Korea 1954-1956

1 RAR returned to Korea for its second tour of duty on 31 March1954, and continued to serve there untill 26 March 1956, when the last Infantry troops were withdrawn. The CO was LT-Col NAM Nicholls and the RSM was WO1 P. English.

Group portrait of D Company,1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR), in Korea. March 1956 AWM Photo

An unidentified corporal of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR), looking over the Samichon Valley in Korea. September 1955

AWM Photo

Group portrait of the officers of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR) in Korea.

AWM Photo

Informal outdoor portrait of 25542 Company Sergeant Major (CSM) Martin Henry Winterburn, of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR), in Korea. Jan 1955

AWM Photo

22865 Sergeant (Sgt) Eric Campbell Lawther, of Hurlstone Park, NSW, 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR), says goodbye to veteran mine dog, Dean, in Korea. March 1956

WM Photo

The band of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR), playing in the open air to an informal audience in Korea. Note the soldiers at right seated on the top of the truck. June 1952

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Soldiers of 1RAR get in some marching practice at a camp in Korea, a day prior to their embarking on the New Australia for their journey home to Australia. A signpost in the foreground indicates places names and distances for cities around the world, such as ‘Canberra 5000 miles’. March 1056

Korea. 28 May 1952. Digging of positions in Korea is not easy going. Here Sergeant W. (Ding) Bell of Warialda, NSW, puts a detonator into some plastic explosive with which he will blast out some obstinate rock in a position being prepared for a weapon pit by the 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR).

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Infantrymen of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR) move along an ice covered valley during a battle exercise near the Korean truce line. Korea is now in the depths of winter, and temperatures are dropping to as much as 40 degrees below freezing point. This is the second winter that 1RAR has spent on the truce line on its present tour of duty in Korea

AWM SWEJ0213

A burial party from the 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR), is participating in Operation Glory at the United Nations Military Cemetery, Pusan, Korea. The bodies of Australian and British servicemen killed during the Korean War, were handed over by the North Koreans, under the exchange of war dead scheme. Among those re-interred on this occasion is the body of the late 237504 Lieutenant Colonel Charles Hercules Green, ex Commanding Officer, 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR). Here a wreath has been placed on the cross indicating the grave of 4400541 Private Alan Christopher Redfern, of the 3RAR, who was killed in action on 17 April 1952.

AWM MELJ1138

A group of diggers from B Company, 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR) have a ‘stand easy’ outside their underground defence positions during a battle exercise on the Korean truce line.

AWM HOLJ0177

Informal portrait of 26988 Corporal (Cpl) Lawrence George (Larry0 McGarry, of Merrylands, NSW, Rations Corporal for Headquarters Company of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR).

AWM SWEJ0056

Infantrymen of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR) move across the ice of the frozen Imjin River during a battle exercise on the Korean truce line.

AWM SWEJ0210

Unidentified soldiers of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR), rally around to move the granite name stone, ‘Gallipoli’, which marks the site of their Battalion Headquarters on the Korean truce line. 1RAR is about to leave for home, and the stone will be taken back to Australia. AWM MELJ1300

Three members of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR) gather in a dugout in Korea after a patrol. They are, left to right : 2400620 Corporal (Cpl) Ronald McCrindle, 2400645 Lance Corporal (L Cpl) David McCarthy and 237657 Lieutenant (Lt) Peter Cliff. 1RAR have been patrolling in the Songgok area, east of the Samichon River in Korea. On the night of 13-14 September the patrol encountered 20 Chinese near the bank of a creek. During the ensuing fight L Cpl McCarthy pursued the Chinese towards their own lines. On his way back to join his men he captured a Chinese soldier, the first prisoner of war (POW) to be taken by 1RAR. L Cpl McCarthy was awarded the Military Medal (MM) for his actions. Cpl McCrindle was also awarded the MM for his courage on 1RAR patrols. Lt Cliff was posthumously awarded a Mentioned in Despatches (MID) after being killed in action on the night of 21-22 September while leading another patrol.

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Pusan, Korea. 31 March 1954. There is a strong sprinkling of Korean veterans amongst the newly arrived 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR), in Korea relieving 2RAR. Sergeant J. (Mac) McNulty MM of Norman Park, Qld, seen here aboard the SS New Australia waiting for the word to move ashore, is one of the veterans. He won his Military Medal as a Platoon Sergeant with B Company during a raid on enemy lines (codenamed operation Fauna) at Hill 355 in December 1952. McNulty, who had previously served with 8th Royal Tank Regiment was born in Lancashire England and possibly one of the more than one hundred British men recruited into the RAR as part of K Force in 1950.

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Capt O’Niell, Capt Mackie and RSM WO1 P English