To all current and past serving men of The Regiment and their families, greetings on our Birthday: 68 years young

 

 

 

As The Townsville Bulletin remarked recently, 61,530 Australians died in World War I.

None of them was just a mere statistic.

Every single one had a name and left someone to mourn their loss, to try to pick up the pieces, though never completely.

On July 19-20, 1916 at Fromelles the 5^th Australian Division suffered 5533 casualties of whom almost 2000 were killed in action.

Of these 1299 were declared missing and 400 prisoners of war.

Most came from Brigadier Pompey Elliott’s 15^th Brigade.

It was Australia’s worst night ever.

Australia’s total war dead numbers 102, 824 including 39,654 in WWII, 340 in Korea, 521 in Vietnam and 42 in Afghanistan.

Then there is HMAS Sydney lost 75 years ago this week on November 14, 1941.

On May 24, 1941 when the Royal Navy battle cruiser HMS Hood was sunk in the Denmark Strait only three of its 1418 crew survived.

On that late afternoon in November 1941 HMAS Sydney encountered a mysterious ship off Geraldton Western Australia which identified itself as the Dutch merchantman Straat Malakka.

It was actually the German raider HSK Kormoran which had cut a destructive swathe across the Pacific.

With a crew of 397 Kormoran adopted several disguises to hide its true identity from unsuspecting merchantmen which it then captured and sank.

Until it encountered the Sydney fully manned to its war establishment of 645, including RAAF aircrew for its Walrus seaplane and some civilian canteen staff.

From about 5.00 pm at a range of 1000m the two ships engaged in the formal posturing of naval identification until about 5.30 pm when the German captain realising the game was up dropped his camouflage and opened fire on Sydney.

The two ships exchanged intense fire for the next five minutes but by 6.00 pm all fire ceased and both mortally wounded vessels, now 10,000m apart entered their death throes.

By the time Sydney finally sank around 10.00 pm when its bow separated no one knows what its crew had endured, whether they realised their fate nor how they reacted.

For several decades the only clues to Sydney’s fate were a lifebelt and two damaged Carly life floats.

Kormoran’s 317 survivors as PoW provided some narrative of the battle but it wasn’t until the two wrecks were discovered in 2007 naval historians were able to establish Sydney’s final moments.

In a few hours Sydney suffered more KIA than either Korea or Vietnam and almost 10 times those in Afghanistan.

More tellingly, so far this year 41 identified veterans have committed suicide.

That’s one short of 42, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’s magical answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything.

Except no one knows what the question was.

Of all numbers the most telling is just one.

Every life lost in war or as a consequence of military service represents one individual whose death affects many.

Each suicide is one too many but the answer let alone the question remain elusive.

Finding both is essential to preventing more.

Ross Eastgate
Townsville Bulletin
17 November 2016

Ten Australian soldiers have been recognised for their bravery more than 50 years after they fought in the Vietnam War’s Battle of Long Tan.

On 18 August, 1966, members of D Company, who were outnumbered 20 to one, fought against the odds to defeat the Viet Cong.

About 245 Viet Cong were killed in the rubber plantation and 18 Australians were killed and more were wounded.

But for half a century many of the men received no official recognition of their courage, despite sustained campaigning for recognition.

Now 10 of those soldiers have been recognised at Government House in Canberra.

 

Presenting them with their bravery awards, Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove told them they were brave, dedicated and professional.

“Today many years after the event we think we have discovered all of those whose special efforts needed to be recognised,” he said.

“Let nobody dispute that the Battle of Long Tan stands as the emblem of that long war … we recognise people who for 50 years have been waiting.

“I commend the way you fought 50 years ago. Well done.”

Three of the medals were accepted posthumously, including for Gordon Sharp — the only Australian officer to die in the battle.

His nephew collected the medal for courage on his behalf.

‘End of 50 years of frustration’

Company Commander Harry Smith has long fought for recognition for Long Tan’s frontline soldiers.

He said a 30-year secrecy period and bureaucratic red tape stood in the way of the awards.

“I can go home and pick up cases and cases of paperwork and throw it in the bin and get on with life,” he said.

“I’m very pleased for the soldiers and their families and loved ones, that they’ve finally got the recognition they should have got in 1966.

“I think it’s the end of 50 years of frustration.”

Colonel Francis Roberts said the battle was “hell” but his fellow soldiers helped him through.

“It was rainy, stormy, thunder and lightning, artillery fire was all over the place, lots of bullets flying around, lots of dead people,” he said.

“The thing that amazed me was the steadfastness of the Australian soldiers. A lot of them were 20, 21, 22 years old and they didn’t waver … I admire that.”

Frank Alcorta said it was a “momentous occasion” in his life to be recognised.

“I’m only sad that my wife, who passed away in 2010, couldn’t be here,” he said.

“I can remember everything [from the war]. I go to the supermarket and I can’t remember what I went there for, but those memories [from Long Tan] never leave you.”

Now on display at The United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea.

This article is provided by Leslie O’Brien, a Member, Korean War Honour Roll Quilt management committee and Anthea Green, daughter of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Green DSO, on behalf of Mrs. Olwyn Green OAM.

Mrs. Green is the widow of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Hercules Green DSO,Silver Star (United States) Commanding Officer 3 RAR, who died of wounds during the 1950-1953 Korean War.

Mrs. Green commissioned the Quilt to honour all Australian servicemen who lost their lives defending the freedom of the Republic of Korea during that conflict. In her own words, she intended the Korean War Honour Roll quilt to “tell a story, and to honour those who made the supreme sacrifice, especially in a critical time in the Korean War.”

The Quilt was designed by Australian textile artist Meredith Rowe.  Its hand-dyed fabric and thread was inspired by Korean Buddhism. It was hand-stitched – over a period of at least 200 hours – by the ‘Sit and Sew’ group in rural Coleraine, Victoria.

There is a legal framework surrounding the Korean War Honour Roll Quilt, protecting its ownership and its designer’s Intellectual Property.  The quilters have asked only that their role in its creation and development be acknowledged

Korean War Honour Roll Quilt

As the above image shows, the Quilt has three sections: an upper part that features the topography of Gapyeong (Kapyong), site of one of the most important battles for Australian soldiers during the Korean War.  Its middle portion contains some of the notes of the Last Post.  Its lower part records the names of the 340 Australian men who died during the Korean War.

Dr Alexander Norman, grandson of Lt. Col Green and Mrs. Green says:

“The Quilt has always struck me as a symbol of sacrifice, both in the obvious sense that it details the names of the dead but also because of the less obvious sacrifice of time given by the quilt designer and the quilters.  The metaphor of the thread is itself a particularly poignant one, given the socio-political ties between Australia and Korea that have developed over the past sixty years.  The thread ties memory to practice, and in particular it ties the sacrifices of those dead and alive to the place and to the people it creates and who create it.  This is what makes the topographic dimension of the Quilt so important; it is not only about remembering people who have been lost but also about remembering places that continue.”

The Quilt was launched in Grafton NSW on 27 July 2003, timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice.  Since then, this beautiful object has been displayed at a number of locations in Australia: the Australian War Memorial, the Shrine of Remembrance in Victoria, and the Army Infantry Museum, Lone Pine Barracks, Singleton.

The Quilt has now travelled to the Republic of Korea.  Its first exhibition in that country, at the United Nations Memorial Cemetery Korea in Busan, opened on 25 October 2016.  The cemetery, where rest the dead of the 16 countries that made up the UN force in the Korean War, is an appropriate place for the Korean War Honour Roll Quilt that acknowledges the Australian contingent who lost their lives. Here the quilt will speak to the world in a memorable, artistic way of service and sacrifice.

Mrs. Green would like to acknowledge and thank certain Koreans and Australians instrumental in the Quilt’s move to the Republic of Korea, especially those of the Embassy of Korea in Australia, the Embassy of Australia in Seoul, the UNMCK at Busan, and those who created the wonderful display case for the Quilt.  Mrs. Green would like in particular to thank Koreans (in Korea and in Australia) for expressing their gratitude for Australia’s war support, by on-going commemorative events, not only in Australia but in Korea too.  Korea’s ultimate gesture is to open its arms to the Korean War Honour Roll Quilt.

It would be helpful if this important account of the Quilt’s journey to its current resting place in Korea could be passed on to other interested organisations and individuals.

We are currently in the process of writing a detailed history of the Korean War Honour Roll Quilt.  We intend to submit this material to relevant publications for consideration. In the meantime should you have any questions about the Quilt please feel free to contact me [email protected] and/or Anthea Green at [email protected] .

It will be shown on the History Channel this Friday (November 11) Check your local TV guides for viewing times.

A documentary created by USQ Lecturer (Media Production) Leonie Jones about Australia’s largest battle in the Vietnam War will premiere on the History Channel on Remembrance Day this Friday (November 11).

The Battle of Fire Support Base Coral chronicles the largely untold story of the biggest and most sustained battle Australian forces had been involved in since World War II.

Ms Jones said she wanted to make sure as many people as possible know about the three-week battle, where 25 Australians lost their lives and more than 100 were wounded.

“I wanted the story to be told to give a sense of closure to the soldiers because they have never been publicly acknowledged for their sacrifice,” she said.

“There is a lot of focus on the Battle of Long Tan, but there were a lot of other battles that were fought in Vietnam by Australian soldiers.

“I am very happy the veterans have finally been able to find a voice and get their story out to the general public.”

Ms Jones travelled across Australia and Vietnam to interview more than 150 veterans of the Battle of Fire Support Base Coral as part of her PhD research.

The documentary, which has been seven years in the making, uncovers how the 1st and 3rd battalions of the Royal Australian Regiment fought courageously hand-to-hand against overwhelming Vietnamese forces.

It is believed that if Australian forces hadn’t won at Fire Support Base Coral, Australia would have pulled out of Vietnam in 1968.

Highly-acclaimed Australian actor William McInnes tells the important story, which includes actual footage, photos and artefacts from the battle, as well as interviews with surviving soldiers.

Mr McInnes’ voice-over narration for the documentary was recorded at USQ Springfield’s state-of-the-art media centre.