Remembrance Day: Vietnam vet’s last fight for soldier recognition
In the heat of a 26-day battle on Vietnamese soil in May 1968, Lieutenant Colonel George Hulse OAM thought he would die. Now, the Tunnel Rat is fighting for the forgotten sappers of WWI.
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IN the heat of a 26-day battle on Vietnamese soil in May 1968, Lieutenant Colonel George Hulse OAM thought he would die.
The ‘Tunnel Rat’ and Troop Commander was one of over 2500 Australian troops that fought through the Battle of Coral-Balmoral – a pivotal series of actions against the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong Main Force Unit near Saigon.
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It was one of the many lesser known battles fought by unrecognised soldiers that Hulse says deserves more acknowledgment, particularly for Remembrance Day.
Now, the 79-year-old President of the Toowong RSL is fighting to dedicate a monument to the Australian Army Engineer unit that served in World War I for their staggering amount of combat support on the first day of the Battle of Amiens in August 1918 in France.
Three Australian Sappers were nominated for the Victoria Cross – the only known citations found for engineers during WWI – but no monument exists to remember the fallen soldiers who overthrew two German machine guns protected by a platoon of infantry on the Cherry Bridge along the Somme River.
“They were so remarkable that we are so surprised there is not a single monument to the engineers in World War I, so we decided what we would do is build a monument but because we’re engineers we’d rather not build a bronze statue or plaque up against a wall – we’d like to leave something behind that’s useful,” he said.
“We suggested if we gave them a military bridge in a useful spot, that would double both as a monument to every engineer of the first world war but also as a crossing place that tourists and citizens of Amiens could cross on a daily basis.
“The Amiens city council were delighted because Australians were heroes in that way – they believe Australians saved them.”
The project is estimated to cost $70,000, however due to delays with COVID-19, only about $20,000 has so far been raised.
Upon completion the bridge will symbolise the connection between the two nations with a smaller sister bridge already built in Amiens, near Stanthorpe.
A handful of Remembrance Day services will run today with limited numbers due to COVID-19 restrictions.
To donate: https://1fieldsappers.org/amiens-bridge