Preface to the 2008 Edition

By the Colonel Commandant, the Royal Australian Regiment

The seventeen years since the initial publication of the history of the Royal Australian Regiment have seen momentous changes, with the development of new capabilities in the battalions and their deployment on numerous operations. As a result it has been decided to republish the original book with two new chapters bringing the story up to the end of 2006. This latter period covers deployments on a wide spectrum of operations from peacekeeping to war-fighting and in far-flung locations including Somalia, Cambodia, Rwanda, East Timor, Solomon Islands, Iraq and Afghanistan. The limited scope of the book has meant that these operations can only be covered briefly and some of them, such as the commitment to Somalia, have been described in greater depth in other books.¹ But now at least we are able to put on record, and bring up to date, the broad sweep of the regiment’s activities.

To meet the publisher’s demands, the editors were required to ensure that the new edition was no longer than the original 1990 edition. They therefore needed to edit the original chapters back in length, although they have made no attempt to rewrite them. Further, to accommodate several new ‘individual views’ it was decided to delete two of the original ones. This decision in no way reflects the worth of the authors’ original pieces, but was determined by the fact that they had subsequently written excellent books of their own about their life in the regiment.² Similarly, the original appendices on RAR prisoners of war in Korea, the outline of actions earning battle honours, and unit citations have been omitted in the new edition.³

The original preface, by the then Colonel Commandant, Major General ‘Albie’ Morrison, eloquently described what the regiment means to those of us who have served before and who are now part of its wider family. I will not attempt to repeat his sentiments. Rather, I see my task as drawing attention to the present-day regiment and that generation of younger men to whom it is still home.

The two new chapters (14 and 15) describe a remarkable array of operations and commitments, many in parts of the world to which the regiment had not previously deployed. Some were mounted at extremely short notice with the attendant pressures on family and loved ones. What strikes me as distinguishing this period most from our earlier experience, however, is the sheer tempo of operations. This is particularly so in recent years and is illustrated by the fact that during 2006, every commanding officer of the then six battalions, served on an operation somewhere overseas with at least part of his battalion.

As Colonel Commandant I have had the great privilege of spending some time with the battalions of today. Certainly, they have access to a sophisticated array of equipment and capabilities which allow the modern infantryman to locate his enemy, outmanoeuvre him and destroy him if required. Their training is sound and their conduct in a bewildering array of different circumstances has been professional. But I think it is the spirit of the battalions—drawn from their history and, as from the beginning, growing out of the mateship and humour of the soldiers—which ensures they continue to cope with whatever challenges come their way.

So, the members of today’s battalions are worthy descendants of their forebears who ensure that the Royal Australian Regiment continues to do, as it always has, all that is asked of it by the nation. There is no doubt this is appreciated in an uncertain world, as seen in the recent decision to increase the number of battalions back to eight.

I have every confidence the regiment will continue to meet its challenges no matter what the future brings, by adhering to its proud motto, ‘Duty First’.

In commending this updated history of our regiment to you, I wish to thank the Army History Unit for supporting the project and for making available the services of Captain Jean Bou, who has worked diligently and with great skill to bring the new edition to fruition.

J.M. Connolly
Major General
Colonel Commandant
Kyogle, NSW