Long Tan Cross finds a permanent home at Memorial

The Long Tan Cross, considered one of the most significant battlefield relics from Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War, has been unveiled in its permanent home in the Vietnam Gallery at the Australian War Memorial.

The new display of the Long Tan Cross, which honours the 60,000 Australian men and women who served in the Vietnam War, will be open to the public in time for Vietnam Veterans’ Day on 18 August, which marks the 52nd anniversary of the battle of Long Tan. 

Memorial Director Dr Brendan Nelson said the permanent display of the cross recognises the sacrifices made by those who were at Long Tan and all Australians who served in the Vietnam conflict.

“The battle of Long Tan marks a moment of great courage and sacrifice for Australia in a war that was filled with courage, tragedy and loss. The cross is a powerful and poignant symbol of the sacrifices made by those who put themselves in harm’s way fighting for Australia’s interests and values.”

“The Vietnam War deeply divided Australia. Too many Australians conflated their political opposition to the war with strident criticism of the men and women who fought it. Lived traumas were compounded by their treatment on returning home. This is not a mistake we will make again. We can’t be captive to history, but we can learn from it – and we have,” Dr Nelson said. 

“Now they have a place that is sacred, somewhat akin to a chapel, where they can come and reflect, and where everyone can understand more about what they went through for us.”  

“Thank you to the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam for gifting the cross to our nation, and for recognising the emotional significance of the cross to Australians.” 

The battle of Long Tan was Australia’s most costly single engagement in the Vietnam War. For more than three hours, in heavy monsoonal rain, 105 men from D Company, 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (6RAR) and three New Zealanders from an artillery forward observation party of 161 Field Battery, withstood repeated attacks by a Viet Cong force estimated at ten times their number. Eighteen Australian soldiers died and 24 were wounded.

The Long Tan Cross was erected by Australian soldiers on 18 August 1969, three years after the battle, as a memorial to their fellow diggers. The cross was removed from the Long Tan battle site sometime after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. 

It was replaced at the site in 1989 by a replica cross erected by the Long Dat District People’s Committee to mark an historic place. The cross has become a site of pilgrimage for Australian veterans and their families. The original cross was given to the people of Australia by the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 2017.

The unveiling of the cross in the Australian War Memorial’s new display was attended by David Sabben MG who was the Commander of 12 Platoon D Company 6RAR at the battle of Long Tan and Lieutenant Colonel Len Johnson (Retd), who was operations officer during the subsequent tour of 6RAR/NZ (ANZAC).