KOREA

                On 25 June 1950 the North Korean army invaded South Korea. On 29 June the Australian Government, in support of the United Nations, committed Australian naval, army and air force units to combat duties in Korea.
                With United Nations' ground force reinforcements from September 1950, the multinational force cleared South Korea and pressed on into North Korea towards the border with China. In November 1950, following the Chinese entry to the War the United Nations' ground forces faced Chinese offensives which forced them to retreat in appalling conditions of cold to positions south of the 38th parallel.
                With a more-or-less continuous front from sea to sea, the dramatic advances and withdrawals up and down the peninsula of the first four months of the War came to an end. The War dragged on with offensive operations by both sides continuing until 27 July 1953, when an armistice was signed.
                From 29 June 1950 to 27 July 1953, some 17,000 Australian sailors , soldiers and airmen fought under extreme climatic conditions and against a vastly numerically superior enemy. Australia was assisting the forces of the Republic of Korea along with units from 20 other nations which comprised the newly formed United Nations Command. This was the first time that the United Nations had been called upon to take action in response to aggression.
                Australian casualties were 339 killed and 1216 wounded, The war in Korea was clearly not a 'police action' or 'side show', it was in every sense a major war. The civilian casualties were up to two million. For Australia, taking account of the numbers committed and the period of the conflict, the casualty rate was second only to that of the First World War.

Members of the MMG platoon reloading ammunition belts for the Vickers.303 machine gun. 1952

Centre - Peter Sewell
Right - Tommy Parkinson

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IVOR HELE "Inside of Dugout Hill 210 IRAR 1952 "AWM

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At left is Cpl McCrindle MM with 25 patrols to his credit.
At right is LCpl McCarthy MM with the soldier he captured
on the night 13/14 Sept 52.

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From left is Jock Walker, Toby Ralston MM, Nat Bonell
and Cec Blanch preparing for night patrol. Note the flak
jackets, the 9mm Owen Machine Carbine and the 303 Bren Light Machine Gun

Both photos above courtesy Herb Stacker - Honours & Awards IRAR Korea 52-53.

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After the parade for Anzac Day, the Battalion was stood down for 24 hours to allow us to celebrate.

In my wisdom I decided to go across to the "I" camp at Uijjonbu to catch up with a couple of Canadians I knew, and after several shots of Canadian Club then a bit of lunch we decided to go and watch baseball between the Americans and the Canadians. So we went to the field and sat on the bonnet of the nearest vehicle and watched the game, while also completing our last bottles. After a while a voice behind me said " excuse me but do you mind getting off the jeep I have to go". Being a trifle inebriated, I replied "get stuffed the game is still on." There was dead silence, then the biggest , blackest Negro M.P. sergeant I've ever seen walked round in front of me holding the biggest billy stick I've ever seen and said "Would you like to get off the front of General Mark Clark's Jeep" I replied " Yes Sir".

Brian Blade.
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KOOKABURRA CLUB - EBISU REST CENTRE - TOKYO 1952.
Jack Slack, Jack Dwyer, Snowy Butler, Cobber Killy, Dick Maiden,
Fred Roberts.
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John Dayman - Sig Pl R&R Tokyo 1952.

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Korea Memorial - Anzac Parade ACT.

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The Australian Section at the UN Memorial Cemetery, Pusan, Korea.
There are 43 soldiers of the First Battalion buried here. Most are in Plot 19.

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The Australian Section Yokohama War Cemetery.
10 Australians are buried here.

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25 Canadian Infantry Brigade Battle School Uijongbu Korea 1954
Peter Rothwell in the rear 3 from left.
Assorted Brits, Canadians & Kiwis.

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RTU from Tokyo RAAF Dakota

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Sig Platoon

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Medal Roll

Mentioned in Despatches
K.B Withers, K. R Smith, T.R Nelligan, N. J Beresi, W. J Harrold, W Crotty, L.A Carter, A.N Gough, D Corcoran, G.D Nicol, C.J Eveleigh MM, R Stevenson, J.M.D Burke, C.N Khan, A.E Pearse, J.L Seaton, P.N Cliff, E.B Rogers, E.H Smith, E.G Dowell, R.D. Ruttley.

Military Medal
L.E Taylor, D McCarthy, E.J McNulty, R.J McCrindle, C Mene, J.F Thomas, G.C Ralston.

British Empire Medal
W.G Watkins

Military Cross
D.S Thomson, W.B James, C.D Kayler-Thomson, B.B Hearn, G.J Lucas, J.H Skipper, D.N Williams.

Member of the Order of the British Empire
F.A Shine, K.V.P McDermott, L.E Brennan.

Officer of the Order of the British Empire
I Hutchison, D.G Sharp

Distinguished Service Order
M Austin, A.S Mann

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I was posted to the battalion in Korea in June 1955. I marched into the personnel depot at Marrickville and was told I had the choice of travelling the quick way or the slow way. The quick way involved a QANTAS Super Constellation which flew out of Sydney with a 2 hour stop in Darwin, a second 2 hour stop in Manilla and then straight through to Tokyo.

The slow way was DC4 to Darwin with an overnight stop and then two further overnight stops at Labuan and Hong Kong getting in to Iwakuni Japan late on Day 4.I opted for the quick way.

After about a week in Japan I finally flew out to Seoul. I was met there by the transport sergeant who had only been in country for 2 weeks and was sent down to familiarise himself with the road. We got lost 8 times and finished up at a US base named Camp Casey. Once there the road was easy and we finally arrived at Gallipoli Barracks, sited on a bend of the Imjin River just downstream from the Teal Bridge where the Samichon River meets the Imjin and not far from Gloucester Crossing where the Chinese put many of the Gloucesters into captivity.

When I arrived in Korea the Commonwealth Division consisted only of ourselves and the Dorsets later replaced by the Cameron Highlanders. We took it in turn to rotate a rifle company to the DMZ camp and then patrol through the DMZ itself. It was then about 2 kilometres wide with a 3 strand barked wire fence down the middle and that was the actual DML or demarcation line.

We were forbidden to carry automatic weapons within the DMZ and we patrolled wearing a sky blue US helmet liner and an armband. Two of the patrols were along the DML and two of them were carried out about 3 kilometres to the rear.The patrols along the DML could only be carried out by day as the area lead through old defensive localities and land mine warning notices had fallen into disarray.

Patrols to the Samichon could be carried out by night and from memory they went close to the Hook feature. I never actually came into contact with Chinese patrols but it was possible to see them quite clearly on their side of the DMZ.

34442 Barney Gosman
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    DMZ Patrol in Summer 1954. The path is close to the Imjin River.


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                     Embarking on 'Devonshire' 1952.

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                Final Parade 1st Commonwealth Division 1956.
John Harding, O D Jackson, Lt Gen Bierworth, Honey to R of Sgt

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                                            Patrolling Line Kansas
                                Sammy Lifu followed by ? Gustavson

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