TODAY IN THE HISTORY OF FMC THE OPENING OF THE NEW FMC CAMP IN SUNGAI BESI
Today on 20 June 1961, a Tuesday, 65 years ago, the new FMC Camp in Sungai Besi was officially declared opened by KDYMM Tuanku Syed Putra ibni Almarhum Syed Hassan Jamalullail, the 4th Yang DiPertuan Agong. The parade was held at the parade ground of the new FMC camp.
On parade were 85 Officer Cadets (Regular Intake 04 and Regular Intake 05) and four contingents of 240 Budak Boys from the eight companies. The Parade Commander was CUO Mohd Kassim bin Ismail, (Regular Intake 1960-1961).
200 acres was set aside for the new home of the College. Construction for the new camp started in January 1959. By the end of 1960, the new camp was ready. The RM7 million camp was the pride of the nation then.
FMC began to move its main body from the FMC camp in Port Dickson to its new camp in Sungai Besi on 22 April 1961, with the ending of the first term of schooling. The Budak Boys left for home for their first term school holidays for the last time from Port Dickson, and from the Seremban railway station. A number of Budak Boys, mainly the new boys of Intake 1961 were in the “fatique party” for the move on 22 April 1961.
The Budak Boys reported back to FMC after the first term holidays to the new camp in Sungai Besi, from the Kuala Lumpur railway station by the 3-Ton Trucks on 14 May 1961.
Present at the parade, were DYMM Sultan Salahuddin Abd Aziz Shah, the Sultan of Selangor; Tunku Abd Rahman Putra AlHaj, the Prime Minister; Dato’ Abd Razak bin Hussein, Deputy Prime Minister / Minister of Defence and Lt Gen Sir Rodney Moore, the Chief of Staff, Federation Armed Forces. Also present were the Ambassadors and dignitaries from the Commonwealth countries, their Defence Attaches and senior officers from the Malayan Army, Navy and Air Force.
During his address, Dato’ Abd Razak spoke on the origin, history and purpose of the FMC and his confidence that FMC would continue to play an ever-increasing role in preparing future leaders of the country. He then invited the Yang DiPertuan Agong to unveil the plaque at the entrance of the administrative building, commemorating the official opening of the camp. The parade lasted for about an hour.
After the parade and the reception that followed at the Assembly Hall, named “Dewan Tun Templer”, their Majesties accompanied by their Royal Highnesses, the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Chief of Staff, Federation Armed Forces toured the camp.
The opening of the new FMC camp in Sungai Besi marked a new era for the College.
The Boys’ Wing buildings were on one small hill; no wooden barracks but two accommodation blocks, one for “A”, “B”, “C” and “D” Companies and the other for “E”, “F”, “G” and “H” Companies. The two blocks of classrooms, the teachers’ room, the library, the dining hall and the canteen were all on the same hill as the two accommodation blocks. As such there was not much walking to be done daily by the boys although the parade square, the guard house, the gymnasium and the playing fields were quite some distance away. There was no sea nearby but a disused mining pool, converted into a man-made lake, to view from the hill.
The Cadet Wing accommodation blocks, the dining hall, the classrooms, the canteen, the model room, the Administrative Building, the Gymnasium, the Assembly Hall, the Officers’ Mess, the QM stores were all on another hill below the Boys’ Wing buildings.
The Guard House, the playing fields, the Obstacle Course, the 25-yard Shooting Range, the Senior Other Ranks Married Quarters and the building for the single soldiers were below the hill. The Officers’ Married Quarters were by the side of the lake.
We longed for the Port Dickson camp and the sea then ! Alas, RMC (formerly FMC) is no longer located on those hills. In 2014 RMC moved to another new camp, in the valley below the old camp in the Sungai Besi hills in Bukit Belimbing, but still with the man-made lake in sight !
Written By
OP Nawawi Mat Desa (F Coy; 1959-1961)
20 June 2026
