To mark the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, the Australian War Memorial will commemorate the service and sacrifice of Private Richard Alfred Aldersea, one of the 18 Australians killed during the battle, at a Last Post Ceremony on Tuesday 18 August.
The anniversary of Long Tan coincides with Vietnam Veterans Day, which honours more than 60,000 Australians who served during the conflict, and the 524 who died because of the war.
Richard Aldersea was born in Nedlands, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia to parents Alfred and Ivy Aldersea. The family settled in Subiaco and Richard started working at a garage in Claremont as a lube technician.
“After working at Keystone Garage, Aldersea enlisted in the Citizens Military Forces and later the Army as a regular, where he joined 6th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment in June 1965,” AWM Senior Historian, Craig Tibbitts, said.
“His battalion arrived in South Vietnam a year later to help establish the Nui Dat task force base in Phuoc Tuy Province,” he said.
On the afternoon of 18 August 1966, D Company took over patrolling duties following an enemy rocket and mortar attack on the base the night before. The 108-man company soon became pinned down by a much larger Viet Cong force, believed to be around 1,400 strong.
Richard Aldersea died during the last phase of the battle as the Viet Cong formed up for a final assault. It is believed that he moved his position to get a better field of fire and was killed. He was 20 years old.
This engagement became known as the Battle of Long Tan and proved to be Australia’s most costly battle of the Vietnam War.
The Last Post Ceremony will be attended by members of the Aldersea family. David, Trevor, Michael Aldersea, Richard’s nephews and David’s daughter Melissa Waller will travel to the AWM to attend the ceremony.
“We used to get told stories of Richard. Like most of the people his age, life was one big adventure,” Trevour Aldersea said.
“It is a special moment for our family, to be here at the Australian War Memorial honouring Richard’s memory,” he said.
The Last Post ceremony is held at 4.30 pm every day except Christmas Day in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial.
“The Last Post Ceremony is our commitment to remembering and honouring the legacy of Australian service,” Memorial Director Matt Anderson said.
“Through our daily Last Post Ceremony, we not only acknowledge where and how these men and women died. We also tell the stories of who they were when they were alive, and of the families who loved and, in so many cases, still mourn for them.”
The Last Post Ceremony honouring the service of Private Richard Alfred Aldersea will be live streamed to the Australian War Memorial’s YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/c/awmlastpost.
Handout Pack: https://www.playbook.com/s/awmimages/TMmT72q8KRJnHBNRBpTLEytR
