Charles Alan Sutherland, or Chuck, as he was known aboard the HMS Barossa, died in February 1963 while fighting in The Confrontation, one of the less well-known wars the UK has entered into. It took place between British-backed Malaysia and Indonesia in 1962-1966.
Nearly 45 years after his death, fellow sailors Roger 'Iggy' Bliss and Dave 'Tommy' Thompson, want to track down his family, who may still be living in Aylesbury.
Mr Thompson was stood next to Chuck as he wrote a letter to his wife moments before he was killed. He kept in contact with the family after the war and also knew he had a daughter called Alana, who was born while they were out at sea.
He and Chuck became close in the 11 months they spent together. He described the night Chuck died. "We were on night patrol off the coast of Borneo near a town called Tawau. We picked up this boat en route and closed within 100 yards of it. Our routine was that when we were on patrol there were two turrets at the sharp end (of the ship) and we manned one of the guns.
"We approached the boat and there were about ten or 12 men on it and they all leapt over the side. We got to their boat first and boarded it.
"There were guns and machetes and as we were leaving the boat I could see this guy coming to the surface. He had a gun, I think it was a semi-automatic. He saw Chuck had a gun so aimed at him.
"At that stage we thought he was just wounded. We got back to the ship and headied for a hospital. About two hours later he died."
Mr Bliss was serving on the HMS Lincoln which worked alongside HMS Barossa. Word reached their ship that an Able Seaman had died. Mr Bliss said from the moment he heard the news, Chuck had always been in his thoughts. "It seemed unusual for an Able Seaman to be buried abroad. The British Government at the time usually repatriated bodies or they were buried at sea or cremated.
"For 40 years I believed he had been buried with nobody to remember him and then I found out he was married and had a daughter in Aylesbury."
At the end of January he is visiting Chuck's grave at the Cheras Road Cemetery, Kuala Lumpur to lay a wooden poppy cross.
If you knew Chuck Sutherland, his wife or daughter, Alana, and want Mr Bliss to lay a memento on your behalf you can contact him on rogersuebliss@yahoo.co.uk or 01277 626623.
Mr Thompson can be contacted at dave_thompson39@btinternet.com or on 01943 877266.

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