Vietnam War - Victoria Police Officers
Victoria Police Officers who served in the Military during the Vietnam War 1964-1972

​Awards included two Military Medals, a Distinguished Flying Cross and a Mention in Dispatches. 

Police members were not exempt from National Service, many were called up whist still in Recruit Training and had their National Service deferred until completion of the then Police Retention Exam which was generally conducted just prior to  the completion of  twelve months Police service.

Members called up for two years National Service did not resign from Victoria Police.  All kit was returned to Victoria Police, but maintained their Certificate of Identity and their Police powers. Their seniority was maintained over this two year period, however, unlike some other State Police Forces, their Army pay was not made up to equal their Police pay and still had to contribute from their Army Pay into their Victoria Police Superannuation fund.  
 

Arrears accrued in Superannuation whilst undergoing National Service had to be paid upon return to Victoria Police. This was due to incremental increases in Police pay whilst absent. ​Army pay, in particular during recruit training, was far less than their Police pay and did not really reach the levels of their Police pay until they commenced serving in Vietnam. A Military Policeman in Vietnam in 1968 earned around $70.04, whilst in Australia, pay was around $27.40 and whilst in Army Recruit Training was around $17.22- all this was per fortnight. Equivalent Police Pay at the Rank of Constable would have been around $52.00 per fortnight.
 

​After completion of two years National Service,​ members were placed on the active reserve list for a further three years and liable for active service if required during that further three period​. ​Little, if any time, was spent in Vietnam on familiarization or formalized instruction on how to carry out duties and was generally learned as things went along from another who had been in Vietnam a little longer.​ There is no doubt that the professionalism of the  Victoria Police Officers in National Service within the Military Police enhanced the abilities and skills of their regular counterparts​.
 

The first Military Police to arrive in Vietnam in 1965 were a small

section (Sergeant & 5 Corporals) from the 1st Division Provost Company and

formed part of the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment Battle Group

who in turn were attached to the USA 173rd Airborne Brigade located

at Bien Hoa.  

 

In 1966 this small section was expanded to a full section

(Sergeant & 17 Corporals) and then in 1967 a complete company known as

Australian Forces Vietnam Provost Unit was formed.   At the completion

of hostilities and on the return to Australia all Military Police personnel, as

well as the unit was disbanded.  

 

Most soldiers in Vietnam kept a ‘Short Timers Calendar’ (Julian Date

Calendar) that counted down from arrival in Vietnam to an estimated

departure date, by marking off a square each day.

  

Military Police served in three different locations, Vung Tau, Saigon and

Nui Dat.  

 

Vung Tau consisted of the unit Headquarters, Administration Section, 2 MP

Sections and the Military Prison/Detention Barracks.  

The unit was situated within the 1st Australian Logistics Support Group compound.  

 

Nui Dat consisted of one Military Police Section and was located at the 1st Australian Task Force in the Phuoc Thuy Province.

 

MP duties in Vung Tau and Saigon were similar and consisted of curfew

patrols 24-hour security/discipline patrols, convoy escorts, close personal

protection of VIP official visitors to Vietnam including Australian

Politicians/Prime Minister and attending any Viet Cong incidents

that occurred within their areas.

 

Duties at Nui Dat were a bit different for the section at the Task Force.

 

Day time security patrols were conducted over the entire province,

operation of the short-term prisoner of war (PW) facility, collection of

Prisoners of War from operational areas by helicopter, transfer of Prisoners of War  from our facility to a permanent USA Prisoner of War  facility by helicopter, convoy control and escorts, assisting Infantry personnel in cordon and search operations at villages, close personal protection for VIP’s (senior officers & politicians) and any operational tasks requested by the Task Force HQ.

  

The Miliary Prison/Detention Barracks was maintained for Australian

service personnel who were sentenced to short term incarceration for

various infringements such as disobeying a lawful command, drunkenness,

sleeping on guard duty and various infractions/crimes.   Longer term

detainees, sentenced for serious crimes by Courts Martial such as

manslaughter were transferred to the 1st Military Corrective Establishment,

Holsworthy NSW on a short-term basis before being transferred to a

State prison.

​

When members notified the Police Department of their National Service Call up via the chain of
command, from the Officer in Charge of their Police Station to Police Command, the Officer in
Charge, closer to the members call up date, would ask if those called up would transfer back to
Russell Street, for the two years that they would be absent.

The reason for this was that once a member left for National Service, the relevant Police Station,
would not be able to replace that member and would have to carry the vacant member for two
years.

As most of those who were called up for National Service were stationed at inner suburban Police
Stations, in some cases this meant that the Station could be down by up to 4 or more members at a time.

I cannot speak for others, but in my case, and others that I know of, did not transfer to Russell
Street, as they wanted a Station to come back to, not Russell Street, and then have to reapply for a
Station of their choice.

Some members, whilst on National Service, became eligible to sit for the then First Constable
Examination, and is some cases these members undertook their examinations within their Army
Corps, as far away as Sydney, New South Wales. I am not sure if this also took place within Vietnam.

Those members who served in Vietnam, the Corps they were allocated were as follows:
 

Of those fifty-eight (58) Victoria Police members who served in Vietnam service was within the
following Corps:
​
Military Police:     30
Infantry:               13
Service:                 4
Signals:                 3
Artillery:                 2
Medical:                 1
ATFV:                     1
CMF Visitors:          4
​

 

Of those called up for National Service with overseas service, most served in Vietnam, however some members served in other South East Asian Countries, such as Borneo, Malaya and Thailand.

​

Together with the eighty-one (81) Victoria Police members who were called up for National Service
with service wholly in Australia makes up the total of some one hundred and thirty-nine (139)
serving Victoria Police Members who served for two years in the Army during the Vietnam War Era
Of those Victoria Police members called up for National Service and served wholly within Australia,
fifty-nine (59) of these members served within Australia as Military Police.
 

​​​Generally speaking rivalry between National Serviceman and Regular Soldiers was humorous and without malice towards each other. No real distinction was made by the Military between the two and all were treated as equals.  Meals in Vietnam were quite good as the Australian Military were supplied by the USA Military.  However not all were so well served with USA food- those in the Australian Infantry were on combat rations supplied by the Australian Army and were very good for  weight loss!

As per normal  military life,  Privates and Corporals, had their own Barracks and Messes apart from higher ranks.​
 

Return to Australia was usually timed to arrive into Sydney airport around midnight aboard a QANTAS charted flight.  A common belief for this was to avoid demonstrations against the Vietnam War which as time went on became more and more unpopular with Armed Services Personnel facing the brunt of public discord. Others thought it related to commercial flight scheduling and nothing to do with demonstrations. Whatever the reason, support for the war was diminishing the longer it went on.​ The flight home was quite a memorable moment as when the planes wheels left the tarmac at Saigon a huge roar went ​throughout the whole plane accompanied by stamping of many feet and a few drinks thereafter.​​
 

​​​On resuming Police duties after a two year absence there was not any retraining or refresher courses or any assistance from Victoria Police in any form whatsoever.  In spite of this, members were generally able to assimilate back into Police duties.
 

​A difficult time was on return to police duties, in particular in the early 1970's when Moratoriums were being held all over Australia, campaigning for the end of a war that many serving members had just returned from​. These members attained various ranks during their interrupted Police Service from Senior Constable through to Commissioner level.