It was just five years after the world witnessed the deadliest conflict in history and its citizens were reeling at the catastrophic human loss that had occurred, yet we were set to send troops to fight on foreign soil again.
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On June 25, 1950, North Korea sent shock waves across the globe when it crossed the 38th Parallel, invading South Korea and sparking hostilities that continue today despite the war formally suspended with the signing of an armistice on July 27, 1953.
Initially, the United Nations were surprised and unprepared, but they quickly rallied a multinational force, led by the United States, to defend South Korea from the Communist aggressors.
Fortunately, the Soviet Union boycotted the meeting at which the UN Security Council passed the Korean resolution, so it was unable to wield its power to veto, as Russia regularly does today.
Australia would send 17,000 Navy, Army and Air force personnel to Korea before the war’s end.
China, who experienced their own Communist revolution just a year prior, came to the aid of their North Korean comrades.
The Soviet Union, a Communist stronghold since 1917, also assisted the North.
In 1952, Daryl Dyson was a young man, discontented with the mundane nature of day-to-day life in 1950s Australia.
He was working night shift, operating the telephone switchboard in Kempsey, but this failed to satisfy his hunger for excitement.
So, at 20-years-old he volunteered to serve as a member of the Royal Australian Navy.
“Many had to join because stable work was scarce in the Kempsey area and it was a good job, but I just wanted an adventure,” Mr Dyson said.
“I didn’t even know where Korea was.”
Utilising some of the skills he possessed already, Mr Dyson was to enter the Royal Australian Navy as a Communications Operator with the rank of Telegraphist.
After completing initial training in handling small arms and rifles, he spent roughly a year preparing, learning Morse code, cryptography and familiarising himself with communications equipment, before receiving word that his anti-submarine destroyer, the HMAS Arunta, was to embark to Korea.
In January 1954, the Arunta sailed for the Far East.
“We were essentially a peacekeeping force,” he said.
“We went in after the Armistice, but it was still a war-like situation.
“We mainly conducted surveillance patrols between the islands and the area near the 38th parallel.
“At night time, we weren’t allowed any lights on, no smoking or anything that might give away our position.
“Normally, we would take four hour shifts, with a two hour split shift in the afternoon, but you would end up doing about 15 hours per day.
“In the radio rooms the work was continuous.
“We were constantly sending and receiving messages, mainly in Morse code.
“On the rare occasions that the ship engaged in bombardments, I was down below locked in the radio rooms.
Mr Dyson remembers the brutally cold conditions faced by ANZAC troops who served in Korea.
“It got to about minus 20 degrees celsius in the Winter.
“It was so cold that the steel bars on the railings of the ship were covered in ice that was about an inch or two thick.
“The guys in the military were poorly equipped, but they did give us an extra blanket, which was a big deal.
“So when you slept, you would have your flannelettes, as many layers of clothing as you could get your hands on and two blankets.”
With its base in Japan, the Arunta operated as one of the Allied units of the Korean Patrol until returning to Sydney in September 1954 to refit.
She spent the first four months of 1955 in home waters, before setting sail in mid-May, with Mr Dyson aboard once again, to take part in a little-known conflict termed the Malayan Emergency (June 1948 – July 1960),
The Arunta spent five months total in Malaya acting as a deterrent to further Communist aggression, with that time split by two months in Hong Kong, participating in patrols and exercises as part of the British Commonwealth Far East Reserve.
Mr Dyson says he built lifelong friendships during his service.
“In the navy we’re all sailors, so we have the same things in common.
“We had hammocks, side-by-side.
“We all knew each other’s personal stuff.
“If someone received a Dear John letter, we all heard about it.
“We passed the time playing Mahjong, it was like a drug.
“Unfortunately, most of my mates are gone now.”
Mr Dyson believes the respect and bond that exists between ANZAC troops extends to all members of the Defence force.
“I don’t know how to put it into words.
“ANZAC day means a lot to me.”
“I have a son in the services and three uncles who fought in the first World War.
“Two of them didn’t come back.”
340 Australians lost their lives in the Korean war, with 1216 wounded and 29 becoming prisoners of war.
Shockingly, when Australian personnel returned from the Far East, they were shunned by a Returned and Services League that was preoccupied aiding WWII vets.
“The RSL wouldn’t accept us as members for a number of years.
“It made me feel pretty crook, they didn’t want anything to do with us.
“One of the reasons it’s the forgotten war is when we got back they were more or less just supporting WWII guys.”
The Korean war would become known as the forgotten war for two more reasons.
Firstly, because it occurred so soon after WWII (September 1, 1939 – September 2, 1945), but was arguably less impactful on the inhabitants of Allied nations.
Secondly, because the conflict between North and South Korea continues today, with the border at the 38th Parallel the scene of constant posturing and bickering.
Despite being dubbed the forgotten war, the brave men and women who fought in Korea, will not be forgotten.
Lest we forget.