Australian Groups

Lot 4296       Australian Groups

Estimate $3,000
Bid at live.noble.com.au

GROUP OF SIX: Korea Medal; United Nations General Service Medal - Korea; General Service Medal 1918 - one bar - Malaya; General Service Medal 1962 - two bars - Borneo; Malay Peninsula; Vietnam Medal; Vietnamese Campaign Medal. 4/186 F.L. Raffen. Last medal engraved, the others impressed. Court mounted for wear. Very fine.

Together with: United States Presidential Unit Citation, United States Meritorious Unit Commendation, Unit Citation of the Cross of Gallantry with Palm (Vietnam); Personal Particulars Booklet; Army Driving Licence; AMF Attestation Form; Army Form AF B103 Service and Casualty Form; two photographs of personnel of 4 Platoon B Company 3RAR, following the Battle of Kapyong; newspaper cutting relating to Kapyong; letter regarding recipient's repat. claim; Jungle Warfare School course report; Training Qualification Certificate; Confidential Report - ORs(2); three signals relating to his death; copy of death notice; and AATTV letter regarding leave credits. Francis 'Specs' Raffen had an interesting military carrer beginning first as a cadet and later, in 1946 as a member of the AMF. His first overseas service was with 67 Battalion as part of BCOF from 22 December 1948 to 28 September 1950, followed by a period in Korea from 28 September 1950 to 7 June 1951. He returned to Korea for his first stint of active service with 3RAR where he took part in the now-famous battle fo Kapyong. On 24 April 1951 as a member of 4 Platoon, B Company he was blooded in a bayonet charge against the Chinese who had occupied the original Battalion HQ and had blocked the withdrawal route of the Battalion. Commanded by Lieutenant L.M.Montgomery (who was awarded the MC for his part in this action) 4 Platoon took the steel to the Chinese who fought from behind the comparitive safety of a series of trenches. During the fierce hand-to-hand fighting, Montgomery and his men cleared the enemy from the trenches after a three hour fight at a cost of three killed and nine wounded. The enemy suffered eighty one killed. A period in the jungles of Malaya as a Sergeant in 2RAR followed in 1956. Sergeant Raffen returned to the jungle when he served in both Borneo and the Malay Peninsula against the Indonesians in the 1960s. The Vietnam war was his fifth tour of operational service. His first tour in Vietnam was with HQAFV from 20 January 1967 to 6 February 1968 and his second with the AATTV from 29 July to 7 August 1970. Tragically, he died of a heart attack on 7 August 1970 while on operations in Thua Thien Province. A real 'soldier's soldier', his indiscretions during the time he was in Korea ensured that no awards for long service and good conduct were added to his impressive groupings of campaign medals.