PAYNE Keith
VC, DSC, Silver Star (US)
Keith Payne was born at Ingham in Queensland, Australia, on 30 August 1933. After leaving school he worked as an apprentice cabinetmaker and spent a short period in the Citizen Military Force as a Reserve Soldier. He enlisted in the Regular Army on 13 August 1951, and was posted as an infantryman to the 1st Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR) in September 1952. He served in Korea with the 1RAR from April 1952 to March 1953, follwoed by service with the 28th British Commonwealth Infantry Brigade before returning to Queensland in September 1953. He married Florence Plaw, a female soldier, on 5 December 1954. After a period of service, training Cadets and National Servicemen, he was posted to the 3rd Battalion RAR (3RAR) in February 1960. He saw further overseas service with 3RAR in Malaya, and was promoted to Sergeant on 1 June 1961. He joined the 5th Battalion RAR (5RAR) in February 1965 and was promoted to Warrant Officer in June 1965. This was followed by postings to the Officer Training Unit with the 2nd Pacific Island Regiment in Papua New Guinea. He was appointed to the Australian Army Training Team in Vietnam on 24 February 1969.
Keith's initial duties in Vietnam were with a mobile strike force that was reconnoitering enemy infiltrationroutes from Laos into Vietnam. Thes routes were being used to surround the newly established Ben Hut Special Forces camp. On
24 May 1969 Keith was commanding the 212th Company of the 1st Mobile Strike Force Battalion when the unit's hilltop position was attacked by a large North Vienames force. A barrage of rockets, mortars and machinegun fire hit the two forward companies from three directions simultaneously. The indigenous soldiers under Keith's command faltered, forcing Keith to mount a vigorous single-handed defence, firing his rifle and throwing grenades to keep the enemy from over-running his panicked soldiers. In the process, he was wounded in the hands, upper arm, and hip by shrapnel from rockets and mortar rounds. The US Officer Commanding the battalion decided to make a fighting withdrawal back to base. With a small number of soldiers from his company, which had suffered heavy casualties, Keith covered the withdrawal of the rest of the force, again relying heavily on gunfire and grenades to hold off the enemy. By nightfall Keith had gathered a composite party of survivorsfrom his own and another company into a small defencive perimeter about 350 metres from the hill they had previously occupied, and which was now in the hands of the North Vietnames Army.
In darkenss, Keith, on his own initiative, set off to find other survivors who had been cut off during the confused withdrawal. At about 9pm he found one such group, having followed the fluorescence created by their movement through the rotting vegetable matter on the ground. This was followed by similar searches over hundreds of metres of dark jungle over the next three hours. Throughout, enemy soldiers were also searching the area and occasionally firing, but Keith was able to locate 40 men, several of whom were wounded, some of whom Payne personally dragged to safety. He organised for others who were not wounded to crawl out taking the wounded with them.
He led his group of rescued soldiers back to the temporary perimeter only to find that it had been abandoned when the remaining troops withdrew back to the Battalion Base. Undeterred, he led his party, along with another group of wounded he encountered on the way, back to the battalion base, arriving around 3am.
Keith was exacuated from Vietnam in September 1969 and received a warm public welcome back in Australia. He was presented with his Victoria Cross by the Queen aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia at Brisbane, on 13 April 1970, he was also awarded the US Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) and the Silver Star, while the Republic of Vietnam honoured him with its Cross of Gallantry with Bronze Star. He served as an instructor at the Royal Military College Duntroon, and as a cadre staff with a reserve infantry battalion before his retirement from the Army in 1975. He saw further action when he fought with the army of the Sultan of Oman as a Captain in 1975 and 76.
Keith joined the Legion of Frontiersmen on 28 February 1975 and has been awarded the Legion Cross of Merit (LCM) from the UK Command, and the Dartnell Cross with valour clasp (DCV), the Australian Medal of Merit (AMM), The Long and Efficient Service Medal (LESM) He accepted the position of Patron to the Australian Division on 30 September 1999 and now holds the rank of an Honorary Chief Commissioner.
Courtesy Legion of Frontiersmen Australian Division - www.frontiersmen.org.au
AWARDS INCLUDE:-
Victoria Cross Order of AustraliaAustralian Active Service Medal 1945-1975 Korea clasp Malaysia clasp Vietnam clasp Thai-Malay clasp Korea Service Medal United Nations Medal Korea General Service Medal 1962 Malay Peninsular clasp Vietnam Service Medal Australian Service Medal 1945-1975 Korea clasp SE Asia clasp PNG clasp E II R Silver Jubilee Medal 1977 E II R Golden Jubilee Medal 2002The Centenary Medal The Defence Force Service Medal The National Medal Australian Defence MedalThe Meritorious Service Medal The Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal The Distinguished Service Cross (USA ) The Silver Star (USA ) The Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Bronze Star The Vietnam Campaign Medal with 1960 bar The Dhofar Campaign Medal The Dhofar Victory Medal Australian Combat BadgeUS Army Meritorious Unit CommendationVietnam Cross of Gallantry Unit Citation with PalmDartnell Cross with valour clasp (DCV)Australian Service MedalAustralian Medal of Merit (AMM), The Long and Efficient Service Medal (LESM) Australian Division Centennial MedalLegion Cross of Merit (LCM) 
