Independence Day

This is the famous picture where Tunku Abdul Rahman raised his right hand and shouted, Merdeka!, 7 times. It marked our independence from British occupation on 31 August 1957.

This picture too, will be embedded in our family forever, how much my grandfather was a part of our independence. My grandfather, Lt Col. Taib bin Jais, stood behind Tuanku Abdul Rahman, who was the Yam Tuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, then, appointed as Malaysian First King. Datuk Taib was Tuanku's ADC, the first military aide-de-camp for the first King of Malaysia.

So I spent endless hours since 31-Aug-2011 to find out who my grandfather was and boy, was I in for a surprised! I found a few articles on my grandfather but had problems transferring the existing format into jpeg. They are rights protected and secure documents. However, I was successful in several other attempts.

Surprise #1.
SENARAI ANAK MELAYU PENGASAS KOMPENI PERCUBAAN ASKAR MELAYU

Front Row from Left:
Usman bin Engguk, Jantan bin Abdul Rahman, Ismail bin Tahar, Ibrahim bin Sidek, Buyong bin Md Yasin, Ahmad bin Abdullah, Ngah bin Abdullah dan Ahmad bin Nordin.
Middle Row:
Abdul Ghaffar bin Abdullah, Ismail bin Ahmad, Abdul Manap bin Abdullah, Hj Kadir bin Hj Hassan, Raja Lope Nor Rashid bin Raja Abdul Rahman, Ariffin bin Hj Sulaiman, Ahmad bin Dodo, Mohd Taib bin Jais dan Buyong bin Md Yassin
Back Row:
Abdul Rahman bin Md. Yatim, Muhammad bin Kenit, Awang bin Abdullah, Musa bin Ismail, Usman bin Yunus, Abdul Samad bin Abdullah, Mohd Taib bin Jais dan Ismail bin Mahmud. (Naim dan Buyong adalah merupakan tukang masak).

Surprise #2
MBE for King's ADC (Credit to Singapore Straits Times-29 May 1958)

Lt. Col Mohd Taib bin Jais, first Military ADC to the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, who was awarded the MBE by The Queen.

Suprise #3.

A portrait of Lieutenant Colonel Mohamed Taib bin Jais; 1.12.1960.
Lieutenant Colonel Mohamed Taib bin Jais, who was appointed the first Military ADC to His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong since August, 1957, will be leaving the Federation Army in retirement on December 5, 1960. Major A.J. Silva of No.1 Federation Reconnaissance Regiment, Sungai Udang Camp, and Malacca@Melaka will succeed him. Lieutenant Colonel Mohamed Taib bin Jais, who's Regimental Number is 19, was a member of the Royal Malay Regiment Experimental Company, which was formed in March 1933. G.2895
2001/0028557
ARMY P.R. PHOTO

He received his AMN medal award in 1959 from the Federal Government.

I am so proud of him and I want my children too be proud of their great grandfather, whom they never get the chance to know. We have our own history to tell them.