| Reg Saunders | |
|---|---|
Reg Saunders in 1940 |
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| Born | 7 August 1920 Framlingham, Victoria |
| Died | 2 March 1990 (aged 69) Sydney, New South Wales |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Service/branch | Australian Army |
| Years of service | 1940–1945 1950–1954 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Member of the Order of the British Empire |
| Other work | Office of Aboriginal Affairs as a liaison and public relations officer |
Reginald Walter Saunders MBE (7 August 1920 – 2 March 1990) was the first Aboriginal commissioned officer in the Australian Army. Enlisting as a soldier in 1940, he served during World War II in North Africa, Greece and Crete before being commissioned as a lieutenant and serving as a platoon commander in New Guinea in 1944–45. After World War II Saunders was demobilised and returned to civilian life, however, he later served as a company commander with the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3 RAR) during the Korean War. He eventually left the Army in 1954 and later worked as a liaison officer in the Office of Aboriginal Affairs, and was appointed MBE for his services in 1971. He died in 1990 aged 69.
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Saunders was born near Purnim on the Framlingham Aboriginal Reserve in western Victoria on 7 August 1920.[1] Saunders' father, Chris, was a veteran of the First World War and he was also the nephew of William Reginald Rawlings who received a Military Medal for his services with the 1st AIF in France.[2]
Following the death of his mother in 1924,[3] Saunders was raised by his grandmother at Lake Condah in Victoria.[4] He attended school only rarely and by the age of 14 he took work in a sawmill as a millhand,[3] but dreamt of travelling overseas to fight for oppressed and impoverished people with whom he could identify.[1]
Following the outbreak of the Second World War, Saunders enlisted in the 2nd AIF on 24 April 1940.[1][5] After completing initial training he was allocated to the 2/7th Battalion, which was serving overseas in North Africa at the time.[6] Saunders' natural leadership qualities led to him being promoted quickly. Within six weeks of enlistment he was promoted to lance corporal, within three months he had made sergeant.[3]
In early April 1941 the 6th Division was sent to Greece to help defend against German invasion. After a series of withdrawals the battalion was evacuated on 26 April and after the ship they were travelling on was bombed and crippled by German aircraft, they were taken under tow by British destroyers and landed on Crete.[6] Following the Invasion of Crete in May the 2/7th Battalion were initially used to defend the coastline before taking part in the fighting around Canea and later carrying out a bayonet charge at 42nd Street that briefly checked the German advance.[6] As the Allies began an evacuation, the 2/7th were called upon to carry out a series of rearguard actions. After the final Allied ships departed the island on 1 June 1941, the 2/7th were left behind.[6] Many of its men were taken prisoner although some were able to evade capture by hiding out in the hills and caves around the island. With the help of a number of local inhabitants Saunders himself managed to remain hidden for twelve months.[1][2]
Saunders managed to escape from Crete in May 1942[1] and returned to Australia, rejoining the 2/7th, which had been reformed in Palestine before being brought back from the Middle East to help defend against the threat posed by Japan's entry into the war.[6] Saunders subsequently fought in the Salamaua-Lae campaign, where while serving as a platoon sergeant he took over command of a platoon when his platoon commander was wounded. For his leadership, he was recommened for a commission by his commanding officer.[3] Undertaking a 16-week course at an officer training unit in Australia, Saunders was promoted to lieutenant in November 1944, becoming the first Aboriginal commissioned officer in the Australian Army.[1][7] His commission had caused the Army some trepidation due to its "special significance", finally going before the Commander-in-Chief, General Sir Thomas Blamey, for approval.[8] Nevertheless, Blamey is reported to have "insisted upon following the usual procedure"[3] and, after his promotion was confirmed, Saunders returned to New Guinea and rejoined the 2/7th, taking part in the Aitape-Wewak campaign and commanding a platoon until the end of the war.[2]
With the end of the Second World War, Saunders was discharged from the Army on 5 October 1945,[5] and returned to Australia. There he learnt that his young brother Harry, with whom he had enlisted in 1940, had been killed in action.[1] Saunders volunteered for service in Japan with the British Commonwealth Occupation Force, but the government would not accept Aborigines for this operation.[8] In the ensuing years he worked as a shipping clerk and a builder's labourer before rejoining the Army when the Korean War began.[1]
Promoted to captain, Saunders served with the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment commanding 'C' Company during the Battle of Kapyong in April 1951.[2] He returned to Australia in November 1951.[9]
Following the end of the war, Saunders remained in the Army overseeing training for national servicemen. However, he soon became dissatisfied and in 1954 he was discharged from the Army and went to work in the logging industry in Gippsland in Victoria.[1] After this he moved to Sydney, New South Wales where he worked with the Austral Bronze Company until 1967.[1] Due to his achievements Saunders was seen by many as a role model and spokesman for Aboriginal Australians; in 1967 he took up a position in the Office of Aboriginal Affairs as an Aboriginal Liaison Officer.[2] He also became involved in the Returned and Services League.[4] In the Queen's Birthday Honours of June 1971 his community work was recognised when he was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (Civil Division).[10][11]
A well-respected soldier, leader and spokesman for the Aboriginal community, Saunders was married twice, with both marriages ending in divorce. He was the father of ten children, two of whom predeceased him. He died on 2 March 1990.[1]