🇦🇺Vietnam War Stories: Honouring the Heroes We Lost: Donald Mackenzie Bourne of New South Wales
Today we honour Major Donald Mackenzie Bourne of New South Wales.
“Born in Tamworth, News South Wales, in 1931, Bourne enlisted in the army in 1950 and attended the Officer Cadet School at Portsea, Victoria. He served in Malaya, and arrived in Vietnam with the 1st Australian Reinforcement Unit on 22 October 1966. He joined the 5th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment, in early February 1967.” – AWM
According to the Australian War Memorial Last Post ceremony: “Bourne had been a staff officer at the Vietnam headquarters of the 1st Australian Task Force, but persuaded the task force commander to give him a turn in the field. His first operation as a company commander came during Operation Beaumaris, a cordon-and-search of a small village called An Nhut in Phuoc Tuy province. The village had a strong VC influence.”
On 14 February 1967, Bourne’s C Company had carried out a preliminary check for mines in the area. He gathered his officers and senior non-commissioned officers to discuss the next phase of the operation. As the men dispersed, a member of the group triggered a well-concealed mine. The effects were devastating: Bourne and two others were fatally wounded, and five more were seriously wounded. Major Donald Mackenzie Bourne turned 36 years old that day.
Major Bourne’s body was returned to Canberra, where he had lived with his wife and four children. His funeral and Requiem Mass were held at the newly built ANZAC Memorial Chapel, Duntroon, and afterwards the coffin, mounted on a gun carriage, moved off to Woden Cemetery for the burial service.
Major Bourne was the most senior Australian Officer to perish during the Vietnam War. Lest We Forget.
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Original description and photos sourced by Virtual War Memorial Australia and the Australian War Memorial Last Post Ceremony /PAFU2013/004.01