33 australian soldiers repatriated from vietnam war

[Gil Boyd]

The remains of 33 Australian soldiers killed during the Vietnam War and buried in Malaysia and Singapore were returned to rest in Australia yesterday in one of the countires largest single repatriation operations.
The soldiers buried overseas under an internment policy scrapped in 1966 were flown to a military airfield close to Sydney.
They were met by 100 family members, veterans and dignatories, including the Defence Minister Marise Payne and Governor General Peter Cosgrove.
The individual remains will be privately buried by their families.
More than 60,000 Australian served in the Vietnam Conflict between 1962 and 1972 and more than 500 were killed.

Having last year taken 3 Parachute Regiment veterans back to a battle fought on the Indonesian border in 1965 and where two or our Battalion were killed, when 36 men fought off 400 Indonesian Special Forces and defeated them against all odds, I saw first hand how many Australian graves were there from WW2 and closer conflicts.
We built and unveiled a cairn on the battlesite and then flew to Singapore Kranji Cemetery where many British and Australian soldiers lay, and our two fallen lay.
Makes me proud to see a Government have the balls to take these matters seriously and bring the lads home for their loved ones and to be honoured by their country.
Finally RIP guys and welcome home

Information

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[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

I would like to learn more about Austrilia's participation in Vietnam. Can anyone recommend documentaries or books on the subject?

[Gil Boyd]

This says it all in my humble opinion..................................."To know his bones are resting on Australian soil will just heal the biggest hurt in my heart."



Australia's Vietnam war dead finally brought home | Australia news | The Guardian

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-au...-idUSKCN0YO0CW

Australian Vietnam War Casualties Finally Return Home

[TDH]

Amen!!!

[Gil Boyd]

This is very apt............................. some great shots too of the lads using the weapons systems of the time in the jungle

[mike1967]

I was visiting my dad at the Rookwood cemetery in Sydney today, and despite the shocking weather there were very large preparations underway at the Commonwealth War Graves section, it appears quiet a few of these fellows will be reburied there.

[Peter Laidler]

I had absolutely no idea that soldiers KIA in SVn were buried in Malaya and Singapore. i/we thought they were ALL repatriated. They certailny were taken away from Vung Tau where the 'big' hospital was. These must have been those who died at the big BMH in Malaya or at BMH Alexandra in Singapore following their injuries. That's amazing................

Gill, will send a PM regarding some of them. Not for general consumption

[Gil Boyd]

Peter,
RX'd.
There are a lot of Australian soldiers buried in Kranji Cemetery where I was in April 2015 with the 3 x 2 PARA veterans having been into the jungle and built a cairn at the battle site of Plaman Mapu in Borneo 50 years to the day.

I am humbled to see such a strong Defence Minister Marise Payne in Australia who had the strength to do this, but she may have opened a can of worms. I have emailed a mate who is now a Colonel in the ADF and await his reply as to why this happened when it did and what the steering was behind it. I have written to most of our Defence Ministers on the same vein, right up to Liam Fox, which was then a waste of time. You know that when a meer third secretary of his, removed writes back.
I do hope Fallon our Defence Secretary see's some merit in what his Commonwealth oppo has done, but don't hold your breath.

£350 Million a day we waste on the European Union, when a portion could do this so easily and bring back the lads who gave their lives making this all possible.
What would they think of it all?

[Peter Laidler]

Surely the wartime dead will remain at Kranji? They were still finding bodies in Singapore in the 60's, during the road widening schemes, hurriedly buried where they fell at the roadsides. The Chinese were encouraged with rewards to tell where/if they knew of any bodies. There was a special team that went to find/collect them and 25 (or was it 27 ?) Coy RCT along the Gloucester Road in Singapore has a Morris Commercial 1 ton truck that was highly polished khaki that was used to pick them up and take them to the BMH at Alexandra where the medical bods did what they needed to do. That gloss, shiny 1 tonner was the only vehicle in Singapore that had a canopy. The rest had wire mesh netting

There were a couple of Military Cemeteries that the BMH used for post war funerals. Ulu-Pandan and....... I forget the other one. Don't ask how I remember this gory stuff except that while we were on courses in Singapore or were called-in to 40 Base Workshops for big WORP's, we were billeted along the Gloucester Road where the last big battles took place. Strange to think now that it was only 25 years before that it all took place.......

Sorry to go off track.......

Remembered it now...... Pasir Panjang Military Cemetry was the other one. How do I remember all of this guff......?

[Gil Boyd]

1966 was the cut off date for repatriation by UK and Commonwealth countries. Don't ask me why but those who fell before were buried in the land they fell............ie Aden/Malaya etc.

I lived in Serangoon as a lad outside Singapore City and remember the caged vehicles. I remember a lot of unrest and rioting as they tried to break free of UK control quite vividly.
Not particularly nice times.
My father was based at RAF Seletar, and was in charge of the Search & Rescue of downed aircrew in the jungles as they supported infantry units by Parachute supplies. Most aircraft crashes came in the form of the Hastings for some unknown reason, I think I was told it was because the engines over heated!!

I have to say most of the graves at Kranji where we went, were WW2 but there were also a lot of British/Australian and NZ fallen too after WW2 in conflicts around Malaysia.
Its a bit annoying a date has to be thrown at everything when a cutoff period is considered, same as medal issues!!!