Holding the bottle of Melbourne Bitter beer, part of a gift parcel from the RSL is, Sergeant ...

Holding the bottle of Melbourne Bitter beer, part of a gift parcel from the RSL is, Sergeant (Sgt) Brian Charles Cooper MM, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (2RAR), of Perth, WA (right), who won an immediate award of the Military Medal (MM) for his conduct in action fought on the night of 24 July 1953. Sgt Cooper, commander of a Vickers medium machine gun section, came under fierce attack by an enemy force of estimated Company strength following a heavy artillery barrage. Leaving sufficient of his gun crews to man the guns covering his primary task of guarding the western approaches to The Hook, he organised the remainder into a separate defensive position. From this position he engaged the enemy with such a volume of grenades and small arms fire that they were unable to penetrate the position despite the overwhelming superiority of numbers. He called down friendly fire so close to his own and neighbouring US positions that he prevented the enemy from pressing home any further organised attacks. Sgt Cooper also continued to pass back information to the Battalion and personally supervised the evacuation of wounded to safety through an area in which the enemy moved and under heavy shellfire. He displayed throughout cool courageous leadership. With Sgt Cooper is Corporal Ron Walker of Bayswater, one of the brave band who fought in the battle. Note the tin of Johnson's baby powder, part of the gift pack.