Dear Goh,

Further to the the map of the Fort Brooke area . The attached is part of an original map/s that I had with me when I was in the fort. It is map sheet 2n/6 compilied from data way back in 1931 and 1949, scale 1inch to the mile . The cross in the box, map ref 383 828 is Fort Brooke. To make jungle navigation a little more difficult, theres no features shown, it's not charted . But from my own expirence patrolling in this then unkown territory- a lost world - was mountainous , of which your up to date map shows. With not knowing the scale of your map , or the type , unless I'm mistaken the grid lines do not agree with those on my map.- Strange . According to helicopter pilots who often came to the Fort, the height ASL of the landing zone (LZ ) which was along the river and below the fort was 2,300 ASL . South of the fort is the Sg Nenggiri which was also called Sg Brok. This Sg, joined by others flows close to the fort compound, where part of it acted as a defence obstacle against attack . Many people wrongly presume, that the fort took its name from the Sg Brok , and that some how the word came distorted to that of Brooke (Brok = Brooke ) How the fort realy came by its name. It was built in 1953 by the SAS along with members of a Police Jungle company. The Commanding Officer of the SAS in Malaya at the time was Colonel Brooke, and the Fort was named after the CO of the SAS Col Brooke.

Some of the twelve forts were named after a nearby rivers, but Fort Dixon south westish of K Lipis Pahang was named after a Police officer who I knew. It was while leading an attack on a communist camp, that Police Lieutentant Dixon was killed. The place he met his death, was close to where a jungle fort was in the progress of being built, and in his honour they named it Fort Dixon.Bayak sejok sini, dan ayer batu atas jalan. I'd sooner be wading chest deep through a tidal mangrove swamp, along the then uninhabited SE coastal region of Johore, than jalan kaki atas ayer batu. Thank you.

Best wishesRoy

Jangan lupa. Hantu Hutan.