On 18 January 1952, a Royal Australian Regiment Depot was raised as a training unit for special
establishment on the Order of Battle. The Depot was later renamed 4 RAP, on 10 March 1952. This
renaming was necessary because Government approval had been given to raise a Battalion and not a
'Depot. The primary function of 4 RAR at the time was to tram and hold infantrymen for service in
Korea. On 24 March 1960, the unit was incorporated into the School of Infantry as 'Depot
Company, The Royal Australian Regiment. The decision to raise the Fourth Battalion of The Royal
Australian Regiment was made in 1963.
Consequently, instructions for the raising of the Battalion were issued on 13 January 1964. The
official raising of 4 RAR on 1 February 1964, resulted in the first regular Battalion to be raised on
Australian soil. Additionally it was stated that this battalion is a new battalion and not a resurrection of
the old 4 RAR Depot. The Battalion was first raised under command of LTCOL D.S. Thomson,
MC and WO I L.E. Brennan.
On 1 February 1964, the Inauguration Parade for 4 RAR took place at Woodside South Australia.
Two other very significant events took place concurrently. Firstly, on 11 April, 1965, the
Governor-General, Viscount De LIsle VC, PC, GCMG GCV0, presented the Queen's And
Regimental Colours to the battalion. Afterward, the Governor-General suggested that to mark his
visit the Assault Pioneers should wear beards, as was the custom in his own regiment, the Grenadier
Guards. Subsequently, the 4 RAR Assault Pioneer Platoon Sergeant became the only soldier
permitted to wear a beard in the Australian Army.
In October 1965, 4 RAR joined 28 COMWEL Ind Bde Gp at Terendak Camp in Malaysia.
Training was intensified immediately as the unit was placed on a short notice to move to Sarawak.
While training, the Battalion had platoons and companies on varying degrees of alert in case if
Indonesian incursions across the Malacca Straits onto the Malay Peninsular. In April 1966, the
Battalion was deployed to the Bau District. Battalion HQ was located at Cambrai Camp. Three of
the rifle companies occupied bases at Gumbang, Stass and Bokah. The remaining rifle company was
held as a reserve at Old Bau Camp. Documents captured by C Company, under Major K.J.
McGhee, in a June 15 contact with an Indonesian Army infiltration group proved of great importance
to operations in Sarawak and to political manoeuvres during the closing stages of confrontation. An
important facet of the Borneo tour was the unit's hearts and minds campaign. Aid, in the form of
construstion, supply, employment and medical treatment, was given to local villages.
At the conclusion of "'Confrontation" in early September the bases occupied by 4 RAR were handed
over to 3 Royal Malay Regiment. By 10 September 1966, 4 RAR was completely relocated to
Malacca. On 11 November 1966, Lieutenant Colonel D.S. Thomson, MC handed over command
of 4 RAR to Lieutenant Colonel C.H.A. East, MBE. The unit continued to participate in it's role as
part of the British Commonwealth Far East Strategic Reserve. During this period the percentage of
national Serviceman in the battalion increased, as a large number of regular soldiers returned early to
Australia to go as reinforcements to Vietnam.
Lt Col East instituted a civic action scheme which was extremely successful. Initially the battalion
adopted a Malay village, where it applied the malay custom of "mutual assistance".
During September and October 1967 4RAR returned to Australia and settled at Enoggera Barracks,
Brisbane, where on 9 January 1968, Lt Col L.R. Greville replaced Lt Col East as commanding
officer.
The battalion was reduced by one rifle company for its Anzac role in Vietnam, where it was to take
over two New Zealand companies.
1st Tour Vietnam 1 June 1968 - 31 May 1969
On 13 May 1968. an advance party from 4 RAR moved by air to South Vietnam. This group arrived
on South Vietnam on 14 May 1968. The main body of the Battalion departed on 21 May 1968 and
travelled to Vietnam aboard HMAS Sydney. The battalion took over from 2RAR on 21 June at the
1st Australian Task Force Base, Nui Dat, Phuoc Tuy Province.
Two Royal New Zealand Infantry regiment companies V and W, joined the battalion and it became
4RAR/NZ (Anzac) Bn for its twelve month tour of Vietnam.
During its year long tour in South Victim the Battalion completed 11 major operations and five
operations of company size. The Battalion returned home to Australia to Enoggera in May 1969, as
part of 6 TF, 1 Div and later relocated to Townsville, as part of the 3 TF, 1 Div in December 1969.
Awards
Distinguished Service Order
Lt Col LR Greville
Military Cross
Second Lieutenant Thomas Gary Reidy
Maj William John Reynolds
Maj John Pericles Deighton
Lt Maurice Francis Dodson (V Company)
Lt Brian Charles Barley (W Company)
MilitaryMedal
Cpl Wayne Laurence Brown
Distinguished Conduct Medal
Sergeant Michael Rupert Carroll
Sgt John Aitchison Kennedy
Cpl Malcolm Gibson
Lcpl Arohanui Leonard Ropeta (V Company)
Sgt John Grant Sandford
Mentioned in Dispatches
Maj Brian David Lindsay
Maj Michael Chisholm Morrison
Capt James Rollo Brett
Capt Peter Kenneth Sharp
2Lt Peter James Sheedy
WO1 Anthony Charles Toghill
WO11 Robert Richardson MM
WO11 Leslie George O'Keefe
Sgt Noel Robert McParland
Cpl Kenneth Bruce Miller
2Lt John Lindsay Burns (12 Field Regt)
Sapper Wiki Kahika (V Company)
Ca
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