Victoria Cross awarded

[Guest]

i wasnt doubting the fact that about his entitlement to the VC but the time taken and the time when he received the medal and i stand corrected on the deepcut part of my writing

[got1]

[quote="Pasha"][quote="got1"] the last recipient that lived to get the VC a pint
[Bill Speakman VC Korea] I'm not sure, but there may have been one since. [quote]

got1,

The last British serviceman to pick his up while alive was Rambahadur Limbu in 1966, for actions during the previous year in Sarawk during the Indonesian Confrontation.
Regards mate!

Pasha[/quote]

Cheers Pasha, something was nagging in the back of my mind, I did think there was someone else.

[harry hackedoff]

The Victoria Cross is also awarded to Australian Servicemen(which I didn`t know till we moved here) Two were awarded in 68/9 for actions in Vietnam.
Angonamo, I`ll google

[harry hackedoff]

Actually four were awarded for Vietnam, two posthumously. The two living recipients were,



Unit Australian Army Training Team, Vietnam
Born 30 August 1933 at Ingham, Queensland
Date of action 24 May 1969
Place Kontum province, South Vietnam (now Socialist Republic of Vietnam)
Details Payne was commanding the 212th Company of the 1st Mobile Strike Force Battalion when the battalion was attacked by a numerically superior North Vietnamese force. The two forward companies were heavily attacked with rockets, mortars and machine guns from three directions simultaneously. The indigenous soldiers faltered so Payne rushed about firing his Armalite rifle and hurling grenades to keep the enemy at bay while he tried to rally the soldiers. In doing so he was wounded in the hands, upper arm and hip by four pieces of rocket shrapnel and one piece of mortar shrapnel.The battalion commander decided to fight his way back to base and this movement commenced by the only available route. With a few remnants of his company, which had suffered casualties, Payne covered the withdrawal with grenades and gunfire and then attempted to round up more of his company. By nightfall he had succeeded in gathering a composite party of his own and another company and had established a small defensive perimeter, about 350 metres north of the hilltop which had by now been captured by the enemy.In darkness Payne set off to locate those who had been cut off and disoriented. At 9pm he crawled over to one displaced group, having tracked them by the fluorescence of their footsteps in rotting vegetable matter on the ground, and thus began an 800 metre traverse of the area for the next three hours. The enemy were moving about and firing, but Payne was able to locate some forty men, some wounded, some of whom Payne personally dragged out. He organised others who were not wounded to crawl out on their stomachs with wounded on their backs. Once he concentrated his party he navigated them back to the temporary perimeter only to find the position abandoned by troops who had moved back to the battalion base. Undeterred he led his party, as well as another group of wounded encountered en route, back to the battalion base where they arrived at about 3am.Payne is the most recent recipient of the VC, and, as at June 2002, one of the two living Australian VC winners.




Unit Australian Army Training Team, Vietnam
Born 16 February 1926 at Chippendale, New South Wales
Date of action 6 and 11 May 1969
Place Kontum province, South Vietnam (now Socialist Republic of Vietnam)
Details Simpson was moving through a jungle of large trees and dense bamboo undergrowth in rain and poor visibility in an area near the junction of the borders of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia when one of his platoons became heavily engaged with the enemy. Simpson led the remainder of his company to its assistance. As the company moved forward, one of the platoon commanders, Australian Warrant Officer M.W.Gill, was seriously wounded and the assault began to falter. Simpson, in the face of heavy enemy fire, moved across open ground and carried Gill to safety. He returned to his company and then crawled forward to within ten metres of the enemy. From here he lobbed grenades into their positions. Simpson then ordered his company to withdraw and he and five indigenous soldiers covered the withdrawal.In the first burst of fire from the next contact, Australian Warrant Officer A.M. Kelly, commanding 231 Company was wounded, and the battalion commander, Captain Green of the American Special Forces, was killed when he went to assist Kelly. Simpson quickly organised two platoons of soldiers and several advisers and led them to the location of the contact. Despite the fact that most of his soldiers had fled, Simpson moved forward through withering machine-gun fire in order to cover the initial evacuation of the casualties. The wounded, including Kelly, were evacuated but Simpson was unable to reach Green’s body because of heavy, accurate enemy fire. He then covered the evacuation of the wounded to the helicopter pad by placing himself between them and the enemy.
Died 18 October 1978 in Tokyo
Buried or Commemorated Yokohama War Cemetery, Japan
Current location of the VC Australian War Memorial

[Fow22]

The Victoria Cross is also awarded to Australian Servicemen(which I didn`t know till we moved here) Two were awarded in 68/9 for actions in Vietnam.
Angonamo, I`ll google

Harry, on that note, Canadians can be awarded the VC as well.
http://www.mysteriesofcanada.com/VC_Rec ... pients.htm
Smokey Smith of Vancouver is one of only 14 VC recipients still alive, I've never met him myself, but from what I hear he is apparently a great guy.

[harry hackedoff]

Thanks for that ,mate. There`s stacks on google
Pasha, have you seen Page`s latest book? Bloody good phots mate and highly rated by the Viet Vets I`ve met down here

[harry hackedoff]

Heyup Pasha, ANZAC Day was Monday, mate. Elsewhere I wrote this piece
quote

ANZAC Day today, and early start for me.
Up at 0400 for a dash over to Freo to ditch the flowers at the Dawn Service, which begins at dusk last night with an all-night vigil on the Cenotaph(or Cataphalk as they insist on calling it down here) and finishing at dawn today.
I waited in the gloom with the various other Service reps flower chuckers who were all shivering for some reason. Probably with emotion because the temperature was a balmy plus six. As we approached the Cenotaph from the west, the Sentries were silhouetted against the early dawn light, an impressive sight.
Same couldn’t be said for the various wreath-laying parties from the Royal Australian Navy . If you think Jack can’t do drill, wait till you see this lot. Atrocious. Malone and Capon would have a fit! Most popular was a sort of Mexican wave effect when saluting. Anyhoo, the crowd were happy.
After I ditched the wreath, Paul and I thinned out to the Navy Club for brekkers. Best thing I can say about that, is it was free. We met the young Middy with the big tits that we first met at Paddy’s last year. Nice girl, she’s doing summat called Comloc before she gets promoted( What’s “Comloc” Fark knows, daren`t ask)
We excused ourselves and found a decent caff for a real breakfast before heading into Perth to meet the rest of our blokes.
Parade in Perth was one of the best ever, according to all the locals, way over thirty thousand lining the Parade route. Our guys were all in good spirits, mainly due to the numerous hip-flasks. We had a great time and if I had a dollar for everyone who said “these guys look smart” or “these blokes know how to march” I`d have about five dollars! Naw, the crowd applaud politely as each mob shamble by, till it`s our turn and they really do go ape. Cheering like loons all of`em. Kin amazing feeling and hard not to smile back.
After the march I didn’t want to hang round for the Service, so Jimmy and meself thinned out to ANZAC House to pick up the girls before heading off to a boozer for lunch with Clance, Madmick, Eddy D and Karl , et al. Bloody good day and mega brownies from Mrs Aitch for staying sober after last year’s outrageous behaviour.
Mind you, there`s always Remembrance Parade




The Dawn Service is totally silent, except for the Ode at the end, untill the local politicians start gobbing off and thanking everyone for turning up. Felt like telling the twonk to FROffski, we don`t do it for his thanks. There`s nowt like it in UKers. Whole familly groups standing in total silence from 04 30 onwards, quite a few do the night vigil as well. I`d estimate the crowd in Freo at about two thousand plus. The State Dawn Service in King`s Park was attended by thirty-five thousand, according to W.A. Police figures. The Governor had to walk the last half mile to the Service because of the number of people(What a bastard )
Of interest to you, RJ, is the Viet Vets community. Shunned by the public for years(most of whom followed Jane Fonda`s example) spat upon, even. They had problems with the RSL (Oz equivalent of British Legion) and formed their own Association named after one famous Aussie engagement, the battle of Long Tan. Many have been through the PTSD treatment mill and formed themselves into various bikey gangs, the most famous being the Patriots. They ignore usual Ex-Service protocol for events like ANZAC Day and turn up uninvited, on their Harleys anyway. Big copper next to me looked at them as if they were dog shit, w4nker. I make a point of chatting to them, great lads, all.
Take it easy Pasha, if you ever get your arse down here to see Page, do yourself a flavour and drop by to see us here in the West