Victorians at War - Oral History Project

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Colin Bannister Transcript of interview by Ina Bertrand 31 January 2001 - tape 1 (1 hr. 3mins)
Colin Bannister interviewed in Prahran 31 January, 2001. And the first question is when and where you were born? I was born the 16 June 1932, which makes me now 68 years of age, in Cremorne in Sydney. Right, a little bit about your family and your early life. My father was pretty old when , he was 50 when I was born before he had served in the BoarWar, in World War I - where he was crippled by shrapnel at Lone Pine - and my mother was on a cattle station in Queensland when they were married. And schools. Did you go to school in Cremorne or did you move on? Ah, primary school at Middle Harbour. Mm, MM And, from there to North Sydney Boys High School. Right, did they have a Cadet Corps? Yes, they did. Were you part of that? Yes, yes. Were you an enthusiastic part of that? Yes, I guess, I was, yeah. What did that entail? What did you do? All the basic military skills that I was confronted with subsequently in my career. How often did you meet? It was once a week. One a week parade, the occasional week-end and an annual camp. Gee, you are testing my memory. I think it was two weeks annual camp. Fine. Mm. Um, do you think, this was part of what made you join the Army being your father's experience and your um, Cadet Corps experience? Yes Um, I was the youngest of the three sons, my two older brothers both were involved in the Forces during the War, so I guess both from them and from my father there was a … , You mean World War II? Yes, I am sorry, yes. Yes. Yes. OK. But when you left school did you go straight into the Army? No. Didn't know what I wanted to do. So I mucked around for three years, when I say mucked around with various jobs. What sorts of jobs? Ah, with an advertising agency and then with a um, um, a local company which was producing fruit juice so I was working in their sales office. Right. For a couple of months. So, the decision to join the Army was a very conscious and fairly mature one then. Well, yes. Yes, I guess it would have been. Three years to ponder it. Mm. So, why did you choose the Army, specifically? Well, I … prior to joining the Army on a regular basis I had joined the CMF, so I had that experience as well, and it gradually occurred to me that this was a reasonable career to pursue. Ah, How did you get into Duntroon? Just presented myself to the Selection Board and tried to smile sweetly and answer the right questions. Aha, tell us about Duntroon … It was four years, um which for the result was achieved could well have been halved, however, that was what it was in those days. Um. You had a lot of basic military training already, if you been in the Cadet Corps and the CMF. Yes, yes. So what did Duntroon give above that, beyond that? Oh Um, firstly the fact that you doing it day after day. Secondly, the training and the instruction that we received of course went much further in all subjects than that would otherwise of occurred in any other part time force. Um, and the scope was much, much Um, broader. It's an academic course as well, is it? Yes, it is indeed. Yes. Can you describe some that. You were either in what they termed the arts class or the science/ engineering class. Hm, Hm. Um. Which were you? Arts. Right, what did that include? If you were fortunate enough, you could Um, proceed along the way towards a Degree, particularly in those days with the Engineering Course. Um, otherwise you could earn credits towards a Degree in another University. Regrettably ah, it did not then provide for a Degree while you were at Duntroon. Um, which happened later, in later years. Um, so what did being an Arts stream include? The subjects were um, English, Economics, Economic History, Um. Military History? Um, certainly Military history but that was part of the military curriculum. Right. Um, wait a minute, mathematics, general mathematics, and a Um, general science. Right. Course, Um, regrettably no languages were taught. How did they train you to be Officers? Now that's an interesting question. I suppose by example set by the Um, instructional staff at Duntroon, by general observation, by general reading of military history, of Commanders in various campaigns. Um, beyond that I would find it difficult to answer that question. By osmosis it sounds like. Yes. Hm, Ok. Why didn't I have the wit to use that word? Um, after you graduated what did you do? You graduated in December '55. Yes. Yes, that's right, yes. As an Infantry Officer. Right. What rank were you then? Lieutenant. Can you just briefly summarize your rise through the ranks. Yes sure. Um, in those days there was a national service training scheme involved, um, where people 18 years of age were conscripted for 3 months full time service. And so there were these national service training battalions in all the capital cities and everyone um, took part in this. As opposed as to what happened Vietnam years - you will remember there was the lottery system. Um, so my first year, like all our class, was spent in a National Service training battalion. From there I joined a regular army battalion, 3^rd battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment, where we subsequently were despatched to Malaya for 2 years, during which time I um, was promoted to Captain. Returned to Australia with several appointments, um, until 1964 when I went to Vietnam for a year as an advisor with the training team as a Major. Um, back to Australia for a couple of years then back again to Vietnam in 1969 um, where I was employed at the Headquarters of the Taskforce and the force in Saigon. I finished my career in February 1974, where I was the Chief Instructor at the Officer Cadet School at Portsea. And what rank was that? Sorry, in the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. OK, thanks that just gives us again a kind of overview so that we can pick things up. Yes, yes. Alright, Um. Where were you ah, when you where with the 3 RAR before you went to Malaya? What were you doing with them and where were you? In Ingleburn and Holdsworthy. Aha, Um, when the Battalion was getting ready for its duty in Malaya. So you knew this was coming up? Yes, yes. How much did you know about Malaya before you went? Oh, a fair amount. Aha, was this from Army briefings? Yes, yes. Or was this your own study?. Oh, a bit of both. Bit of both. But um, the Army was certainly at pains to make sure that all of us knew where we were going and why. And what we would be doing. So where and when did you land in Malaya? We went by troop-ship on the New Australia, which had been used before to bring migrants out to. Mm From Europe, anyway off we went in September, 1957 and as we were coming through Torres Strait an oil tanker was coming in the opposite direction. This was late in the afternoon about sunset, sitting up in the deck and it was quite interesting to watch this oil tanker approach. And suddenly it dawned on us we were going to have collision which we subsequently did. It wasn't quite as bad as it sounds - we just sort of bounced off each other in the middle of Torres Strait, a few sparks and a lot of noise, fortunately no injuries and certainly no loss of life. Um, but A lot of consternation. Yes In fact for three days we were becalmed in Torres Strait while repairs were made to our bow and the oil tanker's side and then we managed to totter off to Singapore. Where we all disembarked and those of us who had our families with us - I should have mentioned that uniquely we had families with us - and quarters were provided for them in Penang for the 2 years that we were to remain in the country. So that the ah, families then went by train - the poor old New Australia needed a few repairs to it - Ah Hum And we tottered off the Penang for awhile. Um, and the families were then installed in their quarters and ah the Battalion reassembled and um, at a training centre ah, in, um, near Singapore, and then subsequently we were, we move up into our operational area which was just north of Ipoh in the State of Perak where our Headquarters was at a town called Kuala Kangsar. Aha And the battalion was deployed in Kuala Kangsar and three other company bases. And from those bases we then conducted our operations against the Communist t Terrorist Organisation.
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