A DORSET veteran will attend a service in London today, commemorating 50 years since the end of a "forgotten conflict" in South East Asia.

Michael Harris, from Charlton Down near Dorchester, will travel to St Paul's Cathedral for a ceremony to honour those who fought against a communist insurgency in the 1960s.

There will then be a reception organised by the National Malaya and Borneo Veterans (NMBV) Association.

Mr Harris, 69, received the Pingat Jasa Malaysia Medal in 2011 in recognition of his service.

He served from the age of 17 in the Royal Navy on small patrol boats and in the jungles of Borneo and Malaya between 1963 and 1966.

Mr Harris referred to the hostilities as "one of Britain's forgotten conflicts" and said he was keen to ensure his comrades get the recognition they deserve.

He said: "It is the first reunion I have been to and I have strong feelings about wanting to commemorate the people I served with, 
"One minute you are a young man involved in these things and now I am turning 70 next year and looking back on it all."

The conflict was sparked when Indonesia opposed the creation of what is now Malaysia, bringing together Malaya, Singapore and North Borneo.

"Our main aim was to stop the infiltrators getting into Borneo and Malaya," said Mr Harris.

"It was sort of adventurous to be on active service.

"We had several confrontations and we often stopped them smuggling men and weapons into the active areas."

After completing his military service, Mr Harris spent time living in Australia and New Zealand before returning to Dorset in 2009.

He has battled cancer twice since he returned to the area and has received the all-clear.

He said: "My wife died 10 days after her cancer diagnosis, so I have been very lucky compared to a lot people."

The service at St Paul's Cathedral is expected to be attended by representatives from the Gurkhas and Mr Harris said that a few hundred people will be present.

Ted Williams, NMBV secretary, said: "It is most probably the last of these we will have because we are all getting old.

"A lot of people do not realise that the Malaya conflict was the only war against a communist uprising that any western country has ever won.

"We lost more troops in Malaya than any other campaign since the end of the Second World War."