The 4th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment memorial was dedicated on 1 February 2009 along the pathway of honour. At the bequest of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, the 4th Battalion RAR Association was given $4000 towards the construction of this memorial as well as a further $1750 towards the proceeding ceremony for the unveiling. The date was chosen to mark the 45th anniversary of the unit and was unveiled by David Thomson, former politician and brigadier of the battalion. The memorial features both a front inscription as well as a supplimentary plaque featuring the names of those who were sacrificed their lives in conflict for the battalion.
Front Inscription:
4th Battalion
The Royal Australian Regiment4th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, Raised at Woodside S.A.
On the 1st February 1964, was the first regular Army Infantry Battalion raised on Australian soil.The battalion served with distinction in; Malaysia, Borneo, South Vietnam, Cambodia, Somalia, Rwanda, East Timor, Timor Leste, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Unveiled on 1st February 2009
The Unit’s 4th Anniversary by Brigadier The Honourable David Thomson MC (Rtd)
Plaque:
They Made The Supreme Sacrifice
Malaysia 1965-67
Borneo 1966
Vietnam 1968-69
Vietnam 1971-72
Afghanistan 2005-08
The names on this plaque have been omitted from this transcription.
The Fighting Fourth
After the battalion was raised on 1 February 1964, it spent rigourous training in Australia before being deployed to relieve the 3rd RAR in Malacca, West Malaysia. In April 1966 and the following five months, the 4th was sent ot Borneo to combat against the Indonesian army. The battalion stayed in Borneo neutralising two large raids and conducting patrols deep into Indonesia until October 1967 where it was sent home immediately prepared for deployment into South Vietnam
The battalion became known as the 4th upon arrival into Vietnam in 1968 after becoming formed alongside 2 companies of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment. Thus making its title the 4 RAR/NZ or Royal Australian Regiment/New Zealand (ANZAC). The battalion served in vietname twice, from 1968-69 and again from 1971-72. On its first deployment, the battalion spent twelve months and a total of 270 days in the field taking part in operations. During this time, the battalion saw 84 wounded in action and 19 killed in action from rougly 90 engagements with the enemy.
It was during the second tour of South Vietnam that the 4th was part of the Battle of Nui Le on the 21 September 1971. This battle occurred as a response to the 33rd Regiment of the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) as they moved closer to the northern area of Phuoc Tuy. In this conflict, 4th RAR engaged with the bunker system which was later identified as the 33rd Regiment’s Headquarters. Once the Vietnamese forces disengaged at 21:00, the total loses of the Australian forces were 24 injured and five killed in action. The battle of Nui Le would be the last major battle that took place between the Vietnamese and ANZAC troops.
After the Vietnam war, the battalion was linked with the 2nd to become the 2/4 RAR from 1973 to 1995. The battalion was re-raised on the 1st February 1995 and eventually re-trained as a Special Forces Commando Unit from 1997. Since its new training, the 4th has been tasked as a counter terrorist unit for the Sydney Olympic Games; opposed Indonesian forces in 2001 prior to the independance of Timor Leste in May 2002 and was deployed to Iraq for the Second Gulf War in February 2003 until 2007. The 4th RAR was deployed to conduct operations in Afghanistan in mid-May 2007.
