John Herbert Sutton was born on the 16 May 1933 and raised in Ilford.

He had been a member of the cadets from the age of 12 and enlisted in the British Army as soon as he was of age.

Once Sutton turned 18 he joined the Parachute Regiment. He completed his training at RAF Abingdon as part of course number 318 between 11 August and 12 September 1951. He was described as “Good, nervous but controlled, fair” by his instructor.

He also completed an additional 12 week weapons course in Kent. Sutton stated that the FN FAL or an early version of the L1A1 SLR was trialled during this course.

Upon completion he was posted to the Parachute Balloon Training Company at RAF Cardington where he remained until 1953.

At the end of 1953 he left England to join 3 PARA in Egypt. He remained in Egypt until May 1954 when he saw a posting to join the 22 SAS “Malayan Scouts” in Malaya.

After taking leave from May to June 1954 Sutton left for Singapore where he was stationed at Changi Barracks. He then took the train to Kuala Lumpur in Malaya and joined A Squadron 3 Troop 22 SAS. He arrived in Malaya on 18 July 1954.

22 SAS at the time were playing an integral part in the Malayan Emergency conducting long-ranged patrols to disrupt CT operations. Sutton’s unit usually operated for 6 weeks on operations but he recalls the longest he spent being 14 weeks living out of jungle bashers and being reliant on supply by air.

Fighting in a jungle environment was extremely difficult. There was little in the way of luxuries for the men of 22 SAS. John Sutton recalls “Leeches, hornets and other insects” making patrols tedious. Cigarettes were always saved to burn leeches off. Alongside the heat, rain and thick vegetation it made the jungle as much of a threat as the enemy.

Sutton described the Malay locals as being “friendlier than the locals in Egypt”. An emphasis was put on treating these locals with respect. The men often saved sweets for the local children’s hospital and gifted fishing hooks to the villagers.

On patrol Sutton carried a US made M-1 Carbine and a weeks rations in his pack. Items such as locally made curry powders were carried as they added flavour to rations creating a small comfort to enjoy when the patrolling stopped. He described the food as being “better than in Egypt”.

As a soldier in 22 SAS he also qualified as a “Tree Jumper”. Sutton stated that “accidents were common” whilst training and that the one time he completed a combat jump “the unit was dropped in the wrong area.”

John Sutton left Malaya on 15 September 1956. On return to England he trained new recruits for the Essex Regiment before leaving the army and joining the Metropolitan Police.