Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

McLarenValeMG2

McLAREN VALE 5171

MEMORIAL: Memorial Garden

 

LOCATION: Valley View Drive

 

DESCRIPTION: A Memorial Garden (Garden of Remembrance), located in the Gemmel Tassie Reserve comprising the following:

 

A Long Tan Cross replica with two bronze plaques affixed, set in a circular paved area surrounded in a semi circle by 50 trees planted to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the end of World War 11.Half of the circular area is set out as a mosaic with coloured pavers to depict the Rising Sun.

 

Two semi circular rose gardens bordering half of the paved circular area.

 

Two Memorial Park Benches and a flagpole.

 

A naturally formed slate slab set vertically in a concrete slab with a bronze Australia Remembers plaque affixed.

 

A polished black granite sloper desk memorial set vertically on a black granite base that is in turn set on a concrete slab.Sloper desk memorial is 1 metre high by 1.2 metres wide.Motifs and inscriptions are in 23 ct gold leaf.

 

INSCRIPTIONS:

 

Long Tan Cross:

 

Plaque face:

 

                                                                     THIS REPLICA OF THE CROSS

 

                                                                       ERECTED AT LONG TAN IN

 

                                                                         VIETNAM HONOURS THE

                                                                     MEMORY OF ALL THOSE WHO

 

                                                                         LOST THEIR LIVES AS A

 

                                                                         CONSEQUENCE OF THEIR

 

                                                                        INVOLVEMENT IN THE WAR

                                                                           IN VIETNAM 1963 - 1972

                                                                               LEST WE FORGET

 

Plaque rear:

 

                                                                         THIS CROSS WAS UNVEILED ON

 

                                                                          17^TH AUGUST 2003 BY THE

 

                                                                         HON ALEXANDER DOWNER MP

 

                                                                             MEMBER FOR MAYO AND

 

                                                                        MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS

 

                                                                         DONATED BY MEMBERS OF THE

 

                                                                             McLAREN VALE RSL CLUB

                                                                                      IN MEMORY OF

 

Pte R A ALDERSEA

 

Pte A F McCORMACK

 

Cpl P E CLEMENTS

 

Pte D J McCORMACK

 

Pte G A DRABBLE

 

Pte W D MITCHELL

 

Pte K H GANT

 

Pte D J SALVERTON

 

Pte E F GRANT

 

2Lt G C SHARP

 

Pte V R GRICE

 

Pte D J THOMAS

 

Pte J M HOUSTON

 

Pte F B TOPP

 

L/Cpl J JEWRY

 

Pte M R WALES

 

Pte P A LARGE

 

Pte C J WHISTON

 

Park Bench 1:

 

Back rest: Three photographs relating to the Battle of Long Tan

 

                  KILLED IN ACTION AT THE BATTLE OF LONG TAN

 

                VIETNAM AUGUST 18^TH 1966

 

 

               D COMPANY, 6^th BATTALION

 

             ROYAL AUSTRALIAN REGIMENT

 

 

          Pte Aldersea, Richard A.

 

          Pte Salverton, Douglas J

 

         Pte Drabble, Glenn A

 

         2Lt Sharp, Gordon C

 

        Pte Gant, Kenneth H

 

        Pte Thomas, David J

 

       Pte Grant, Ernest F

 

       Pte Topp, Francis B

 

      Pte Grice, Victor R

 

      Pte Wales, Maxwell R

 

     Pte Houston, James M

 

     Pte Whiston, Colin J

 

    L/Cpl Jewry, Jack

 

 

   Pte Large, Paul A

 

   1 APC SQUADRON

 

  Pte McCormack, Albert F

 

  Cpl Clements, Peter E

 

  Pte McCormack, Dennis J

 

 

Pte Mitchell, Warren D

 

LEST WE FORGET

 

                    Logo of the                                                  Logo of                                                           Acknowledgement to the

 

       Department of Veterans’ Affairs                    RSL 90^TH Anniversary                                           Australian War Memorial

 

                                                                                                                                                               for use of the photographs

 

Park Bench 2:

 

Back rest: Three photographs relating to the Battle of Long Tan

 

                         THE PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION FOR EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM TO

 

 

 

 

                      D COMPANY, 6^TH BATTALION

 

                     ROYAL AUSTRALIAN REGIMENT

 

                    By virtue of the authority invested in me as the President of the United States and as Commander-in-Chief of

 

                   the Armed Forces of the United States, I have today awarded the Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for extraordinary

 

                 heroism to D Company, Sixth Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, The Australian Army.

 

 

               D Company distinguished itself by extraordinary heroism while engaged in military operations against an opposing

 

               armed force in Vietnam on August 18,1966.

 

 

            While searching for Viet Cong in a rubber plantation northeast of Ba Ria, Phuoc Tuy, Province, Republic of Vietnam,

 

            D Company met and immediately engaged in heavy contact. As the battle developed, it became apparent that the men

 

          of D Company were facing a numerically superior force. The platoons of D Company were surrounded and attacked on

 

         all sides by an estimated reinforced enemy battalion using automatic weapons, small arms and mortars. Fighting courageously

 

        against a well armed and determined foe, the men on D Company maintained their formations in a common perimeter

 

       defence and inflicted heavy casualties on the Viet Cong.

 

 

     The enemy maintained a continuous, intense volume of fire and attacked repeatedly from all directions. Each successive

 

     assault was repulsed by the courageous Australians. Heavy rainfall and low ceiling prevented any friendly close air support

 

    during the battle. After three hours of savage attacks, having failed to penetrate the Australian lines, the enemy withdrew from

 

   the battlefield carrying many dead and wounded, and leaving 245 Viet Cong dead forward of the defence positions of D Company.

 

 

 The conspicuous courage, intrepidity and indomitable courage of D Company were to the highest tradition of military valour

 

and reflect great credit upon D Company and the Australian Army.

 

 

 

Lyndon B. Johnson

 

 

The White House

 

 

May 28 1968

 

 

                                                                                                                 Acknowledgement to the Australian War Memorial for use of the photographs

 

Plaque on slate slab:

 

                                                                        LOGO OF AUSTRALIA REMEMBERS

                                                                                 AUSTRALIA REMEMBERS

 

                                                                              50 TREES COMMEMORATING

 

                                                                               THE END OF WORLD WAR 11

 

                                                                                       LEST WE FORGET

 

                                                                                             19451995

 

Granite Memorial:

 

                               Logo of RSL                                         Insignia of the                                     Logo of the

 

                           90^TH Anniversary                          Australian Military Forces             Department of Veterans’ Affairs

 

                                                       THIS STONE COMMEMORATES THE 40^TH ANNIVERSARY OF

 

                                                  THE BATTLE OF LONG TAN IN VIETNAM 18^TH AUGUST 1966

 

                                                                                       KILLED IN ACTION

 

                                                 D COMPANY, 6^TH BATTALION ROYAL AUSTRALIAN REGIMENT

 

PTE ALDERSEA, Richard A.

 

PTE DRABBLE, Glenn A

 

PTE GANT, Kenneth H

 

PTE GRANT, Ernest F

 

PTE GRICE, Victor R

 

PTE HOUSTON, James M

 

LCPL JEWRY, Jack

 

PTE LARGE, Paul A

 

PTE MCCORMACK, Albert F

 

PTE MCCORMACK, Dennis J

 

PTE MITCHELL, Warren D

 

PTE SALVERTON, Douglas J

 

2LT SHARP, Gordon C

 

PTE THOMAS, David J

 

PTE TOPP, Francis B

 

PTE WALES, Maxwell R

 

PTE WHISTON, Colin J

 

 

1 APC SQUADRON

 

CPL CLEMENTS, Peter

 

                                                                                          LEST WE FORGET

 

                                                                              THIS STONE WAS UNVEILED BY

 

                                                                                     KYM RICHARDSON MP

 

                                                          FEDERAL MEMBER FOR KINGSTON 20^TH AUGUST 2006

 

WHEN ESTABLISHED: 1996

 

ESTABLISHED BY: City of Onkaparinga Council

 

MAINTAINED BY: City of Onkaparinga Council

 

PECULIARITIES/DAMAGE: Nil

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Text data and photographs courtesyJohn Gyepes JP, 22 Aug 06