Territorians in Conflict

In a display of courage, determination and mateship, Australians and New Zealanders created the Anzac legend.  To commemorate this special anniversary I wanted to share with you some inspiring stories of Territorians serving our nation and protecting our way of life.

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AUSTRALIA'S INVOLVEMENT IN FOREIGN CONFLICTS

• Sudan, March to June 1885
• South African War (Boer War), 1899-1902
• China (Boxer Rebellion), 1900-01
• First World War, 1914-18
• Second World War, 1939-45
• Occupation of Japan, 1946-51
• Korean War, 1950-53
• Malayan Emergency, 1948-60
• Indonesian Confrontation, 1963-66
• Malay, 1964-66
• Thailand, 1965-1968
• Vietnam War, 1962-75
• First Gulf War, 1990-91
• Somalia, 1992-1994
• East Timor (Timor-Leste), 1999-2003
• Peacekeeping, 1947 to present
• Afghanistan, 2001 to present
• Iraq, 2003 to present

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FIRST WORLD WAR (1914 - 1918)

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Dawn of the Legend

96 years ago, thousands of brave young men went ashore on a foreign beach in a far distant land.  In a display of courage, determination and mateship, these Australians and New Zealanders created a legend which, when retold today, evokes pride and passion in a new generation of Australians.

Map of the Gallipoli Historical National Park

The Anzac spirit of courage under fire, selflessness and unwavering loyalty, tenacity and mateship was forged in the battles at Gallipoli.  The legend of our Anzacs has transcended time to become a symbol of what we value as Australians.

On Anzac Day, we stop to remember and reflect on the sacrifice of men and women who serve and have served our nation in times of war and peace.  Veterans of the past proudly display their medals, soldiers of today boldly wear their uniforms.  Families of veterans who have passed on honour their memory by wearing medals awarded when the battle was over. In recent years there has been a resurgence of participation at Anzac Day ceremonies.  Many more people, young and old, are rising early to attend Dawn Services and to honour our Anzac tradition.

Today we see the faces of living heroes; not just veterans of war, but those who proudly wore our uniform and served our country in times of peace.  We honour them and the families who supported them.  We remember their service for our nation.

To commemorate this special anniversary I wanted to share with you some inspiring stories of Territorians serving our nation and protecting our way of life.  I hope that you too will share in the spirit of Anzac Day by attending one of the many services in the Territory.

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Captain William Russel de la Poer Beresford

Born in Darwin in 1893, Beresford enlisted as a Private, but by the end of the war had achieve the rank of Captain. He served in the 10th Infantry Battalion at Gallipoli, before being transferred to the 50th Infantry Battalion (as a Sergeant) when that unit was formed in Egypt at the beginning of 1916.

Beresford was wounded during the Battle of Pozieres, before being awarded the Military Cross for actions at Villers-Brettonneux, while a Lieutenant, on 24 April and the night of 25/26 April 1918. The recommendation cited Lt Beresford’s gallantry in taking command of a company and leading it on a counter attack under heavy shellfire.

Having enlisted in 1914, Captain Beresford was sent home to Australia on ‘Special 1914 Leave’ in September 1918.  He was then home when the war ended in November.

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SECOND WORLD WAR (1939 - 1945)

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The Bombing of Darwin

On 19 February 1942, mainland Australia came under attack for the first time when Japanese forces mounted two air raids on Darwin. The two attacks, which were planned and led by the commander responsible for the attack on Pearl Harbour ten weeks earlier, involved 54 land-based bombers and approximately 188 attack aircraft which were launched from four Japanese aircraft-carriers in the Timor Sea. In the first attack, which began just before 10.00am, heavy bombers pattern-bombed the harbour and town; dive bombers escorted by Zero fighters then attacked shipping in the harbour, the military and civil aerodromes, and the hospital at Berrimah. The attack ceased after about 40 minutes.

The second attack, which began an hour later, involved high altitude bombing of the Royal Australian Air Force base at Parap which lasted for 20–25 minutes. The two raids killed at least 243 people and between 300 and 400 were wounded. Twenty military aircraft were destroyed, eight ships at anchor in the harbour were sunk, and most civil and military facilities in Darwin were destroyed.

Path of Japanese bombing raid #55 on Darwin

Contrary to widespread belief at the time, the attacks were not a precursor to an invasion. The Japanese were preparing to invade Timor, and anticipated that a disruptive air attack would hinder Darwin's potential as a base from which the Allies could launch a counter-offensive, and at the same time would damage Australian morale. Concerned at the effect of the bombing on national morale, and with Singapore having fallen to the Japanese only days earlier, the government announced that only 17 people had been killed.

In the hours following the air raids on 19 February, believing that an invasion was imminent, Darwin's population began to stream southwards, heading for Adelaide River and the train south. Approximately half of Darwin's civilian population ultimately fled. The panic in the town was repeated at the RAAF base, where servicemen deserted their stations in great numbers. Three days after the attack 278 servicemen were still missing. The exodus south (which later became known as “The Adelaide River stakes”), and the looting and disorder which subsequently occurred, led the government to hurriedly appoint a Commission of Inquiry led by Mr Justice Lowe which issued two reports, one on 27 March and the other on 9 April 1942.

The air attacks on Darwin continued until November 1943, by which time the Japanese had bombed Darwin 64 times. During the war other towns in northern Australia were also the target of Japanese air attack, with bombs being dropped on Townsville, Katherine, Wyndham, Derby, Broome and Port Hedland.

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KOREAN WAR (1950 - 1953)

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North Invades South

The Korean War began on 25 June 1950, when North Korean forces launched an invasion of South Korea. Personnel from the Australian Army, RAAF, and RAN fought as part of the United Nations (UN) multinational force, defending South Korea from the Communist force.

Australian Operational Locations in Korea, 1950-1953

The war ended with the signing of an armistice on 27 July 1953, three years and one month after it began. The ending was so sudden that some soldiers had to be convinced it really was over. After the war ended, the presence of Australians in Korea continued with a peacekeeping force until 1957.

The crisis in Korea originated in the closing phases of the Second World War, when control of the Korean peninsula, formerly occupied by Japan, was entrusted to the Allies, and the United States and the Soviet Union divided responsibility for the country between them at the 38th parallel. Over the course of the next few years, the Soviet Union fostered a strong communist regime in the north, while the US supported the government in the south; by mid-1950, tensions between the two zones, each under a different regime, had escalated to the point where two hostile armies were building up along the border. On 25 June a North Korean army finally crossed into the southern zone and advanced towards the capital, Seoul. The city fell in less than a week, and North Korean forces continued driving south towards the strategically important port of Pusan.

Within two days, the US had offered air and sea support to South Korea, and the United Nations Security Council asked all its members to assist in repelling the North Korean attack. Twenty-one nations responded by providing troops, ships, aircraft and medical teams.

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Group portrait of officers of No 8 Squadron RAAF in front of one of the squadron's Lockheed Hudson aircraft on the edge of the aerodrome at Kota Bahru, Kelantan, Malaya

Group Captain Wilfred Norman Lampe

Born in Darwin in 1916, Group Captain Lampe enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in 1938, and was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1945 for ‘distinguished service and devotion to duty northwest area’.

Group Captain Lampe would remain in the RAAF until 1971, and would go on to command the RAAF’s entire deployment (the 91 Composite Wing) in Korea.

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VIETNAM WAR (1962 - 1975)

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The Ho Chi Minh Trail

Australia’s military involvement in the Vietnam War was the longest in duration of any war in the country’s history.  It lasted from August 1962 until May 1975.  The Australian commitment consisted predominantly of army personnel, but significant numbers of air force and navy personnel. Some civilians also took part.  According to the Nominal Roll of Australian Vietnam Veterans, almost 60,000 Australians served in Vietnam.

Map of the Ho Chin Minh Trail, 1954-1975

A total of 521 Australians died in the war: Australian Army (496); RAAF (17); RAN (8).  These include three Australian service-men who were declared “missing in action”.  These three are in fact believed to have been “killed in action” but have no known graves.

Australia's commitment, although substantial in terms of its military capabilities, was small in comparison with the military contributions of the United States.  Over 3 million Americans served in the War and the total number of American personnel in Vietnam reached a peak of over 540,000 in 1968.  About 58,000 Americans died in the Vietnam War and over 2,000 were listed as Missing in Action.

The scale of Vietnamese losses on both sides of the conflict was enormous.  About 224,000 South Vietnamese military personnel and over 415,000 South Vietnamese civilians were killed.  Over 1 million North Vietnamese and Viet Cong were killed and more than 300,000 were declared Missing in Action.  Some 4 million Vietnamese civilians (10 per cent of the total wartime population) were killed or wounded.  Overall, the total number of North and South Vietnamese killed and wounded was approximately ten times the total number of American casualties.

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Corporal Reginald Hedley Hillier

Reginald Hedley Hillier was born in Coonabarabran (NSW) on 4 October 1939. He moved to the Northern Territory in 1949 and lived at 11 Mile with his family. He travelled to school at the Darwin Public School on the semitrailer school bus with his brother, Jim, and his sisters, Margaret and Barbara. Hillier worked in the outback as a stockman in the Victoria River District and in the East Kimberley. In October 1961 he enlisted in the Australian Regular Army. In June 1965 Corporal Hillier was posted to Vietnam as a Section Commander in 4 Platoon, B Company, 1st Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR).

Group portrait of members of 5 Platoon, B Company, 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR)

Corporal Hillier was killed in an engagement with Viet Cong in the La Nga Valley on 29 November 1965. He was taking part in what was called Operation New Life, an attempt to clear the La Nga valley of Viet Cong. Corporal Hillier’s platoon had been attacked by a force of Viet Cong while they were on patrol. He was shot in the chest whilst directing the fire of his platoon and died in a medical helicopter on his way to Bien Noa. He was posthumously awarded a Mention in Dispatches as a result of his actions during the engagement.

The Government of South Vietnam awarded him a Military Merit Medal and Gallantry Cross with Palm, describing him as a courageous combatant. He is buried at Terendak Military Cemetery, Malaysia.

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AFGHANISTAN (2001 - present)

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Three AH-64 Apache attack helicopters fly past saluting members of Special Operations Task Group, in honour of Pte Benjamin Adam Chuck, Pte Timothy James Aplin and Pte Scott Travis Palmer

Australia’s military contribution to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan is deployed under Operation SLIPPER. Australia’s military contribution includes around 1,550 Australian Defence Force personnel who are deployed within Afghanistan. 1241 are deployed in Uruzgan Province and around 300 in Kabul, Kandahar and elsewhere in Afghanistan. These numbers vary depending on operational requirements and shifting seasonal conditions. 830 personnel provide support from locations within the broader Middle East Area of Operations, including our maritime commitment.

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Private Scott Palmer

Twenty-seven-year-old Private Palmer was raised in Katherine and serving with the Sydney-based 2nd Commando Regiment.

Private Palmer enlisted in the Australian Army in 2001. Private Palmer successfully undertook Commando Selection and Training in 2006 and joined the then 4th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment (Commando) in November 2006. This was his third tour to Afghanistan and he was serving with the Special Operations Task Group (SOTG). Private Palmer has seen Operational service in East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan. His professionalism was of the highest order and he excelled at everything he did. Private Palmer loved his job and working alongside his mates.

Private Palmer was awarded the Australian Active Service Medal with clasps IRAQ, East Timor and International Coalition Against Terrorism (ICAT), the IRAQ Campaign Medal, the Australian Defence Medal, the Australian Service Medal with clasp Timor–Leste, the Australian Defence Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and the NATO ISAF Medal. Private Palmer was also awarded the Returned from Active Service Badge from a previous deployment.

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The Honour Roll - Afghanistan

Source: Australian War Memorial / Department of Defence

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