Did British Forces Serve in Vietnam?
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| Name:
Anonymous
E-mail:GrahamClarke@Heurismus.fsnet.co.uk Date: Dec 30 2002 Did British Forces Serve in Vietnam? Answer: Possibly I was fortunate to live in Singapore from late 1969 to late 1974, the period of Commonwealth transition under the ANZUK commitment to defence, my father eventually becoming the principal of the Singapore Armed Forces Technical Institute at Changi. I heard many anecdotes from the 'diggers' who arrived to garrison the then emptying British bases but this is not the point I wish to relate as it actually comes from my father when he was aboard HMS Ark Royal in 1962. Evidently they were on their way to Hong Kong but were either diverted or delayed by the events in Laos.(sorry its vague) Under MacMillan it seems, there certainly was some interest in supporting America directly. The Historiographical analysis however suggests that, be it a Labour or Conservative govt., Britain was in no fit condition to extend their commitment to full participation, not even a 'bagpipe band' which Johnson pleadingly asked Wilson for in 1965. As to any mercenaries and the legality of British participation, for an insight much still classified see PRO. PREM 13.688 onward. If you do, note the green restriction sheets which have further extended the secrecy of some of the documents. I'm interested in these 70 GSMs though what is the provenance of this statement? PS. I am actually doing a university dissertation, as a mature student, on Anglo-American relations (political) 1964-68 and happened upon this site which I must say is very good and now sits in my favourites files. Therefore, all the best with your project. |
| Name:
ken clements
E-mail:kennaithom@aol.com Date: Dec 24 2002 Did British Forces Serve in Vietnam? Answer: No Comment :I spent the best part of 2years six months building the air field at bahn kok talad in the district of leong nok tha which at that time was part of ubon (ubol) provience. (thailand) in fact we actually built TWO air fields on the same spot (the first was a complete disater and had to be ripped up after the surface began to break up before it was ever used). this piece of military engineering was never disclosed to the british tax payer. but as they say "thats a diffent story." i could relate many more tales from thailand and would be glad to do so if anyone is interested. but i must say that as far as i am aware our camp was never used for any other purpose than air field construction (plus furthering anglo/thai relations!!). the only stories i can recall concerning cross border incidents was when two austraillians or kiwis blagged their way over to laos on the muckdaharn ferry for the fun of it (this was at a time when the town opposite muckda was still in royalist hands). the brass were not impressed although i thougt that it was a great idea. i also seem to recall that some of our lads went on flood relief duties the the area arond the laotion capital but i can't say if that was before or after my time. i have been back to the camp-site and stayed in the village next to it(now called bahn kok sahm lahn) many times since i left way back in the mid sixties and i have talked to many people who love to recall our antics (both millitary and not so military )and none of them have ever mentionion anything about clandistine activities from the air fiel. in answer to the question "did we serve in vietnam." I'm sure some of out special service troops did. it would be very unlikly they would miss such a chanch, but I'm also sure that no ordinary units were involved in any way. so I suppose it all depends how you define "british troops". best of luck with your search. ex sapper "clem" clements 389 |
| Name:
Anonymous
E-mail: Date: Dec 17 2002 Did British Forces Serve in Vietnam? Answer: Possibly Comment :I was attached to UN pacification team post 1973. Whilst I believe there were still US Spec forces in country I saw no evidence of British or Commonwealth troops. That doesn't mean the British weren't there though but probably much earlier.I think the idea of British forces as trainers or advisers is probably sound. I would be surprised if there weren't British attached to Australian units.I would doubt if there were any recognisable British units in any part of Indochina certainly by the mid. 60's |
| Name:
Ron James
E-mail:ron.james.901@t-online.de Date: Dec 07 2002 Did British Forces Serve in Vietnam? Answer: Possibly Comment :An Australian officer told me that he had served with British troops in Vietnam. They were in the main special forces, Int Corps & signallers. |
| Name:
Peter
E-mail: Date: Dec 02 2002 Did British Forces Serve in Vietnam? Answer: Yes Comment :I worked with a guy who was ex RM, SBS, leaving circa 1972. He had a GSM with S. Vietnam bar (+ Borneo and maybe Malaysian Peninsula). He was very reluctant to talk about his time in Vietnam but he definitely served there, fighting alongside US SEAL teams in the Mekong Delta. I wondered if they served as Australians but he said this was not the case. There were fatalities - where are they buried? He mentioned deploying from RN O Class submarines and also carriers (Bulwark & Albion). He has an enduring anger regarding the way the US forces operated, giving away their position by lighting fires for cooking!This is an incredible tale which I'm sure is true. Why is it still classified?. If so many GSMs were issued to the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam, it makes the SBS contingent VERY small - about 6!! Thanks for shedding some light on this story - you've got the makings of a great book here. |
| Name:
Brian Foster
E-mail: bjf225@yahoo.com Date: Nov 25 2002 Did British Forces Serve in Vietnam? Answer: Yes Comment :I serverd on 2 different Shell Tankers, the Haminella and the Hindsia which both loaded in Singapore and went to Vietnam on a regular basis (chartered by the US government). The ships were regularly shot at, especially on the Saigon River. I visited DaNang, ChuLai, QuiNhon, CamRanh Bay, NhaTrang (when the Amastra was mined in April 1967), Vung Tau and Nha Be (Saigon) during 1967 and 1968. At Cam Ranh we were ordered out to sea every night because of the danger of limpet mines being attached. |
| Name:
UWANILE
E-mail: MUGUFINDER@YAHOO.COM Date: Nov 20 2002 Did British Forces Serve in Vietnam? Answer: No Comment :BRITISH FORCES DID----A-LOT. SO HOW DEAR PEOPLE ASK ,ARE THEY INVOLVED ?... IF YOU SERIOUS QUESTION ,FORWARD THEM TO ME. |
| Name:
Anonymous
E-mail: Lloyds67@aol.com Date: Nov 12 2002 Did British Forces Serve in Vietnam? Answer: Yes Comment :Sir Robert Thompson, formerly a top Civil Servant in Malaya during the Malayan Emergency, formed a mission to serve in Vietnam.The Mission compromised mainly of British former Federation of Malaysia Police Officers of rank.They served out there for some years overseeing the hamlet programmes and the such like. No idea of numbers but assumed to be around 60 odd who also served in Thailand. Further information can be gained from the Royal Malaysian Police, the Association of former Malayan Police Officers in the UK and Malaysia, members of the British Saigon Embassy at that time, particularly military, and the Foreign Office in Charles St,probably archives. Relevant dates I think are 1967 onwards until around 1974. Not sure though. |
| Name:
Nigel Evans
E-mail: Date: Oct 04 2002 Did British Forces Serve in Vietnam? Answer: No Comment :Unfortunately the question is very broad and as such is meaningless. If the question is narrowed to 'did British detachments serve on the ground in SVN as part of the FWMAF' then the answer is NO. Nevertheless it is often forgotten that apart from the British units in General Gracey's 20th Indian Division that went to Saigon in 1945, there was a very small British Army Training Team in SVN circa 1962, but only for a few months. These probably got the 1962 GSM with Vietnam clasp, as did a handful of Australians in the first group of AATTV advisors. However, as other postings have recorded there were Gurkhas guarding the Embassy (across the road from the US Embassy - not sure what happened in Tet '68), elements supporting air traffic, no doubt secondees/exchange postings in ships off-shore and visiting senior officers. I've no doubt SF operated in other countries in the region. That said there are suggestions that ex Border Scouts from Borneo, who had cultural and linguistic similarities with the Montagards and other hill people in SVN, were in SVN under MI6 control. The largest number of Britons serving in SVN were those who had resigned/been discharged from the UK forces and recruited into the ADF. The Aust Army was actively recruiting in UK during the '60s, these men were all given service numbers in the 311nnn series and over 600 were issued, although the series started in the '50s. I speak from personal experience. |
| Name:
Flora
E-mail: Date: Sep 30 2002 Did British Forces Serve in Vietnam? Answer: Yes Comment :I have seen the log book of a former RAF pilot who flew Hastings aircraft from RAF Changi to Saigon between 1966 and 1969 ( both as co-pillot and first pilot), he stated that these where rescue missions designed to get wounded anzac soldiers out and to relevant medical treatment, however after frequently trawling the net i can find no reference to any RAF involvement in Vietnam I would be grateful if you could tell me of any information you have on this subject |
| Name:
Anonymous
E-mail: Date: Sep 26 2002 Did British Forces Serve in Vietnam? Answer: Yes Comment:A SMALL NUMBER OF BRITISH EX SPECIAL FORCES WERE RECRUITED BY THE AMERICANS. THEY MAY HAVE SERVED IN A UNIT CALLED THE MEKONG SCOUTS ? APPARANTLY THEY SPENT A LOT OF TIME AT SEA WITH THE SEVENTH FLEET. I KNOW THAT THEY R&RD IN TOKYO. MOST OF THEM HAD A VERY LOW OPINION OF THE AMERICAN ARMED FORCES. I DON'T KNOW VERY MUCH ABOUT HOW THEY WERE DEPLOYED OPERATIONALLY - OR WITH WHAT FREQUENCY, BUT I WILL TRY AND FIND OUT |
| Name:
Terry Walker
E-mail: terryewalker@btopenworld.com Date: Sep 21 2002 Did British Forces Serve in Vietnam? Answer: Yes Comment :Yes British Forces, did go to Vietnam. my old MTO Bill Skinner RAOC said his unit was the first British unit to go into Vietnam on resupply. but this was kept queit by the government and MOD Bill now lives in Viersen Germany. |
| Name:
John Bradley
E-mail: bradleyjpb@hotmail.com Date: Aug 28 2002 Did British Forces Serve in Vietnam? Answer: Yes Comment :THERE WERE OVER 2600 CANADIAN and ENGLISH CITIZENS WHO FOUGHT FOR THE AMERICANS DURING THE VIETNAM WAR. Just how many were of british decent I do not know but if you check with a chap on the Royal engineers web site by the name of Richard Cote' he is one of the organisers who looks after Canadain and british vietnam veterans complaints and benefits. I was in Edmonton Canada about 20 years ago and was talking to a chap who said he was ex-para (2 para) and later SAS who spent 6 months attached in the jungles of Vietnam. His name was Gordon McConnell and was a captain, nice chap broad scottish accent.Very very honest sort of chap maybe something for you to follow up on.Said he was also In Rhodesia in 70-74 I was with him in 72 from October-December so I have no reason to doubt this mans word. I didn't see any comments about our British involvemnent in Rhodesia in the early 70's. This conflict was in it's darkest year in 72 our chopper pilot was a Rhodesian and he now lives in Canada in a small town called Slave Lake in the province of Alberta, still flies a chopper and small fixed wing craft. |
| Name:
Robbie
E-mail: robbie.csik@btopenworld.com Date: Aug 28 2002 Did British Forces Serve in Vietnam? Answer: Possibly Comment :GREAT SITE AND AN INTRIGUING QUESTION!! I can only quote from a couple of books I've read: Ken Connor,in his book:Ghost Force:The Secret History of the SAS,on the subject of exchanges of personnel between SAS and U.S. Special Forces units: Page
110:
Check-out the photo that actually shows a U.S. Special Forces Master Sergent with 17 Troop,D Squadron,SAS This
one is a bit more tenuous!
I'm sorry I can't quote David Donovan or tell you the page number because it's so long since I've read it,but it is a very good read. Of course,those planes could have been on CIA or U.S.A.F. covert surveillance missions but interestingly,the R.A.F. was flying covert reconnaisance missions over the Soviet Union throughout the 50'S and 60's. It does seem plausible that R.A.F. crews and aircraft could have been "combat-tested" in such a way. |
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