'A' Company 2 RAR Vietnam 1967-1968

[Reel 1]. Jungle Training Centre Canungra, Queensland. River crossing with ropes and compass march in jungle. Enoggera parade for Vietnam, tracker dogs. Men of 2 RAR waiting to be picked up on parade ground. Men dockside with HMAS Sydney. Family and friends, 215929 Wasiel "Bill" Kostiw, 6708558 Deone Cole, 2784850 Geoff Cantrill. Boarding HMAS Sydney, loading small supplies, removing gang plank, Sydney moving out. Transfer of Navy men between ships, Navy and Army CB on deck of HMAS Sydney. Manus Island fuel stop and local natives trading with army personnel. Rifle practice on back of HMAS Sydney. Sports competition of Army and Navy Boxing. US Chinook helicopter landing to transport men to Nui Dat. Meeting advance party at Nui Dat. New Camp lines and men saluting women's panties on tree. First patrol of Section, Michael Smith, Terence Cobby and Geoff Cantrill. T. Cobby sleeping, Banana plantation patrol. Eagle Farm, Nui Dat Australian entertainers Catherine Warnes [killed 19 June 1967] and others of the Twiliters Concert Party on back of truck. Helicopter training with casualties at Eagle Farm Heli pad.
[Reel 2]. Trip to Fire Support Base (FSB) Horseshoe through Hoa Long, Baria, Long Dien. FSB Horseshoe moving in by Chinook helicopter, wet paddy fields. Men working on bunkers at Horseshoe. Corporal Gibson digging bunker hole. Horseshoe volley ball games. Artillery firing. Mud fight on top of Horseshoe. Two 6 RAR men attached playing mouth organ. Drive through Dat Do. Baria street and local children at the Saigon Laundry. Baria orphanage before and after Tet offensive - mortars missed the laundry hitting the orphanage. Second laundry Baria near Orphans home, sorting out dirty army clothes. Baria street and market place. Sand bagging site by locals between Baria and Hoa Long. Hoa Long playground being built by Army Civil Affairs Unit. Nui Dat hill and air strip, aircraft taking off. United States artillery ammunition carriers. American support base. Nui Dat 2 RAR Coy lines. Days leave to Vung Tau on back of trucks. Vietnamese mother dressing little boy. Vung Tau air field. American social club Vung Tau. 1732065 John Elsden 2 RAR helping engineers building Q store. "A' Coy camp area Staff Handley. Canteen building fence and fence painted inside bar. Major White "O" Group operation lift-out at Luscombe Bowl Air Field. Rations in sand bags at HQ Line. Engineers area water point filling Gerry cans 42175 Pte John Darren.
[Reel 3]. Men having a water fight. Eagle Farm operation resupply helicopters picking up supplies. US Sikorsky Skycrane helicopter lifting off bulldozer. Test firing rifles at RAEME. Men firing rockets and rifles. Centurion tanks at firing practice. Test firing weapons at HQ Lines, [note tracer rounds]. M113 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) pick up troops for operation and travel to rubber plantation, men start patrol in jungle ["Shorty" Corrie]. 1200034 Cpl Norman Rant has a bamboo spike removed. Digging in at harbour. Forward scout given directions, moving out in plantation. Open ground patrol. 3789022 Pte Brian Brice taking photo, checking directions. Walking in jungle. Geoff Cantrill at rest in thicket. Men on patrol passing camera. Patrol continues. Bus passes on road. Patrol continues. APC support for lift off at banana plantation. 4411096 David Avon and turtle. Paddy fields and APCs. Helicopters arrive for lift off. Return to Nui Dat in helicopters. Huey "Cobra" gunship helicopter at Task Force area. Lift off for village search Long Dien. Long Hai Hills on fire.
[Reel 4] Village search at Dat Do. Geoff Cantrill removing ammunition during the search at Dat Do. Pat Churchitt digging hole with Geoff Cantrill. Buck Morris cleaning fish. "O" Group operation in air. Purple smoke in toilets. CB busting sandbags. Skycrane helicopter lifting bulldozer. Operation Coral, ARVN outpost, bombing hill, defoliant jungle, digging in, Cantrill and men at harbour, resupply helicopter landing on LZ. Yellow smoke, cut trees more digging in, silhouette and over head cover of logs. More helicopters arrive, troops lifted out. Geoff Cantrill shaving, mail drop and search. Helicopter ride back to Nui Dat. End of Operation Coral. Operation return by Chinook helicopter, Major White and troops boarding truck to return to Company HQ. Free beer, 6708558 Deone Cole, 1731962 Walter Woods, 2783685 Ross Horne, 5714455 Ralph Blewitt, 3790372 Geoffrey Dixon. Display of captured Viet Cong weapons. On leave at Vung Tau Rest and Recreation Centre, Australian, New Zealand and Vietnamese flags. Geoff Cantrill and "To Jo" on leave.
[Reel 5]. Baria laundry, ARVN soldiers and Baria locals. ARVN compound, visit by Australian advisers. woman in white at Baria. Battalion water truck. Crashed helicopter. APC at airfield. Parked aircraft and Helicopter. RAAF transport aircraft. Chinook helicopter, crashed aircraft. Resupply, patrol in bamboo thicket. Washing in stream. Patrol harbour. Tim Easton. Return by helicopter to Nui Dat. Kitchen Pte Boots and men line up. Green banana, Geoff Cantrill, Max Breanine. Hair cut in shower room, brushing trousers. Big "A" Company sign. Loading trailer with sand and rubbish, Dick Canavan, Boots, Max ???, 2782603 Peter McDonald "Jock" Kennedy cutting grass, ice load up, fueling fire. Volley ball, Mack cutting hair. After effect of Sammy Beck grenade explosion and unexploded grenade. Back view of Deon cadeting(?) volleyball. Pay and mail. Brice touching trouser fly at pay time. Major White 12040 Kevin Geoffrey "Cap" Grayson, Tim Easton, 13793 Alfred Handley. Needle time, Geoff Cantrill, 1410586 Ronald Melling, Rover, shower room, filling shower boiler. Canteen 5713677 Peter Neil Jasper. Show at Luscombe bowl. Rover skidding in the mud.
[Reel 6] "A" Company sign on canteen. Tim Easton on leave. "Cap" Grayson, 6708558 Deon Cole, 1411181 Francis John Fewquandie [died in accident 4 Dec 1967]. Men working building HQ floor. Building Nui Dat airfield extension scrapers and graders. Christmas day, officers serving men, Major White. Christmas show, captured weapons displayed in the bar. Peter Jasper at Bar. Men at canteen yard, Russ Taylor, "To Jo", "Cap" Grayson, Staff Handley. Darts 16091 Norman Lindsay Sorenson. Xmas Show Lucky Star, Lucky Grills. Helicopter resupply. Men return from operations in Chinooks. Water supply. APC line up for village search Hoa Long early morning and for the rest of the day and the next. FSB Horseshoe and grass fire. Last look at FSB Horseshoe. ARVN outpost, Dat Do. US artillery. Airfield, aircraft and bulldozer. APC's at field.
[Reel 7] Vietnamese children Baria. Helicopter overhead fly past. Canteen [dark]. Centurion tanks. Travelling around camp area. Range practice, rifles, pistols. Sand bags being emptied. Washing [dark]. Vietnamese children's party and game. FSB Horseshoe. Camp and Task Force area. Scraper on dusty road to Hoa Long. Man walking in bull dust, engineers area. Geoff Cantrill giving Vietnamese children presents. Show at Luscombe Bowl.
[Out takes; Reel A] Baria theatre with rocket holes after 1968 Tet Offensive. Hoa Long village funeral. Luscombe bowl show. "A" Company men and area. Men Return from days leave getting off truck. Air strip Nui Dat, helicopter coming in to land. Chinook flying over head. Men going to lunch. Vietnamese child at Baria.
[Out takes: Reel B] Men marching for meal time at "A" Coy Lines. Nui Dat air strip, aircraft taking off. Men at Company Lines [dark]. Show at Luscombe Bowl. Aircraft unloading men from leave. Nui Dat air strip, aircraft taking off. Vietnamese children at Baria.
[Out takes Reel C] Vung Tau Grand Hotel restaurant and views around Vung Tau. the flags, market places and other buildings around Vung Tau. The 5 Ways road sign. Ray Hind and beach front near "D" and "E" platoon Vung Tau. Australian Rest and Recreation Centre. 5714481 Pte Alfred John Denney and 1410706 Cpl Kenneth Thomas O'Doherty up town and on rickshaw.
[Out takes Reel D]. "A" Company kitchen duties, 3788748 James William McCormack, 2783685 Ross James Horne. Men line up. Charlie the cook eating from ladle. 1411181 Francis John Fewquandie. Geoff Cantrill walking up Company Lines for quick look at Company Lines and tents. [Adapted from Geoff Cantrill's scene listing.]