SB11071
MANCER, David Joseph
| Service Number: | 4717740 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR) |
| Born: | Coonabarabran, New South Wales, Australia, 7 April 1945 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
Vietnam War Service
| 20 Dec 1967: | Involvement Australian Army (Post WW2), Corporal, 4717740, 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR) | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Dec 1967: | Involvement Australian Army (Post WW2), Corporal, 4717740 | |
| Date unknown: | Involvement FSB Coral / Balmoral - Vietnam | |
| Date unknown: | Honoured Military Medal |
Mancer, David Joseph, MM
David Joseph Mancer is my grandpa (or Pops as we call him). I am the second daughter of Rachael and 7th out of his 11 grandchildren. He was born in 1945 and served in the Vietnam War. He is a great man with a lot of love, laughs and jokes. This is what has been hanging in our hallway for as long as I can remember and describes about his military story. (by Sarah 2025)
Mancer, David Joseph, MM 1968 for gallant and distinguished service in Vietnam, Australian Active Service Medal, Vietnam Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal. Ship's Master.
Born Coonabarabran, New South Wales 7th April 1945, son of Leslie G. Mancer and Elise V. Mancer nee Slade. Married 1970 Eryl L. Hall: three children- Rachael Leone Mancer (b. 1971), Belinda Katherine Mancer (b. 1973), Marcus David Mancer (b. 1976). Educated at Coonabarbran High School.
Career: South Australian Police Force 1963-65; Army 1965-68; Fishing 1968-88; Farmer 1968-92; Ferry Master 1992-2010.
Address: Adelaide, South Australia.
Military service: National Service 1965-68
3RAR Vietnam 1967-68
Citation for MM:
"On February 4th, 1968, during the Tet offensive, he commanded a section taking part in a platoon assault against an entrenched enemy in Long Dien village, Phuoc Tuy Province. When his platoon was held up by an enemy machine gun he moved forward under fire and engaged the post with a grenade. He then charged the post, killing the Viet Cong with his rifle. On May 26th and 27th, during Operation Toan Thang in Bien Hoa Province, whilst he was acting sergeant, his platoon was attacked on two occasions. On May 26th he organised a carrying party to assist in evacuating the wounded from a neighboring platoon. On both nights he maintained the supply of ammunition to his forward pits without regard for his personal safety, and, during one stage of the attack, when communications with supporting tanks were poor, he climbed on to them to direct fire. On the night of May 27th, when the enemy had breached the wire, he moved forward with a sandbag filled with grenades, throwing them from behind the wire into a large crater where the enemy were sheltering."
Submitted 6 April 2025 by Sarah Gomez
Biography
National Serviceman who served as a Corporal Section Commander in South Vietnam with 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment. He was awarded the Military Medal for action during the Battle of Fire Support Base Coral.
Audio
This interview was recorded as part of a combined oral history project conducted by Veterans SA, the Returned & Services League of Australia, the Vietnam Veterans’ Association, the Vietnam Veterans’ Federation, and the University of South Australia (UniSA). The project’s executive director was Lieutenant Colonel Bill Denny AM BM; the interviewer was Dr Nigel Starck (UniSA honorary senior research fellow). The narrative contains personal recollections and is not presented as an official statement of service.
Duration 11hr 20min 56sec. Recorded by Nigel Starck on 9 Oct 2020
Click images to start slideshow.