The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (2781465) Second Lieutenant Gordon Cameron Sharp, 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, Vietnam.

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Richard Cruise, the story for this day was on (2781465) Second Lieutenant Gordon Cameron Sharp, 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, Vietnam.

2781465 Second Lieutenant Gordon Cameron Sharp, 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment
KIA 18 August 1966
Photograph: P09388.002

Story delivered 18 August 2016

Today we remember and pay tribute to Second Lieutenant Gordon Cameron Sharp.

Gordon Cameron Sharp was born on 17 March 1945 in Tamworth, New South Wales, to Eric and Roma Sharp. He was the second of two sons born to the couple. He was named after his uncle, a Spitfire pilot killed in Italy during the Second World War.

Sharp grew up in Tamworth and attended Saint Nicholas Primary School and later the Christian Brothers College. He was an excellent sportsman, representing his school in swimming, rugby and tennis. He was even selected to play doubles with the legendary Tony Roche in an exhibition tennis match. A wayward serve by Sharp hit Roche in the back of the head, much to the crowd’s delight.

Sharp served for four years in the school cadets, attaining the rank of corporal. He was also briefly school prefect until a minor misdemeanour saw him lose his badge. After obtaining his leaving certificate in 1962 he moved to Sydney and went to work as a cameraman for Channel 7.

In 1965 Australia’s commitment to the Vietnam War was increasing. Sharp was among the first National Service draft called up on 10 March 1965. After three weeks’ training at Kapooka he was selected to attend the Officer Training Unit at Scheyville. Towards the end he was badly injured in a fall from the top of a scramble net during an obstacle course crossing. He broke both wrists and suffered concussion, but after a brief spell in hospital returned to training with both wrists in plaster.

Sharp managed to complete his training and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. He was posted to the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, and became platoon commander of 11 Platoon, D Company.

Following several training exercises, 6RAR deployed to Vietnam in mid-1966. The main Australian base at Nui Dat had just been established for the 1st Australian Task Force, to which 6RAR was attached. Immediately after arriving 6RAR deployed on a search-and-clearance operation in a nearby village, followed by a five-day search-and-destroy. During the second operation 6RAR first came into contact with the local Viet Cong D445 Provincial Mobile Battalion.

In the early hours of 17 August the task force base was hit by mortar and recoilless rifle-fire. The Australians suffered 24 casualties. Patrols were sent out and located the enemy firing positions, but the Viet Cong had withdrawn. The following day D Company moved its search into the Long Tan area, and shortly after 3 pm came into contact with the enemy in the Long Tan rubber plantation. Sharp’s platoon followed up, and around 4 pm met heavy opposition and began taking casualties.

Engaged on three sides, 11 Platoon was in danger of being wiped out entirely. Sharp called for artillery support, but the initial rounds landed wide of the target. As he raised himself up to redirect the fire, he was shot in the neck and killed instantly. He was 21 years old.

In the hours that followed, the larger Vietnamese force attempted to overrun D Company. Close artillery support was crucial in breaking up several enemy attacks and allowing the beleaguered Australians to form a cohesive perimeter. As D Company ran low on ammunition, Australian helicopters flew through monsoonal conditions to deliver much-needed supplies.

At 7 pm a relief column of armoured personnel carriers arrived with A Company, 6RAR, on board. As they entered the rubber plantation they encountered members of the Viet Cong’s D445 Battalion, forming up for
another attack. The APCs attacked quickly, stopping the enemy advance. They linked up with D Company and, as night fell, the enemy withdrew.

Next morning the men of D Company returned to the battle site. They recovered two of their badly wounded comrades. Sharp and many of the fallen were found still lying at their weapons, as if defending their positions. It was a sight that chilled the blood of those who witnessed it.

The Australians also recovered three wounded Vietnamese soldiers and buried more than 245 enemy dead.

Sharp’s remains were returned to Australia and he was laid to rest in the Tamworth Cemetery.

The commander of D Company, Major Harry Smith, subsequently recommended that Sharp be posthumously Mentioned in Despatches. On 10 August 2016 the Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal announced that it had reviewed the actions of 13 soldiers who fought in the battle of Long Tan, including Second Lieutenant Gordon Sharp, who was recommended for the Commendation for Gallantry.

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my left, along with more than 500 others from the Vietnam War. His photograph is displayed today beside the Pool of Reflection.

This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Second Lieutenant Gordon Cameron Sharp, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

Michael Kelly
Historian, Military History Section