Collection relating to the service of Roy Savage Accession Number: F00401

Description

One of three Super 8 films taken by 213865 Sergeant (Sgt) Roy (Doc) Savage during his first tour in Vietnam with the 7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment between 1967 and 1968.

REEL 1
The footage opens at the 1st Australian Task Force’s Nui Dat base, specifically within the Charlie Company (C Coy) Area. It features soldiers reinforcing tents with sandbags, Sgt Savage playing his guitar in front of a tent, and a garbage truck passing by.

The film then transitions to Luscombe Airfield, which would become the launchpad for 7 RAR’s first operation in Vietnam, Operation Puckapunyal on April 28, 1967. It depicts US Army Iroquois helicopters landing to transport 7 RAR troops to Long Green in the Đất Đỏ district, alongside a Cessna Forward Air Controller (FAC) aircraft landing at Luscombe. The footage continues with C Coy preparing for a night ambush, including scenes of troops cleaning weapons and applying camouflage paint. Servicemen identified in this segment include 216956 Sergeant (Sgt) David Lenard Willis, 235303 Lieutenant John Raymond (Roley) Paget, and Sgt Savage. The company is then shown moving out in trucks for the operation to Hoa Long, where they are depicted waiting before moving into ambush positions.
Subsequent footage captures Vietnamese civilians being transported back to Nui Dat for interrogation after being caught out after curfew. C Coy is then shown moving into ambush positions, with additional scenes of a Lambretta passing by the company on ‘Engineers Road,’ a buffalo ambling past, and C Coy waiting for transport back to Nui Dat.

Returning to Nui Dat, the film displays the layout of C Coy’s mess area near the US M107 175mm self-propelled guns. It shows the Coy arriving on M113 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) and includes a close-up of 16648 Sgt Robert (Bob) Donald McFarlane exiting the back of an APC. The footage then transitions to Tan Son Nhut airport on the route to Saigon, where Sgt Savage and other servicemen return from rest and recreation in Hong Kong. The servicemen subsequently board a Wallaby RAAF Caribou aircraft to return to Nui Dat.

The film further captures scenes of the weapon shelters at Nui Dat and C Coy in operation at the Binh Ba rubber plantation. C Coy members featured in the rubber plantation include: 3789518 Private (Pte) John Andrew (Smarty) Smart, the M60 machine gunner, walking toward the camera with 216914 Pte Christopher Lars Seymour following behind; Sgt Savage lying down; 3789560 Pte Harold Wallace Woods drinking from a canteen; 54253 Sergeant (Sgt) Raymond John (Shorty) Nelligan; Sgt Savage digging. The footage also includes a Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe helicopter transporting ammunition to a Fire Support Base.

The film then depicts the company moving out of the rubber plantation across a paddy field to the highway, where they secure the area and wait for transport to Slope 30 for Operation Ainslie. This operation aimed to evacuate villagers from Slope 30 and relocate them to the new village of Ap Sui Nghe. The footage includes M113 APCs carrying B Coy past Slope 30 near Binh Gia Area, ARVN APCs moving north of 7 RAR, the evacuated villagers, monsoon rain, and various servicemen, including Sgt Savage sleeping, Pte Woods and 216914 Pte Chris Seymour with cameras. It also shows a cavalry regiment on APCs securing the front, ARVN, police interpreters, and 7 RAR in a village with civilians moving out, along with a Bell H-13 Sioux flying past and Iroquois helicopters arriving.

The film concludes with scenes from Ap Sui Nghe village, where Australians built the frames of huts, and the Vietnamese clad the houses with wood scavenged from ammunition crates. The final footage captures the company enjoying a concert performed by Denise Drysdale and Patty McGrath, with close-ups of 2783143 Pte Barry James Brown, Denise Drysdale, Patty McGrath, 311383 Staff Sergeant Thomas Henry (Paddy) Craig, and 214468 Warrant Officer Class 2 (WO2) Brian Walsh. WO2 Walsh was killed in action during his second tour with the Australian Army Training Team in Ben Het, Kontum Province, South Vietnam on June 27, 1969.

REEL 2
The footage begins at Cam Ranh Bay, where Sgt Savage spent time in the hospital. It shows a Douglas C-133 Cargomaster in flight, the beach, McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II aircraft, and a Lockheed P-2 Neptune. The film also features two Korean soldiers on the beach taking photographs, and a Korean colonel driving past in a jeep. Cam Ranh Bay, one of the busiest airbases in Vietnam, was under the security of Korean forces. Additional scenes include various aircraft in flight, such as a FAC Cessna, a Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopter, and a Douglas C-124 Globemaster II.
The film then transitions to the 7 RAR’s base at Nui Dat, focusing on a practice range used for firing old ammunition and testing weapons. Footage depicts servicemen using L1A1 Self-Loading Rifles (SLR), M60 machine guns, M16 assault rifles, and M79 grenade launchers. Savage is shown firing an M16 assault rifle. The film further captures Luscombe Airfield at Nui Dat, a M2 machine gun at Charlie Company’s (C Coy) base, and a view of a mortar position. Highlights include 311383 Staff Sergeant (SSGT) Thomas Henry (Paddy) Craig firing an M72 LAW anti-tank rocket launcher, C Coy mixing concrete for the construction of a command post, 3788840 Lance-Corporal (LCPL) Peter Francis (Slippery) Dowling doing laundry, and 216914 Private (Pte) Christopher Lars Seymour and LCPL Dowling dancing.
The film then transitions to a cordon and Search operation in Nghe Giao, depicting the company on patrol in a field, conducting a search of a village, and five Iroquois helicopters of No 9 Squadron RAAF in flight.
Following this, the footage captures an ABC Christmas Concert Party on Christmas Day 1967. Performers featured include Jim Gussey’s ABC show band, Lorae Desmond, New Zealand comedian Luck Grills, and Beverly Harold. The film then transitions to aerial views from a helicopter during a reconnaissance patrol, capturing scenes such as the village of Ap Sui Nghe, Long Hai Hills, the airstrip at Binh Ba, the French rubber plantation at Binh Ba, Nghe Giao, and the Nui Thi Vai Hills, known to Australians as the Warburtons. Smoke from Nui Dat camp is also visible. Sgt Savage is seen returning to C Coy’s base, known as the Road Runner’s, following his reconnaissance flight.
The film concludes with footage of the company searching Nghe Giao, LCPL Dowling in a field, and C Coy waiting on a highway and being transported in APCs. It includes views of C Coy’s base from Sgt Savage’s tent and the preparation for and search of Ap Sui Nghe. Servicemen featured in the search of Ap Sui Nghe include 3789523 Pte Leonard William Skevington, Sgt Savage, 2412257 SSGT Peter John Haynes, SSGT Craig, and 1732613 Pte Randel John O’Hare.

REEL 3
The footage briefly opens with a group shot of Charlie Company (C Coy) posing for the camera at camp. The film then commences with C Coy at the start of Operation Coburg at Luscombe Airfield, Nui Dat 24 January 1968. C Coy’s task was to protect Bien Hoa airbase which coincided with the Vietcong’s (VC) Tet offensive. Footage includes 16648 Cpl Robert (Bob) Donald McFarlane at the front of the section walking towards the camera and a US Cessna FAC taking off. Footage is then taken from inside a Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopter, and shows, inside the helicopter, Iroquois helicopters beside Sgt Savages helicopter transporting troops, aerial views of the jungle, and finishes with shots of Iroquois' landing at what was to become Fire Support Base Anderson (FSB) to replace US troops.
The film then transitions to scenes of 3789560 Private (Pte) Harold Wallace Woods with his bandaged foot in shot while US troops move past him, he was injured in the foot by a machete while clearing scrub; US Iroquois flying overhead. A scene of the unit going out on patrol through early morning mist is then featured. Footage then features the unit crossing a creek while on patrol, 3789518 Pte John Andrew (Smarty) Smart the machine gunner, the company meeting up with Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) after being separated, one APC has Judi-Anne written on its side; a bogged APC with a soldier standing on the APC, 18195 Arthur Wallace ‘Darky’ Butler with the mortar crew that was in the bogged APC, 1732613 Pte Randel John O’Hare, 216914 Pte Christopher (Chris) Seymour, Sgt Savage crossing a stream. The film then transitions to an Iroquois helicopter delivering mail to C Coy, another Iroquois delivering supplies, C Coy returning from patrol on APC’s. 2785033 Lance-Corporal (Lcpl) Ross Charles McMillan and Pte 216920 Marvin Walter (Mick) Ayres are seen seated on the rear of the M113 APC smoking cigarettes. McMillan and Ayres were killed within the next two days, on the 2 February 1968 and 5 February 1968. The footage transitions to FSB Anderson and depicts a M2A2 105mm Howitzer in use; Sgt Savage clearing an M-16 assault rifle; flares going over Bien Hoa, which was the 2am start of the Tet Offensive; C Coy eating US C rations in the bush. The film then captures a posed scene of C Coy pretending to go into battle, this did eventually turn into a real battle with helicopters; artillery fire; airstrikes by USAF North American F-100 Super Sabre's attacking Viet Cong (VC) positions; a FAC aircraft flying past at last light.

The film commences a couple days later with Iroquois' supplying ammunition; C Coy digging in at the start of a three-day battle, the unit got hit and had to dig into a creek bed to avoid shrapnel. Pte Ayres was killed in this battle. The film then features the aftermath of the battle and depicts destroyed VC bunkers; C Coy resting in the jungle; VC discarded Soviet and Chinese weaponry; Cpl McFarlane examining a Chinese B-40 warhead.

The film then transitions to C Coys recreation area known as ‘The Boozer at Nui Dat after Operation Coburg and shows a display of captured VC weapons including a Soviet sub machine gun, a US M-1 Garand semi-automatic rifle, an AK-47 assault rifle, a Browning Automatic Rifle, a M-16 assault rifle, and a Russian carbine. C Coy is then depicted enjoying recreational time and playing darts, and more captured weapons are then displayed, a M1 Carbine, a German Mauser and a captured VC flag. 3789523 Pte Leonard William Skevington and more of C Coy members are seen enjoying recreational time in and outside of the recreational area.
The film then transitions to Ap Sui Nghe during a cordon and search operation, one of the last operations for Sgt Savage during his first tour in Vietnam. The footage depicts mine detectors discovering a butterfly bomb, the soldier probes it with bayonet to check for anti-lift device wires; the cordoned area where the villagers were held for interrogation; Nui Nghe hill; C Coy moving out of Ap Sui Nghe. The film then features a concert at Nui Dat, the last show of the tour; a Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopter carrying a 105mm gun to an FSB.

The footage concludes in Australia, and depicts 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR) in a parade prior to their embarkation to Vietnam to replace 7 RAR. Sgt Savage arrived back in Australia with the advance party and was able to film this scene. The review officer for this party was the Prime Minister John Gorton. East Command band can be seen playing at the review. and the last moment of the film depicts 1 RAR mascot “Septimus” the pony.

Details

Conflicts

• Vietnam, 1962-1975

Places

• Binh Ba
• Binh Gia

Units

• HMAS Vampire (1959-1986)
• Salvation Army
• 7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment

Tags

• Sikorsky helicopters
• Parades
• Concert
• Armoured personnel carriers
• Casualties
• 105 mm guns
• Machine guns
• Cessna aircraft
• Chinook helicopters
• Iroquois helicopters
• Grenade launchers
• Jungle operations
• Camp life
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