I am keen to find relatives of civilians murdered by communist terrorists during the Malayan Emergency during the nineteen fifties and to learn the experiences of families who received the news of their loved one`s death.
I had often wondered if there was any official British or Malaysian record of the death of my brother, Alan Saunders Cockram, who was murdered by communist terrorists in Malaya in May 1950. In September 2007, I made concerted efforts to find out. The General Register Office, Southport, England, could find no registration, neither could the National Registration Department of Malaysia.
At the end of May 2008, I sent an enquiry to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London and received a reply within a month. This was by email with attachments of extracts from the Burial Register at Cheras Road Cemetery, Kuala Lumpur, and very recent photograph`s of Alan`s grave there. The cause of death is shown as `Gun shot wounds`. The grave appeared well kept, which I am sure is due to assistance from the British Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. So, with thanks to its representatives, after fifty-eight years I and the rest of Alan`s family had some sort of closure.
Please reply to this blog if you have a family record of a similar death to that of my brother.
