“The grey-headed old bastard”

Major General Basil Aubrey Coad
CB CBE DSO and Bar DL

While many Australians today would not have heard the name Aubrey Coad, Australian veterans of the Korean War will certainly recall the man they nicknamed “the grey-headed old bastard”. Coad’s nickname was one of several terms of endearment coined by the men of the 3rd Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR) after joining the 27th Brigade in Korea in late September 1950.

Coad’s welcome speech to the Australians was simple and eloquent: “I have always admired Australian soldiers and to have a battalion in my brigade is a dream come true.” One of 3RAR’s snipers, Private Ian Robertson later recalled his reaction: “he was a bloke you would follow down the barrel of a cannon – he would not have to look over his shoulder!” The Australians knew they had a leader they would follow anywhere.

Basil Aubrey Coad was born on 27 September 1906 in Portsmouth, England. The son of a career soldier, he followed his father into the army and graduated from the Royal Military College, Sandhurst in 1926. After postings to India and China with the Wiltshire Regiment, he returned to England to serve during the Second World War, holding commands at company, battalion, and brigade level. He was awarded a DSO for his decisive leadership and bravery at Normandy, a Bar to the DSO followed for his leadership and personal bravery during the invasion of Germany in 1945.

In 1948 he was promoted to brigadier and given command of the 27th Brigade, known as the Fire Brigade for its ability to deploy anywhere around the globe at short notice. Coad and his men were sent to Hong Kong in June 1949 to keep an eye on the end of the civil war in China and provide a deterrent to aggressive moves against the island. When British forces were committed to the Korean War in late July 1950, the only formed body of troops nearby was the 27th Brigade. With one battalion remaining in Hong Kong, Coad was given a week to prepare his reduced brigade for service in Korea, arriving at Pusan in late August.

By the time 3RAR arrived in Korea at the end of September, the 27th Brigade had already fought several tough actions on the Pusan Perimeter and had been a part of breakout fighting in mid–September. To reflect the Antipodean battalion’s inclusion in his brigade, Coad renamed it the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade and developed a close working relationship with Lieutenant Colonel Charles Green, 3RAR’s commanding officer. Green’s mortal wounding at the end of October was a sore blow to Coad who kept a picture of Green and himself in Korea (the picture at the top of this page) on his desk for the rest of his life.

When China entered the war in November, UN Command forces were made to retreat down the Korean Peninsula. During this time the 27th Brigade lived up to its Fire Brigade moniker, fighting numerous holding actions as US troops withdrew through them. Coad oversaw his brigade’s successful withdrawal in the most trying of circumstances, but it came at a cost.

In early December, Coad briefly handed over command of his brigade due to stress and exhaustion. He returned to command later in the month and led the brigade through further defensive fighting against a new Chinese offensive which began on New Year’s Day 1951.

Coad was promoted to major general in March and given command of the British 2nd Division in Germany. The 27th Commonwealth Brigade fought its last action in Korea the following month when it took on and defeated a Chinese division at Kapyong.

Major General Aubrey Coad retired from the army in 1954 and returned to Wiltshire, but maintained an active connection to the army, serving as colonel of the Wiltshire Regiment and being appointed a deputy lieutenant of Wiltshire. He passed away in March 1980. Firm, fair and a born leader of men, he was an inspiration to those he led, and the men of 3RAR have never forgotten him.