Military career

Born in Hendon, Middlesex on 9 January 1924, Coster received his education at St Marylebone Grammar School in St John's Wood. Along with his classmates, he was evacuated to Redruth, at the start of World War II. There, he was billeted by the Portreath bank manager and enlisted in the local Home Guard. Coster attended Wadham College in Oxford, where he excelled in languages and modern history, before receiving a commission in the Royal Air Force. Coster finished his training in Canada and went back to flying Bristol Beaufighters in the European Theatre, but after the Third Reich fell, he was sent to Transport Command in India, where he flew Douglas DC-3s and trained on glider tugs as the war was coming to a conclusion in the Pacific War. Repatriating prisoners of war from Burma and bringing them back to Singapore was one of his last tasks.^[1]

Law enforcement career

After taking a break, Coster launched a tiny commercial airline from Hong Kong, but it never really got off the ground. Shortly after, in time for the emergency, he accepted a position in the Federation of Malaya Police's Special Branch. Numerous chances arose from this job, one of which was a Commendation for his assistance in recovering the remains of Sir Henry Gurney, the British High Commissioner who was killed in an ambush on Peter's Hill on 6 October 1951.^[1]

In 1963, Coster signed a contract with the Royal Brunei Police and was first assigned as an Assistant Commissioner in the Special Branch. He completely revolutionised and reorganised the force in this capacity, eventually rising to the position of Head of Intelligence and Security for the Sultan. Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III was obviously pleased with Coster's performance since he bestowed upon him several honours and appointed him to the Privy Council on 2 July 1973.^[1]

In June 1969, local vendors have been advised by Coster to exercise caution when importing products. According to him, there was a legal ban in Brunei on the activities that provoke strong emotions, particularly those that support communists or communist ideology. The interest and security of the country were jeopardised by them. In front of local traders at a news conference, he declared that the majority of the goods were imported from China. The news conference was convened after special agents seized more than 700 items from Chinese propaganda that were brought in from Hong Kong over the previous two months.^[2]

The Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III implemented a number of security measures in the wake of the former rebels' 1975 flight to Malaysia. The sultan then proposed that intelligence from the British should compensate for any information lost due to the split with the east Malaysian Special Branches. Coster, supported by the Commissioner of Police, declined the Sultan's proposal, citing Brunei's potential loss of intelligence services from such connections.^[3]

Coster passed away in October 2014 after retiring in 1980.^[1]

National

• Order of the British Empire Officer (OBE; 1969)
• Colonial Police Medal (CPM; 1966) for Meritorious Service^[6]
• 1939–1945 Star
• War Medal 1939–1945
• Burma Star
• Defence Medal
• General Service Medal (1918 GSM) for Malayan Emergency

Foreign

•  Brunei:
  • Order of Pahlawan Negara Brunei First Class (PSPNB) – Dato Seri Pahlawan
  • Order of Setia Negara Brunei Second Class (DSNB) – Dato Setia
  • Order of Seri Paduka Mahkota Brunei Second Class (DPMB) – Dato Paduka
  • Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Medal First Class (PHBS; 1969)^[7]
  • Meritorious Service Medal (PJK)
  • Excellent Service Medal (PIKB)
  • Long Service Medal (PKL)
  • Coronation Medal (1968)
  • Royal Police Medal 1965
•  Malaysia:
  • Active Service Medal (PKB)