Gunners in Borneo DPR/TV/266

Australians are not the only troops in Borneo to receive support from Australian artillery. When this Gurkha patrol moved out to patrol the Sarawak-Kalimantan border, it was accompanied by a Foward Observation Officer party from the 102nd Battery, Royal Australian Artillery. And it was not long before Signaller Lance Bombardier Bernie McDonnel, of Kalgoorlie, WA in an underground command post at the patrol base, received word from the Forward Observation Officer party that the patrol had made contact with a large force of Indonesians crossing the border into Sarawak. Minutes later, gun position officer Sergeant Frank Buxton of Sydney, ran from the command post, shouted "Take post" and in a matter of seconds members of the 102nd Field Battery section were at their positions alongside their 105mm Pack Howitzer and in the ammunition magazines. From the command post, the position of the target was passed on by telephone to Bombardier Peter Prewett of Inala, Queensland who in turn, relayed the information to the gun crew. The gun was moved into position, the barrel elevation was adjusted to the bearing given for the target, a shell was rammed into the breach and the crew awaited the order to fire. Then as the Gurkha patrol began to withdraw, the gun opened up on the Indonesian insurgents. Ammunition was moved quickly from underground magazines to the gun pit and rapid fire continued, adjustments being made to the gun from time to time to cover the Gurkhas' withdrawal. Eight minutes and 40 shells later, the engagement was over. Seven Indonesians were killed in the contact.