Sam Browne belt : Lieutenant Colonel C H Green, Australian Army Accession Number: REL23390

Description

Brown leather Sam Browne waist belt with shoulder strap. The belt is fitted with a double clawed brass buckle, and has a brass stud and a sliding leather loop to locate the free end of the belt tongue. A pair of reinforced brass 'D' rings are attached to the top edge of the belt, one at the left front, the other at the left rear, for location of the shoulder strap. A further pair of squared 'D' rings and a brass flat hook are located on the lower edge of the belt, at the left hand hip, for attachment of the sword frog. The shoulder strap, which passes from the left hand front (over the right shoulder) to the left hand rear loops, is attached at front and rear by a brass stud and eyelet, and adjusted by a brass buckle. Inside the belt in black ink is written 'Lt Col C H Green NX121 AIF 2/37504 Reg. Army'.

Contextual Description

Charles Hercules Green was born in December 1919 at Grafton, NSW. Despite serious injuries suffered when he was kicked in the face by a horse at age 11, he began working on his father's dairy farm in 1933, and soon joined the local 41 (Militia) Battalion. By the outbreak of war in 1939, he held the rank of lieutenant in the Militia, and in October he transferred to the AIF, holding the same rank. Posted to the 2/2 Battalion, which reached the Middle East in early 1940, his foot was burned by an upturned stove, and complications from this injury prevented him from participating in the battalion's early engagements in North Africa. Rejoining his unit in Greece in March 1941, Green, now a captain, survived the Allied retreat, and led a group of men in a hazardous escape to Palestine via Turkey. Returning to Australia in 1942, 2/2 Battalion was soon sent to New Guinea, while Green, suffering from illness and an injured foot, was hospitalised for some months. As major and second-in-command, he rejoined the unit in 1943, proceeding to New Guinea the following year. In March 1945, promoted acting lieutenant colonel, he took command of 2/11 Battalion, becoming, at the age of 25, the youngest Australian battalion commander of the war. For his leadership of the unit in the fighting around Wewak, Green was awarded the DSO. Post war, having trouble adjusting to peacetime life, he returned to Militia service as commander of his old 41 Battalion, and eventually joined the regular army in 1949. In mid 1950 he was taken from Staff College to lead 3 RAR, which was then preparing for active service in Korea. He took command in September 1950, and led the unit in a series of highly successful actions against North Korean forces, but died of wounds caused by shellfire while he was asleep in his tent near the Tokchon River on 31 October. A decisive and energetic leader, Charlie Green was revered by his men, and considered to be one of Australia's finest battlefield commanders.
On 23 July 2019, Lieutenant Colonel Green was posthumously honoured by the government of South Korea through the award of The Order of Military Merit, Eulji, the nation's second highest military honour. The award was presented to Green's grandson, Dr Alexander Norman, in Seoul by the Prime Minister of the Republic of South Korea, His Excellency Lee Nak-yon.