Apparently MalcoBy Barrie (Max or Wally) Wall My post-Signals career in journalism and corporate communications began with a somewhat unwanted, and quite unexpected edict from one Sgt. 'Sam' Bartram, the troop sergeant at 18 Ind. Inf. Bde. Sig Sqn., Kuala Lipis, Malaya, in about 1953. Sam or 'Apparently Malco' - as he was known amongst the troops because he usually prefaced everything he had to say with the words, "Apparently Malco," appeared at the hatch of the cipher room one day with the edict: 'Apparently, Malco wants us to do an article about the unit for The Wire. I need it by Thursday.' (Malco was the abbreviation for HQ Malaya Command in Kuala Lumpur). Sam was a quiet, unassuming sort of a bloke, a man of few words. he rarely raised his voice and although we never knew his first name, he was universally known as Sam Bartram after Charlton Athletic's goalie of the time. Anxious to head off for a 48 in the fleshpots of KL, and correctly interpreting Sam's use of the word 'us' as 'you,' I managed to knock out something fairly quickly which, evidently meeting with Sam's and Malco's approval, duly appeared in The Wire under my byline (Then Cpl. Wall M. B.) some months later. As any aspiring writer will know, seeing one's name in print is heady stuff and much to my surprise, I subsequently learned that people actually got paid for putting words on paper. After that, it was a short step to freelancing for hire and reward and ultimately, a full-time newspaper job. I doubt very much whether Sam would still be around. For all that, I'm grateful to him for unwittingly launching me on a career that lasted more than 45 years. For a relatively uneducated oaf like me it was a lot better than digging holes and I hope my unwitting mentor was half as lucky when he got out. So wherever you are Sam Bartram, I'm grateful. For once you and (Apparently) Malco got it right and for reasons that continue to escape me, I still occasionally get paid for writing things. This one's for you, Sam. I hope you're still around to read it. Thanks. Barrie (Max or Wally) Wall  |
