IT’S been 60 years since Gawler’s Don Raggatt fought a communist enemy during the Malayan Emergency – losing a treasured friend in the process.
At just 17 years of age, Don signed up for the Korean War wanting “a sense of adventure” however, was rejected for being too young.
In the 1950s, Don was stationed at Maralinga and spent six months in the remote west of South Australia working as a “missile gunner” and assigned the task of helping to prepare for the British Nuclear Tests.
Following his service in Maralinga and two years in Woomera working on rockets, Don went on to serve in the Malayan Conflict in 1955.
“I was with the 105th Field Battery and we were tasked with keeping the communist terrorists on the move, preventing their access to food and basically making it impossible for them to survive,” he said.
“The terrorists were going around demanding money, slashing trees at nearby rubber plantations and threatening commoners’ lives.
“We kept guard on the villagers to make sure they weren’t smuggling them food and would search for communist camps to force them out.
“We would also be careful not to leave any of our own food scraps lying around.”
Don described jungle warfare as “rotten”.
“On patrol in the jungle, you can’t see nothing,” he said.
“You just fire everywhere and hope for the best, but being artillery we were mainly at long-range.
“We would wait until we could see movement in the trees and then shoot them up.
“For two years we were on the move and I had no contact with home.
“We would go out and fire guns all night long, but I was lucky to be in charge of collecting all the ammunition and rifles, which ended up being a great job.”
The 105th Battery was the first Australian artillery sub-unit to serve on active duty since World War II.
For two years it operated from troop bases and roving gun positions, engaging guerrilla camps and cultivations and harassing suspected communist terrorist locations.
When the battery came out of action in September, 1957, it had fired more than 88,000 rounds.
It’s only fatal was Bombardier D. K. Sutton, who was killed in a car accident.
“Donny Sutton was my best friend and I was in the car with him when he was killed,” Don said.
“It wasn’t in action, a truck ran over us and I heard his head go ‘pop’.
“We were young – Donny was only in his early 20s.”
After returning from the long battle, Don had difficulty adjusting to regular life and now, at 85-years-old, still suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
He said his marriage of 60 years to wife, Margaret, had helped him through.
The couple have lived in Gawler for decades and have a son, daughter and about seven grandchildren.
They also owned a local trucking business before their retirement – but it’s the experience of battle Don will always cherish.
“The army was the best thing to happen to me,” he said.
“The sense of mateship over there was invaluable.
“Vietnam changed things a lot and before we wouldn’t have got a second thought but today, with the 60th anniversary of the Malayan Emergency happening on Friday, it’s nice to receive some recognition for what we went through.”
60 years since Malayan Emergency
THE Malayan Emergency was a conflict between communist guerrillas and British Commonwealth forces, including Australians, declared 60 years ago on July 31.
Thirty-nine Australian servicemen were killed in Malaya, although only 15 of these deaths occurred as a result of operations, and 27 were wounded – most of whom were in the army.
The guerrillas, made up of Malayan Chinese, were seeking to overthrow the British colonial administration in Malaya.
The term 'Emergency' is used to describe the conflict because on June 18, 1948, the British declared a State of Emergency in Malaya after guerrillas assassinated three European plantation managers in the northern state of Perak.
While the Malayan government declared the Emergency over on July 31, 1960, Australian forces continued operations against communist forces in Malaya until 1963, playing a key role in bringing the long-running insurgency to an end.
Those who served over the 13 years of Australia’s involvement – in what was one of Australia’s longest military commitments – were commemorated on Friday as part of an Australian War Memorial ceremony.
Source: Australia Government Department of Veteran Affairs