Ron - a veteran of the Korean War & the Malayan Emergency (195)

Ron Knight served in the Royal Marines on HMS Belfast during the Korean War of 1950-53. He was a gunner and describes the shore bombardments and how his gun was used in anti-aircraft defence. We also hear Ron describe life aboard the Belfast during this period Ron also served with the Royal Marine Commando during the Malayan Emergency which was a guerrilla war fought in the Federation of Malaya between Communist pro-independence fighters against the armed forces of the British Empire and Commonwealth between 1948 and 1960. He shares details of the dangers of jungle warfare including from their own air force!  I’m asking listeners to support my work and enable me to continue producing the podcast. If you become a monthly supporter via Patreon, you will get the sought after CWC coaster as a thank you and bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ If a financial contribution is not your cup of tea, you can still help us by leaving written reviews wherever you listen to us and sharing us on social media. It really helps us get new guests on the show. I am delighted to welcome Ron Knight to our Cold War conversation… There’s further information on this episode here. https://coldwarconversations.com/episode195/ If you can’t wait for next week’s episode, visit our Facebook discussion group where guests and listeners continue the Cold War Conversation. Just search Cold War Conversations on Facebook. Thank you very much for listening. It is really appreciated. Please leave a review. If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a written review. 0:00 Introduction and Ron Knight's early life and training 2:35 Ron Knight's experiences in the Royal Marines and HMS Belfast 9:01 Discussing air attacks on HMS Belfast and life on board 17:42 Royal Marines' shore raids and interactions with American forces 20:20 Shift in relations with Japan and interactions with Chinese and North Korean POWs 21:45 Encounter with Typhoon Ruth and its impact on HMS Belfast 26:58 Incident of a man overboard and transfer to 45 commando 29:23 Ron Knight's experiences in the Korean and Malayan jungles 38:20 Communication, safety measures and recognizing friendly units in the jungle 43:39 Reflecting on dangerous moments in service and transition to HMS Victory 51:13 Outro and Patron Acknowledgement Table of contents powered by PodcastAI✨ Support the project! https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/ Youtube https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices