. Wilson, 1st Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, who having been commissioned in December 1962, went on to serve on all three tours of Borneo during the Indonesian Confrontation when in command of 17 Platoon, firstly from April and September 1964, secondly from February to June 1965, and thirdly from November 1965 and April 1966.
Campaign Service Medal 1962, 2 Clasps: Borneo, (LT. C.R.C. WILSON. A. & SH.)
Condition: Nearly Extremely Fine.
Provenance: ex Dix Noonan and Webb, Lot 457, 25 March 1997.
Charles Richard Congreve Wilson was born in January 1943 in Eton, Buckinghamshire, and passed as a Cadet through the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst and was appointed to the Highland Division on his being granted a Regular Army commission as a 2nd Lieutenant (No.472648) with the 1st Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders on 21 December 1962.
The Argylls completed there first tour of Borneo during the Indonesian Confrontation between April and September 1964, having taken-over military commitments in the 4th Division of Sarawak from the 1st Bn King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. The first elements of the battalion arrived on 7 April, and the battalion advanced party arrived in Brunei and staged at Seria on 13 April, being deployed to the company areas the following day. 2nd Lieutenant Wilson’s 14 Platoon disembarked at Bintulu on 19 April, arriving two days before ‘A’ Company, who docked in Brunei and were then immediately flown forward. The battalion officially took over operations from the KOYLI’s on 23 April, and the first patrol contact occurred on the Indonesian border on 4 May. On 17 June, arrangements were begun for Indonesian guerrillas to be allowed to withdraw from Malaysia.
Wilson was promoted to Lieutenant on 21 June 1964. Things remained relatively quiet but there was some fighting in early August that saw a number of enemy ambushed and killed. By 15 September the battalion was back at Singapore having handed over to the 2/6 Gurkha Rifles. During the first tour the battalion served at Lutong, Miri, Bario, Pa Main, Long Akah, Marundi, Lio Matoh, Long Bangah, Bintulu, Niah, and Tatau.
The battalion moved back into Salarang Barracks at Changi in Singapore, where it remained until it began its second tour of Borneo which lasted from February to June 1965. Having one again returned to Singapore, Wilson was still with the battalion when it performed a third tour of Borneo between November 1965 and April 1966. As early as 1st December it was thought that contact had been made with the Indonesians when Lieutenant C R C Wilson found footprints in the Plaman Maru area, but when D Company carried out a follow up, the footprints proved to be those of Borneo Border Scouts. Tracks leading to the border were also found by B Company on 8th December, while on 12th December portable cooking fire smoke was engaged with 15 rounds fired by D Company's 81mm mortar.
The last men of the battalion departed Borneo on 29 April. In summary of the three tours, the first had started quietly, the second had been intense, and the third had died down at the end following an abortive coup d'etat in Jakarta, the subsequent defeat of the Indonesian Communist Party and the removal of power from President Sukarno, General Soeharto taking over executive control of Indonesia. Confrontation ended with the signing of a formal agreement on 11th August 1966 in Jakarta. Members of the battalion earned at least one Military Cross, one Military Medal and three Mention in Despatches for Borneo.
