Funeral cortege of the late Captain Kenneth "Ken" Wilfred Bade

The funeral cortege of the late Captain Kenneth Bade (17071) of Toowoomba, Qld, who was killed in action in Vietnam, leaves the St Lucia Presbyterian Church with full military honours. Led by a combined Northern Command Band consisting of 2nd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (2RAR) and 6RAR bands, an escort from 4th Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery (RAA), and pall bearers made up of fellow graduates from Royal Military College (RMC) and officers from his former regiment 4th Field Regiment, the cortege moved to Mt Thompson Crematorium.

In 1965 Bade had been posted as a forward artillery observer to the 105th Field Regiment, and had embarked for service in the Vietnam War aboard HMAS Sydney (III), as part of 1RAR.

On 8 January 1966, Captain Bade was acting as an artillery forward observer when the patrol he was with entered a booby trapped area in the notorious Ho Bo Woods, near Ben Cat, Phuoc Tuy in Operation Crimp. That afternoon as Bade's patrol was moving past a clump of bamboo, a booby trap detonated in a nearby tree. Those nearby were blown off their feet. Bade had taken the full brunt of the blast and was mortally wounded. The company’s second in command, Captain Peter Arnison, rushed to assist, but it was too late. Bade died as Arnison comforted him.

Bade’s body was returned to Brisbane, and a funeral was held with full military honours in the same church where he had married his wife only 16 months earlier.