Lieutenant-General (Retired) Abdullah Samsudin dedicated 33 years of his life to serving his country.
Notably, he’d been among the first 12 men selected as potential officers in General Gerald Templer’s multiracial Federation Regiment, who would come to be known as “Templer’s 12 Superb Men”.
He trained at the prestigious Royal Military Academy (RMA) Sandhurst, led jungle operations, and served internationally. But his decorated career began with a simple decision: he didn’t want to be a teacher.
“I have no regrets. After I left school, I was advised to apply to be a teacher. But I always heard my school teacher say, ‘I have been teaching here for the last 26 years.’
“To me, to be in one place for 26 years as a teacher was not the life I wanted,” Abdullah, who turns 95 in October, told FMT Lifestyle.
His wish for adventure carried him across jungles and continents. The first of many doors opened when he boarded a train from Penang to Port Dickson for an interview to join the Malay Regiment. He was 22 years old.
His mother had objected, worried for his safety during the Emergency. “I told her, ‘No, I’m not going to join – I’m just going to attend the interview’.” But he made an impression and was immediately accepted.
Not long after, Abdullah learnt about Templer’s vision to form a multiracial regiment to fight the communists. So, he approached his superior officer in Port Dickson where he was based, expressing his interest in joining the Federation Regiment.
“I told him, it is a multiracial battalion, and I came from a multiracial school.” The colonel approved his request, and Abdullah became part of the first group of potential officers in the Federation Regiment.
“There were six Chinese, three Malays, one Eurasian, one Punjabi and one Indian,” he recalled, adding that it was the press that had given them the moniker “Templer’s 12 Superb Men”.
Templer had envisioned an 800-strong battalion: 50% Chinese, 25% Malays, and 25% from other races. To achieve this, a recruitment team was formed, and Abdullah was among its members. On Aug 17, 1952, they set out to recruit men nationwide.
The following year, Abdullah left for England to train at Eaton Hall and the RMA. Graduating from the RMA was a proud moment, he shared, as few from Malaya had achieved the feat.
After returning in 1955, he was appointed a platoon commander in the Federation Regiment and led jungle operations in Kedah, Perak, Johor and Negeri Sembilan.
That year, Tunku Abdul Rahman met Chin Peng, the secretary-general of the Communist Party of Malaya, in Baling, Kedah – an event later remembered as the Baling Peace Talks.
Abdullah’s platoon had been stationed in Kroh, Perak, near the Kedah border. “Although we were in the jungle, we were not allowed to patrol for communists,” he recalled, explaining that this was because a ceasefire had been declared before and after the meeting.
Still, the atmosphere had been tense as the nation waited for the outcome of the talks – one that, unfortunately, didn’t end favourably.
As Aug 31, 1957, drew near, the nation was abuzz with anticipation for long-awaited independence. For Abdullah, it also marked a personal milestone – he’d tied the knot on Aug 8.
He was then given accommodation at the officers’ quarters in the new Federation Regiment camp in Sungai Udang, Melaka. “As soon as I got married, I brought my wife there and went back to the jungle to fight the communists!”
Thankfully on Merdeka Day, he was given leave and returned to the camp to be with her.
In 1960, when the Congo Crisis erupted, Abdullah became part of the Malayan Special Forces (MSF) sent there. He arrived in 1962 when Malaysia was preparing to withdraw from Congo.
There, Abdullah coordinated the repatriation of MSF personnel and equipment, and oversaw the MSF headquarters in Bukavu. He was among the last Malaysians to leave Congo.
Many of “Templer’s 12 Superb men” rose to high ranks. After 33 years in uniform, Abdullah retired in 1985 at age 55. Today, only two are believed to still be alive, the other being Lieutenant-Colonel (Rtd) Khong Kim Kong.
What began as a young man’s dream of a life beyond the classroom became an extraordinary journey of service to his country.
Commenting on the Malaysia of today, he said he believes multiracial bonds can grow stronger. “I can see the young people now – the way they mix with each other and how they dress. It shows that they like being together.
“During open houses, you can see Malaysians getting together. This indicates that the spirit of unity is present.”
