Directorate of Operations Borneo 1964-66

Scarce 3rd pattern printed formation sign, of a Borneo white bellied sea eagle flying forward.
Major General Walter Walker (DOBOPS) instigated operations code name "CLARET".
Operation Claret was a long-running series of secretive cross-border raids conducted by British Commonwealth forces in Borneo from June 1964 to early 1966. These raids were undertaken by special forces—including the British Special Air Service, Australian Special Air Service Regiment, and New Zealand Special Air Service—as well as regular infantry. During the early phases of the conflict British Commonwealth and Malaysian troops had attempted only to control the border and to protect population centres from Indonesian attacks.
However, by 1965 they had decided to take more aggressive action, crossing the border to obtain information and in "hot pursuit" of withdrawing Indonesian infiltrators. First approved in May 1965, later they were expanded to include cross-border ambushing in July. Claret was largely successful in gaining the initiative for the British Commonwealth forces before being suspended late in the war, inflicting significant casualties on the Indonesians and keeping them on the defensive on their side of the border. The operations were only publicly disclosed by Britain in 1974, whilst the Australian government did not officially acknowledge its involvement until 1996

Code: 59696