Pen set: Bombardier A Forsdike, 12th Field Regiment, RAA

Bullet damaged pen case containing one fountain pen. The pen has a plastic dark blue shaft with a fine fountain tip. 'Fossey' is engraved in cursive script on the metal pen cap. The case is lined with artificial silk with two molded rests in the base to hold a pen set. Handwritten in blue ink on the underside of the lid is 'BDR.A.FORSDIKE 216951 / PEN SET HIT By AK-47 AT / FIRE SUPPORT BASE CORAL / MAY 13 / 1968 / VIETNAM.' The case is covered in a thin vinyl - white with navy blue dots on the lid and the base is navy blue with white dots. Where the bullet has damaged the case, this covering is torn and has come away. The exposed metal of the case has rusted and is distorted by the bullet hole, which is approximately 9mm at the entry point. This has also bent and broken the right hinge. The left hinge is missing altogether.

This pen case was in the front pouch of 216951 Bombardier Andrew Forsdike's webbing at Fire Support Base (FSB) Coral on the night of 12/13 May, 1968.

Andrew James Forsdike was a member of 12 Field Regiment, one of the artillery units flown into FSB Coral on the afternoon of 12 May. He was in charge of a team of gunners manning a regimental head-quarters machine gun.

FSB Coral was situated 7 kilometres north of the town of Tan Uyen, Vietnam. Occupation of the fire support base began on 12 May, but the defences remained unfinished when, at about 3.30 am on 13 May, it was attacked. During the attack, Gunner Mal Hundt, who was alongside Forsdike, was hit by six bullets. Forsdike's pen was hit by a bullet and damaged but he did not realise it until after the battle when he went to write a letter home.