Did any British Forces Serve In Vietnam?

There is a lot of speculation about this, does anyone know of any facts relating to it? it's a long time ago now so surely as with other involvements of British Forces World Wide that have come to light recently, the truth can now be known about Vietnam?

 

Aussie SAS is as close as it gets, I believe.

 

There were apparently 6 bars to the GSM awarded with the legend "South Vietnam". That would suggest at least 6 British soldiers did serve there.

Speculation has been that they were attached to the Aussie or Kiwi SAS in a training role, and ended up "in country".

Not sure how you would find out though.

 

I once worked with an ex RN type who had a "VIETNAM" bar on his GSM.

 

there were a lot of aussie and kiwi units in viet nam.

http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Vietnam/Australian-Units.htm


http://afwweb.orcon.net.nz/nzsas.html


http://vietnamvetcontacts.com/gpage3.html

http://grunt.space.swri.edu/nzorgs.htm

there were more than a few ex-pat brits living in the USA who forght there most ex-brit army.
a hell of a lot of cannadians were in vietnam going south of the border to join up.

a lot of my instructors in the NZ army were vietnam vets
theres a lot of 'DIGGER' amd 'ANZAC' websits out there covering this, i'm rushed for time at the mo, i'll try and be back later to post more links.

stealth

 

Met at least two chaps (walt alert) who claimed to have been over there helping US Army with sniper training....

On a more believable note, it was of course British forces which initially re-occupied French Indo-China after the Japanese surrender. UK, in conjunction with US OSS, did make a start on stabilising the area and training local militias (one reason there were so many British weapons to be found in the region during the later Vietnam war), before the Frogs came back and tried to carry on as if WW2 had never happened. It is concievable that some British "training advisors"/spooks from this era still had sufficient local knowledge to be of use to the US in 1965.

 

Talking to the bloke who was organising the memorial to British servicemen killed since 1945 (some 3,000 soldiers, sailors, and airmen); one of them was killed in Vietnam.

Apparently he was with the Australian army, but his transfer documents hadn't quite come through. Take that as you will...

 

I believe that a small number of RMP served in Vietnam to a very limited extent in and around the British embassy.

 

The Dad of a schoolfriend of mine published a book in the late eighties called 'Her Majesty's Vietnam Soldier'. I don't remember anything else about it but the title suggests that he was there in a British rather than US capacity.

 

I had a friend, ex-sigs officer who was a troop commander at a certain place, who did an exchange tour with the Aussies and had the bar to his GSM. Now a solicitor somewhere in the South West.

I have heard reference to around 50 bars being issued to the UK GSM

 

Recently read 'The Cage' an Englishman in Vietnam - Tom Abraham, born in Cheshire and emigrated to USA, he served in the American Army in Vietnam.

 

My dad was in the Andrew from 65 to 76.
got the juicier details about his service after a few ales.
was attached to Royal Marines in Borneo as a communicator.
Also was on the Armilla Patrol, and "exercised" with the American Navy off the coast of Vietnam...
Apparently some these "exercises" included some live firing NGS evolutions.
He claimed they spent enough time in territorial waters to qualify for US vietnam medal if they had wanted to claim.
Again totally uncorroborated and I could be the victim of a Very Salty Dit from the Old Boy.

 

Q. Did any British Forces Serve in Vietnam?

A. No.

Britain was not involved in the Vietnam War.

There were however many ex British Servicemen who enlisted in the Australian or New Zealand Military Forces and as a result served in the Vietnam War.

The same applied to the Canadians where although Canada, like Britain was not involved in the Vietnam War, many Canadians enlisted in the US Forces and subsequently served in Vietnam.

 

And no RAF Aircrew on exchange postings with USAF units at that time?

 

This seems to be the accepted/official view on things, but stranger things happen at sea...

http://www.stephen-stratford.co.uk/gsm_1962.htm

http://www.aattv.iinet.net.au/gsm.htm

My bold in both quotes.