Orders, Decorations and Medals

The unique Borneo D.F.M. group of three awarded to Sergeant M. R. Nichols, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, attached Army Air Corps
Distinguished Flying Medal, E.II.R. (23220272 Act. Sgt., R.E.M.E.) contained in its Royal Mint presentation case; General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Brunei (23220272 Sgt., A.A.C.); General Service 1962, 1 clasp, Borneo (23220272 Sgt., D.F.M. R.E.M.E.) this last in its named card box of issue, together with the recipient’s Regular Army Certificate of Service and two Pilot’s Flying Log Books for the period January 1961 to April 1966, these with numerous inserts and photographs, mostly of landing strips in the Far East, extremely fine and very rare (3)

D.F.M. London Gazette 21 August, 1964.
23220272 Corporal (Acting Sergeant) Martin Roger Nichols, Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, attached to Army Air Corps.

‘During the period October 1962 to October 1963 Sergeant Nichols was engaged almost continually on operational flying in North Borneo, Brunei and Sarawak. Prior to the outbreak of the Brunei rebellion he was engaged on anti-piracy operations flying for many long hours in a single-engined aircraft unescorted and over the sea.
Since the outbreak of the rebellion, apart from short periods of rest, he has been continuously flying in support of operations in the Borneo Territories and has amassed the impressive total of 395 operational flying hours.
The flying involved operations over formidable mountainous jungle covered country, frequently in tropical weather inimical to flying. Inadequate radio communications in the area made it impossible to provide even the basic requirements of a flight safety system. The airstrips to which he operated were remote and marginal.
Despite these conditions and the resultant strain Sergeant Nichols cheerfully volunteered for more than his share of flying duty and on occasions when shortage of pilots was acute he exceeded the limit of flying hours allowed over a set period and had to be ordered to rest. His sorties included close visual reconnaissance over the jungle, supply dropping and troop lifts, casualty evacuations, flare dropping and night reconnaissance and leaflet drops.
Sergeant Nichols showed the highest qualities of pilot skill and airmanship, resourcefulness, initiative and zeal. He displayed a high degree of courage and determination in completing his tasks in the face of rapidly changing and adverse flying conditions.’

Of the 138 D.F.M.’s awarded in the period 1946 to 1979, only 10 have published citations and the award to Sergeant Nichols is unique for the Borneo campaign.

Martin Roger Nichols was born on 4 August, 1939, and enlisted in the army on 8 September, 1954. After service as an aircraft technician in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, he attended 149 Light Aircraft course, 8 January, 1961, at the Army Air Corps Centre, Middle Wallop. The course ended in October, 1961, when he was awarded his Army Flying Badge. Nichols was posted to No. 656 Light Aircraft Squadron, then based in Kluang, and served in 11 Liaison Flight and 7 Recce Flight in Malaya and Borneo. On a large number of his flights in Borneo he was inserting S.A.S. officers and men and, on one occasion, an S.B.S. officer. Nichols married a Q.A.R.A.N.C. officer in 1964 and, in November 1964, moved to Ogle Field, British Guiana, as a pilot of a civilian Cessna aircraft used for a communication aircraft. This was operated away from the field at Georgetown, quite separately from the established Army Air Corps Flight. He returned to the U.K. in May 1965 and was posted to 6 Flight (Rear) which mainly acted as a Ministry of Defence V.I.P. Flight and was based in Cyprus. He remained in this flight until transferred to Beaver section of the new 132 Flight. Around the same time, in March 1966, he was attached to 2 Royal Anglian Air Platoon in Dkehelia Sovereign Base Area, but removed back to the U.K. in May 1966. Sergeant Nichols left the service in August 1966 and appears to have been subsequently employed with Qantas Empire Airways. His Pilot’s Flying Log Books record a total service flying time of 1876 hours.