Over a year later , in early March 1945 , Chester ( now holding temporary local rank as a lieutenant-colonel in the Australian Military Forces ) commanded Agas I , which landed near Labuk Bay in North Borneo . He then went on to command Agas III which operated in the Jesselton-Keningau-Beaufort area of North Borneo . This operation incorporated Stallion IV , which aimed to obtain intelligence of enemy movements along the Jesselton-Beaufort part of the North Borneo Railway , the Ranau-Tambunan-Keningau Road , and the hinterland of Kimanis Bay . Chester was chosen for all these roles due to his intimate knowledge of the area of operation and his fluency in Malay . In addition , by the time of Agas III and Stallion IV , Chester had agents and known safe contacts in the region . Following these missions , he was again recommended for the DSO , this time successfully . The recommendation describes how , with three other officers and three NCOs , Chester was initially landed from a submarine on 3 March 1945 , despite the Japanese land and sea patrols . On landing , they discovered a number of posters with a picture of Chester offering $ 15,000 reward for his capture — dead or alive — prompted by his earlier mission . This initial landing was between strongly held Japanese positions at Tegahang and Pura Pura , just apart . The natives in this area were hostile , so the party travelled by canoe before being able to head inland and start the main part of their mission to gather intelligence , raise a guerrilla force , and persuade the natives not to provide food and other supplies to the Japanese . On 25 May 1945 , Chester was extracted by PBY Catalina flying boat , so he could brief II Corps staff , he was re-inserted , again by Catalina , along with some additional personnel , on 29 May , to obtain further information for 9th Division . Finally , the recommendation states that at the time of the eventual Japanese surrender , forces under Chester 's command controlled two-thirds of British North Borneo . His DSO was gazetted on 6 March 1947 , dated 2 November 1946 . He was also awarded the American Medal of Freedom
Medal of Freedom
Medal of Freedom (1945)
F. G. L. Chester