General News
12 May, 2022
Flag raised in honour of veteran
THE Australian flag is flying once again at National serviceman Ian Scott’s grave to commemorate 54 years since he was killed in action at Fire Support base Coral in Vietnam on May 13, 1968.
THE Australian flag is flying once again at National serviceman Ian Scott’s grave to commemorate 54 years since he was killed in action at Fire Support base Coral in Vietnam on May 13, 1968.
Mr Scott was a former student of Camperdown High School, and married to Marlene.
He had only arrived in Vietnam on May 6.
“On May 12, the first Australian Task Force was moved from US Long Binh base orientation into the bush, north of Saigon,” Camperdown RSL president AlanFleming said.
“The Australian contingent was to create two fire support bases with a battalion at each.
“The C Squadron 1st Cavalier Regiment was comprised of 161 New Zealanders and 102 field batteries as well as severalsupport units.”
The contingent was to relocate outside of the normal area of operations in Phuoc Tuv Province at Nui Dat to the east, to be fully combat-ready in the rural areas of Bien Hoa and Binh Duong in the west.
This allocation of troops by helicopter on day one into this area of “rubber plantation, rolling grassland and stunted trees” saw Fire Support base Coral situated with the number one Royal Australian Regiment.
The other was Balmoral, situated later with the number three Royal Australian Regiment on May 24, about 4.5km apart but in support of each other, about 40km to the northof Saigon.
The Coral base was later found to be adjacent to an enemy bunker system, which gave them an advantage because they were then able to observe Australia’s entire deployment, perimeters, signals and artillery placements.
Twenty-six Australian soldiers were killed during the Battle of Coral Balmoral, May 12 to June 6, 1968.