Australian Victoria Cross Recipient
Major Peter John Badcoe
Unit
Australian Army Training Team, Vietnam
Born
11 January 1934 in Adelaide, South Australia
Date of action
23 February – 7 April 1967
Place
Thua Thien province, South Vietnam (now Socialist Republic of Vietnam)
Details
On 23 February 1967 Badcoe was acting as adviser to a regional force company in support of a sector operation in Phu Tho district when he monitored a radio transmission which reported the death of an American subsector adviser and the wounding of an American medical adviser. With complete disregard for his own safety Badcoe moved alone across 600 metres of fire-swept ground, attended to the wounded medical adviser and ensured his safety. He then organised a force of platoon strength and led them in a successful assault against the enemy machine-gun post near the body of the American adviser. He killed the machine-gunners in front of him, picked up the body of the dead American and ran back, over open ground still covered by hostile fire, to the regional force command post.
Died
7 April 1967, in action in Vietnam
Buried or Commemorated
Terendak Garrison Camp Cemetery, Malaysia
Current location of the VC
Australian War Memorial
More Information