Series number

AWM305

Series title

Records of 1 Australian Reinforcement Unit - Vietnam

Contents date range

1965-1972

Extent

2.6 metres

Access conditions

Subject to the Archives Act (1983)

Agency controlling

Department of Defence

Custodial agency

Australian War Memorial

Function and provenance

1 Australian Reinforcement Unit (1 ARU) was raised in Northern Command on the 28th March 1966 and the majority of the unit arrived in South Vietnam in the following month.  On its arrival the unit was instructed by the commander of the 1st Australian Logistical Support Group (1 ALSG) to proceed to Vung Tau to set up a Staging Area for the arrival of the 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF).  Its reinforcement role was to be taken over by Headquarters Australian Force Vietnam (HQ AFV).

In December 1966 1 ARU moved to 1 ATF headquarters at Nui Dat to establish and operate a Task Force Maintenance Area (TFMA).  It was not until April 1967 that 1ARU was able to shed its logistical support tasks and resume its original function as a reinforcement or ‘holding’ unit under the command of HQ AFV.

The unit organisation usually consisted of two or three training platoons and one holding platoon of available reinforcements/replacements.  An additional training platoon was raised when required.  All reinforcements (including National Servicemen and Regular Army) for infantry battalions arriving in Vietnam from Australia were required to undergo around 21 days of training with 1 ARU before they were allocated to a unit. 

The unit was responsible for the orientation and acclimatisation of new reinforcements and ensuring that they had a thorough knowledge of the various operational techniques and weapons used in Vietnam to make them an effective member of an operational unit.  The training program included subjects such as armoured personnel carrier (APC) training, bushcraft, enemy weapons, field practice, fire support, helicopter training, health issues, range practice, signals and weapon training.  1 ARU was also allotted its own TAOR (tactical area of responsibility) at 1 ATF which was also used for patrolling exercises.

The unit was disbanded on 27 September 1971 and it returned to Australia along with other units that were being withdrawn from 1 ATF.

The records of 1 ARU were amongst the first major transfer of records relating to the Vietnam War from the Department of Defence to the Australian War Memorial which occurred between November 1981 and March 1982.  This consignment was accessioned as OW82/11.  They formed part of a large series which was designated as AWM100 in the mid 1980s when the Memorial adopted its new numbering system.

The registry cards which controlled this series of records were transferred in February 1982 and accessioned as OW82/20 and later designated AWM104.

Since 1999 Official Records staff have removed subseries from AWM100, and registered each of them as a separate series of records.  The records of 1 ARU were added to the RecordSearch database in September 2002 and the series was redesignated AWM305.

Content

1 ARU created its files to document its activities, to record events and to enable efficient retrieval for future reference.  The files in this series cover the following categories: accidents and casualties, discipline, general correspondence, equipment and supplies, finance, movements, orders and instructions, personnel, reports, supplies and training.

System of arrangement and control

The system of arrangement and control is the original Department of the Army filing system, as used when the records were created.

Registered files

Registered items have a three-part item number conforming with the Department of the Army registry classification of correspondence catalogue.  The first number represents the primary topic of the item, the second and third numbers refine the topic further.

Non registered files

Non registered items (not having registered item numbers) were given imposed numbers by the Australian War Memorial (AWM), beginning at 1 and continuing serially.  They are single numbers, not two or three part numbers like the registered items.  They retain their original titles.  Where no title was found, the AWM has imposed one that best describes the item’s contents.  All imposed information is enclosed in square brackets.

Using the series

Each item in the series is recorded on the RecordSearch database which researchers can access via the Internet.  Further assistance in finding relevant information may be gained from related series of records (click on Series Links at the bottom of this page).

The original registry cards which control this series form part of series AWM104.  They can also be accessed in the Memorial’s Research Centre.

Sources

AWM administrative file, AWM305 Series dossier

AWM95, 17/6/26, Australian Army commander’s diaries: Vietnam: 1 ARU - present role and organisation of 1Aust Rft Unit, draft report, 7 Oct 1968

AWM98, R310/2/32, Part 2, Headquarters, Australian Force Vietnam (HQ AFV): Establishments - AFV - 1 ARU

Hall, Robert A. 2000, Combat Battalion: the eight battalion in Vietnam, St Leonards, NSW, Allen and Unwin, pp 224-231