Brief History of Sungai Besi Air Base

The RAF handed over its Kuala Lumpur station to the RMAF. Sir Geofroy Tory shook hands with Deputy Prime Minister Tuan Abdul Razak Hussein at the end of the ceremony. Looking on was Gp Capt John Stacey, the Chief of the Air Staff.

October 25, 1960. On this day, the Royal Air Force (RAF) handed its M$15 million Kuala Lumpur station to the Royal Malayan Air Force (RMAF). The gift of the base, with earlier financial assistance of providing aircraft and training for pilots and technicians, had saved the Federation Government many millions of dollars, relieving the country of a considerable financial burden at a critical stage of her development.

British High Commissioner Sir Geofroy Tory said wistfully, "For the RAF, this is inevitably a moment of sadness and nostalgia." Since the War (WW2), thousands of RAF, RAAF and RNZAF officers and men have been stationed at the base, centre of anti-terrorist operations.

Extracted from The New Straits Times
15 November 1999