Long Tan Digger Pte Richard Aldersea to be remembered 60 years after battle at Australian War Memorial

The Diggers had not been on patrol in the Long Tan rubber plantation in South Vietnam for long when all hell broke out.

It was 3.15pm on August 18, 1966, and the men of D Company, The Royal Australian Regiment, were hit with fire from mortars, machine guns and small arms.

The Australians were surrounded by the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong contingent, who outnumbered the 108 Diggers at least 10 to one.

The Veterans’ Affairs site on what became known as the Battle of Long Tan makes clear the danger the Diggers were in, short of ammunition and fighting an enemy whose strength they could only guess at.

Two RAAF choppers braved a torrential downpour and heavy Viet Cong fire to fly at tree-top height to drop boxes of ammunition and blankets for the wounded Diggers.

Accurate fire called in from New Zealand’s 161 Field Battery, the Australian 103rd and 105th Field Batteries, and a United States battery inflicted heavy losses on the North Vietnamese.

As the fighting continued, Australian reinforcements were committed to the battle, the site says.

B Company was on the way, A Company was loaded into armoured personnel carriers of 3 Troop, 1 Armoured Personnel Carrier Squadron.

“They moved into the area to support D Company just before 7 pm, as daylight was fading,” the site says.

Finally the North Vietnamese withdrew.

The next morning the Australians found 245 enemy dead in the plantation and surrounding jungle.

At least 1000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops came into direct contact with D Company.

The battle resulted in the death of 18 Australians, and 24 were wounded.

Among those killed that day was West Australian Pte Richard Aldersea, who will be honoured at a Last Post ceremony at the Australian War Memorial on August 18, the 60th anniversary of the battle — also Vietnam Veterans’ Day.

Pte Aldersea and his family lived in Subiaco and Richard worked at Keystone Garage in Claremont as a lube technician.

He enlisted in the Citizens Military Forces and later the Army as a regular, joining 6th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment in June 1965, AWM senior historian, Craig Tibbitts said.

Pte Aldersea died during the last phase of the battle as the Viet Cong formed up for a final assault.

It was believed that he moved his position to get a better field of fire and was killed.

He was 20 years old.

The Battle of Long Tan was Australia’s most costly battle of the Vietnam War.

Pte Aldersea’s nephews David, Trevor and Michael, and David’s daughter Melissa will travel to the AWM to attend the Last Post ceremony.

Trevor Aldersea said his uncle was “a fun loving young guy, good looking and fit as”.

During his training Pte Aldersea married Beverly, but the families had not been able to keep in touch in the many years since his death.

Trevor Aldersea said his family had been rocked by Richard’s death and had paid tribute at the Long Tan and Vietnam Veterans’ services every year.

He said on the day of his uncle’s funeral, the hearse had diverted around the streets of Subiaco.

Residents had gathered to pay their respects and shops closed.

Attending the Last Post ceremony would be a special moment for the family, Trevor Aldersea said.