United Nations Good Offices Committee Indonesia (UNGOC) 1947 - 1951

Date from 01 January 1947
Date to 31 December 1951
Collection type Conflict
Scope note UNCI was the first UN peacekeeping mission in which Australia was involved. The mission was established in 1947 as the Good Offices Commission (GOC). At the end of World War II, the Dutch sought to re-establish their rule in the then Netherlands East Indies but were resisted by the newly established Indonesian republic. Australia became involved in the mission in August 1947 when locally based diplomatic staff were seconded to the GOC to assist in the delineation and supervision of the ceasefire and repatriation of Dutch forces to the Netherlands. Later in August, four more Australians joined the mission as military observers and the commitment increased to 15 when the GOC became UNCI in 1949. The Australian force was withdrawn in April 1951. Comments: The first ever Peacekeepers deployed, in which Australian Army Brigadier (L.G.H Dyke (RAA)), RAN Officer Commander H.S. Chesterman, Army Major D.L. Campbell, and RAAF Officer Squadron Leader D.T. Spence, DFC are noted as the first Australians and the world s first ever UN peacekeepers to deploy into the field under the auspices of UNGOC.