Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The General Service Medal 1918-62 awarded to Police Lieutenant A. J. Brosnan, Federation of Malay Police, who was killed in action in an ambush at Kluang in Johore on 15 February 1952

General Service 1918-62, 3 clasps, Palestine, Palestine 1945-48, Malaya (159 P./Lt. A. J. Brosnan. F. of M. Pol.), together with named transmission slip and photograph of recipient, extremely fine £500-600

Andrew J. Brosnan was among those ranks of the Palestine Police who was recruited for like services in Malaya following the ‘Stand Down’ in the former territory in 1948. As reported in the Security Forces Weekly Intelligence Summary (Malaya) for the week ending 21 February 1952, he was killed in an ambush at Kluang, Johore on the 15th:

‘There have been nine cases of rubber tree slashing, all of them on a large scale of 700 or more trees. The largest was 5,300 trees in the Kotatinggi area. The other cases occurred in the Johore Bahru area (three times). Segamat and Kluang (twice each) and one in the Muar area. A Police Lieutenant [Brosnan] and an S.C. were killed in an ambush on an estate in the Kluang area. In another estate ambush in the Johore Bahru area three S.Cs have been killed and an Assistant Manager wounded. Shots fired into Kluang garrison cantonment by night killed a Malay sapper. An S.C. was wounded in Johore Bahru circle by shots at a Manager’s bungalow.’

Brosnan, who was 39 years old, was buried in Kranji Military Cemetery; sold with copied research.