Viet Cong badge : Captain A G Hutchinson, 105 Field Battery, Royal Australian Artillery

Place Asia: Vietnam, Phuoc Tuy Province, Nui Dat
Accession Number REL38058
Collection type Heraldry
Object type Badge
Physical description Brass, Enamel
Maker Unknown
Place made Vietnam
Date made c 1965
Conflict Vietnam, 1962-1975
Description

Viet Cong badge. The badge consists of a white enamel oval shape with 'MAI DAN TOC GIAI PHONG' written in raised brass lettering. In the top right of the badge is the Viet Cong flag, red over blue with a central yellow star in enamel. At the bottom of the badge is a red enamelled scroll with 'MIEN NAM VIET NAM' written in raised brass lettering. On the reverse of the badge is a pin and catch threaded into a small brass tube which has then been soldered onto the badge.

History / Summary

Associated with the service of 213419 Lieutenant Alan George Hutchinson in Vietnam. Hutchinson began his military career in 1959 as a national serviceman. During this time, he applied to attend the Officer Cadet School, (OCS) Portsea, Victoria. Later that year, after returning to civilian life, he received a letter from the Army, advising that he had been accepted into OCS.

After successfully completing his OCS course, Hutchinson was posted as a second lieutenant to ‘A’ Field Battery, 1 Field Regiment at Holsworthy, NSW. He remained with this unit until 1963, at which time he was posted as a platoon commander and instructor to Kapooka, NSW.

In 1965 Hutchinson was posted to 101 Battery, 4 Field Regiment at Wacol, but was soon transferred to 105 Battery which was preparing for deployment to Vietnam. Hutchinson and the battery had little preparation before it was deployed. In September 1965, Hutchinson embarked from Australia as part of the battery’s advance party under Major Peter Tedder as Battery Commander. Upon arrival, they were sent to Bien Hoa Airbase, where they joined the Australian and New Zealand forces (1 RAR Battalion Group) operating as part of the US 173rd Airborne Brigade.

After the main party arrived, the battery was soon in action. On 23 October, the unit was transported to Ben Cat by helicopter. During the following months, Hutchinson would work as a Forward Observer (FO) with the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR); the American 1st Infantry Division (‘the Big Red One’) and the 101st Airborne Division (‘Screaming Eagles’) at Phan Rang.

In early January 1966 the 1 RAR Bn Group was involved in Operation Crimp. The Australians were ferried into the area of operations by helicopter and came under fire as they landed. Hutchinson landed with the second wave of troops.

1 RAR landed almost on top of a Viet Cong headquarters group and to make matters worse, American artillery and helicopter gunships fired on the Battalion’s landing zone, mistaking the Australians for Vietnamese. The American fire fortunately missed the Australian troops and was quickly redirected to the correct targets.

Later in the day, Hutchinson, who was with ‘C’ Company (Coy) 1 RAR, heard a large explosion nearby and was informed shortly after, that one of his good friends and fellow forward observer, Captain Ken Bade, had been killed by a booby trapped shell. It was during this operation that Hutchinson was given the Viet Cong badge by a member of his FO party. Hutchinson wore the badge on his bush hat for the remainder of his time in Vietnam.

Hutchinson was involved in an action in March, where a large force of Viet Cong attacked a US Infantry Battalion (2/503) and began to overrun it. The Americans called in an artillery strike and the men of 105 Battery and 2 American batteries fired continuously for four hours, allowing the beleaguered defenders to secure their base and drive off the attackers with heavy losses. 105 Battery received high praise for their accurate shooting and for saving many American lives.

In May, when 105 Field Battery was sent to join the Australian Task Force based at Nui Dat, Hutchinson was posted as an FO to ‘C’ Coy, 5 RAR which had recently arrived in Vietnam. On 24 May, Hutchinson was involved in Operation Hardihood. The objective was to clear and hold the area around Nui Dat to allow a base for the Australian Task Force to be built.

Hutchinson was involved in several more operations. As an FO with ‘D’ Coy, 5RAR he took part in a cordon and search of the village of Binh Ba. On another operation, he was involved in a contact where another company from 5 RAR were mistaken for Viet Cong and fired upon. The other company returned fire, but luckily no one was wounded or killed.

On 18 August 1966, Hutchinson was at the ‘D’ Coy, 5RAR command post, monitoring the radios during D Company, 6 RAR’s action in the rubber plantation at Long Tan. He was part of the ‘D’ Coy, 5 RAR ready reaction force that was sent out the following day to retrieve the Australian casualties and clean up the battle site.

Hutchinson returned to Australia on 8 September and remained in the Army. He served overseas in Singapore, England and the United States, as well as a number of postings within Australia. His final posting was as the Director of Army Central Manpower Information System – Materiel Division, from where he retired as a colonel in 1996.