59 Facts About Peter Badcoe

Badcoe, born Peter Badcock, joined the Australian Army in 1950 and graduated from the Officer Cadet School, Portsea, in 1952 as a second lieutenant in the Royal Australian Artillery.

Peter Badcoe was highly respected by both his South Vietnamese and United States allies, and was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions.

Peter Badcoe was awarded the United States Silver Star and several South Vietnamese medals.

Peter Badcoe was buried at Terendak Garrison Cemetery in Malaysia.

Buildings and awards have been named after Peter Badcoe, including the rest and recreation centre in South Vietnam, an assembly room and library at Portsea, the main lecture theatre at the Royal Military College, Duntroon, and a perpetual medal for an Australian Football League match held on Anzac Day; as well as the electoral district of Peter Badcoe in the South Australian House of Assembly.

Peter Badcoe was educated at Adelaide Technical High School, before gaining employment as a clerk with the South Australian Public Service in 1950.

Peter Badcoe was a quiet, gentle and retiring man who confided mainly in his wife and had a dry wit.

Peter Badcoe avoided boisterous mess activities and preferred reading military history.

In June 1961, Peter Badcoe was posted to the 103rd Field Battery as battery captain, and served a tour with them in the Federation of Malaya, attached to a British unit, in the aftermath of the Malayan Emergency.

Peter Badcoe spent five days with an Army of the Republic of Vietnam battalion on operations in Quang Ngai Province, during which the unit had contacts with the enemy, including a pitched battle.

Peter Badcoe returned to the 1st Field Regiment in November 1962 and remained with the unit until August 1965.

At this point, Peter Badcoe transferred from the artillery to the Royal Australian Infantry Corps, and on promotion to temporary major on 10 August 1965, was posted to the Infantry Centre at Ingleburn, New South Wales.

Peter Badcoe successfully applied for a posting with the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam, and attended adviser courses at the Intelligence Centre at Mosman, New South Wales, and Jungle Training Centre in Canungra, Queensland.

Peter Badcoe was promoted to provisional major in June 1966.

Peter Badcoe arrived in South Vietnam on 6 August 1966 as a member of the AATTV.

Peter Badcoe was posted as a sub-sector adviser in the Nam Hoa District of Thua Thien Province.

Peter Badcoe unsuccessfully tried to silence the bunker using his rifle and hand grenades, at which point the company commander suggested calling in close air support.

Peter Badcoe collected two jerrycans of petrol from a jeep following the company and then, circling around using cover, approached the bunker from outside its arc of fire.

Peter Badcoe poured both jerrycans over the bunker, backed off some distance and ignited it with a white phosphorus grenade, destroying the VC position and allowing the company to advance.

Easily identified by the maroon paratroop beret he wore, Peter Badcoe led from the front and gave the impression he believed himself invincible.

Peter Badcoe was so fearless he appeared reckless, and was often cautioned by colleagues in this respect.

Jim Pashen, a warrant officer serving with the AATTV, recalled Peter Badcoe driving alone in a jeep from Hue to Quang Tri, and being shot at by snipers as he passed by.

Peter Badcoe was very interested in Vietnam, its people and their customs, and was particularly fascinated by Hue, the ancient royal city.

Peter Badcoe traded alcohol and souvenirs from the AATTV's canteen with US Marines to acquire equipment for RF units, and donated food and supplies to an orphanage.

In December 1966, Peter Badcoe became the sector operations adviser at the provincial headquarters in Hue.

Peter Badcoe lowered the armament to the floor, crossed the room, shook hands, refused a drink and talked about his boys.

Peter Badcoe ran across the intervening fire-swept ground to reach the PF platoon, with the enemy fire intensifying as he approached.

Peter Badcoe discovered that Clement was lying 160 yards ahead of the platoon, and had been mortally wounded while going to assist a wounded PF soldier.

Peter Badcoe observed that the enemy were dug in along a small rise, and appeared to be in about company-strength and readying for an attack.

Peter Badcoe gathered the PF platoon and led a frontal assault on the enemy position, firing as he went.

Once the PF platoon had consolidated its position, Peter Badcoe went back, still under fire, to lift Clement and carry him out of the danger area.

Peter Badcoe then returned and assisted Thomas to a position from which he could be safely evacuated.

Peter Badcoe was travelling in a vehicle convoy with his deputy and another US officer, when their vehicle veered off the road into a ditch.

Peter Badcoe's deputy was killed and Badcoe left the vehicle and joined the company commander as they drove towards the village.

Peter Badcoe quickly formed the company up into platoons, then led them through enemy fire to a position which flanked the VC.

Peter Badcoe's intervention prevented serious losses and the capture of the district headquarters.

Peter Badcoe became disillusioned with the war during his service in South Vietnam.

Peter Badcoe was particularly affected by an incident in February 1967 in which the ARVN regiment he was working with called in a napalm strike on a VC-occupied village, whose population was strongly supportive of the government, instead of attempting to attack and dislodge the VC.

Peter Badcoe eventually concluded that the conflict was an "unwinnable war".

Peter Badcoe saw his friend off to Da Nang and returned to Hue where he commenced duty, planning to join his friend once he had completed his shift.

Peter Badcoe soon became aware that an operation was going badly for an ARVN force at the hamlet of An Thuan in Huong Tra District, about 7.5 miles north of Hue.

Peter Badcoe realised that the force did not have any advisers, because one of the Hac Bao advisers was ill, and advisers were required to work in pairs.

Peter Badcoe decided that he needed to go out to the ARVN force and assist them.

Peter Badcoe arranged for relief as the sector duty officer, grabbed his weapons and equipment, and collected Sergeant Alberto Alvarado, his US Army deputy adviser and radio operator.

Peter Badcoe began rallying the ARVN soldiers to renew the assault, and artillery was called in on the enemy positions.

Peter Badcoe headed straight for an enemy machine-gun position that was causing devastation among the ARVN force.

Peter Badcoe lifted himself up to throw a hand grenade, but was pulled down by Alvarado as bullets cracked overhead.

Peter Badcoe then used his radio to call in close air support and more artillery to suppress the enemy fire.

Peter Badcoe was buried in the Terendak Garrison Cemetery in Malacca, Malaysia.

Peter Badcoe monitored a radio transmission which stated that the Subsector Adviser, a United States Army Officer, had been killed and that his body was within 50 metres of an enemy machine gun position; further, the United States Medical Adviser had been wounded and was in immediate danger from the enemy.

Peter Badcoe then organised a force of one platoon and led them towards the enemy post.

Peter Badcoe then picked up the body of the dead officer and ran back to the Command post over open ground still covered by enemy fire.

Major Peter Badcoe left the Command group after their vehicle broke down and a United States Officer was killed; he joined the Company Headquarters and personally led the company in an attack over open terrain to assault and capture a heavily defended enemy position.

Peter Badcoe then set out in front of the company to lead them on; the company stopped again under heavy fire but Major Badcoe continued on to cover and prepared to throw grenades, when he rose to throw, his radio operator pulled him down as heavy small arms fire was being brought to bear on them; he later got up again to throw a grenade and was hit and killed by a burst of machine gun fire.

Major Peter Badcoe's conspicuous gallantry and leadership on all these occasions was an inspiration to all, each action, ultimately, was successful, due entirely to his efforts, the final one ending in his death.

Denise Peter Badcoe received her husband's Victoria Cross from the Governor-General, Lord Casey, at Government House, Canberra, on 5 April 1968.

Peter Badcoe was awarded the United States Silver Star with bronze oak leaf cluster, Air Medal and Purple Heart, and was made a Knight of the National Order of Vietnam.

Peter Badcoe's VC was the 71st of the 100 VCs awarded to Australians to be placed on public display there.

In 2015, the Australian government repatriated the remains of 22 Australian soldiers buried at Terendak, but the Peter Badcoe family asked that he remain buried there, in accordance with his express wishes.