Series number

AWM 307

Series title

Records of Australian Force Vietnam Education Section (AFV Edn Sect)

Contents date range

1966 - 1972

Extent

0.36 metres

Access conditions

Subject to the Australian Archives Act (1983)

Agency controlling

Australian War Memorial

Custodial agency

Australian War Memorial

Function and Provenance

Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War lasted over ten years from 1962 to 1973.  At its peak the Army’s commitment to Vietnam stood at a Task Force consisting of three infantry battalions and supporting arms, a logistic support group (1 ALSG) and the Australian Army Training Team attached as advisors to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. 

As it had been agreed that army personnel serving in Vietnam should have similar educational and advancement opportunities as those serving in Australia, in May 1965, approval was given for an Army Education Officer (a captain) to join the Australian Army Force Vietnam (AAFV).  The first Australian Army Certificate of Education 1 and 2 intensive courses were conducted in Bien Hoa in early July 1965 for 1 RAR and support personnel.

As needs soon became apparent, the education officer was joined by one, then two more education officers (lieutenants), and soon after by non-commissioned officers and other ranks to fill the roles of assistants, clerk and driver.  Between 1965 and 1967 the unit expanded to seven members.  By 1969 education personnel had increased to eight, including one captain (officer commanding and education officer), two lieutenants (education officers), one sergeant (clerk), 1 private (driver) and three sergeants or warrant officers (educational instructors).  In 1972 this reduced to six; three officers and three other ranks.

The unit was first known as 1 ALSG Education Centre, by March 1967 as 1 ALSG Education Section, and finally, by July 1967 as Australian Force Vietnam Education Section (AFV Edn Sect).  It retained this name until the section was withdrawn from Vietnam in March 1972.  The section was based at Vung Tau with 1 ALSG.

Although the provision of courses for Australian personnel remained the central aim of the section, there were pressures at all levels to extend courses for English language teaching to Vietnamese children and adults.  These were introduced together with language courses in Vietnamese for Australian officers and men.

The section developed training centres in Vung Tau and Nui Dat, providing a central library, classrooms and study facilities.  They also provided a counselling service for those wishing to pursue their initial education under the Services Vocational and Educational Training Scheme. The introduction of national servicemen into the force in 1966 called for the development and provision of information services on repatriation and resettlement benefits for discharging national servicemen which became a substantial commitment.  Additional to its own tasks, the section also assisted 1 Australian Civil Affairs Unit providing professional advice on teacher training and methods of instruction, and teaching English to Vietnamese school children.

The records of the AFV Edn Sect were among the major transfer of records relating to the Vietnam War, which occurred between November 1981 and March 1982, from the Department of Defence to the Australian War Memorial.  They formed part of a larger series which was designated as AWM100 in the 1980’s.  Since 1999 Official Records staff have removed subseries from AWM100 and registered each of them as a separate series of records.  The records of AFV Edn Sect were added to the RecordSearch database and the series redesignated AWM 307.

Contents

AWM 307 contains the records created and maintained by AFV Edn Sect during its service in Vietnam.  Much of the series is paper files and documents and consists of a variety of records concerning the operations, management and administration of the Unit in Vietnam.

Results of the Army First Class Certificate of Education Second Series 1970 might be of special interest for some researchers.  Refer Item R284/2/1 Part 1 which includes examination papers, results and examiners comments.

Services to discharging national servicemen were provided by the unit.  Refer Item R556/1/2, National Service Vocational Training Scheme, which outlines details of conditions relating to eligibility for training, nature of the training to be provided and the extent of benefits for trainees.

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.  AWM307 contains registered records.  The registered records have a three-part number conforming to the Department of the Army Registry Classification of the Correspondence Catalogue.  The first number represents the primary topic of the item, the second and third number refines the topic further in particular the third number representing the sequential file number for the record subject.  Item numbers are preceded by the letter ‘R’.

Using the series

The original extent of the section’s recordkeeping is not known, however it is likely to have produced more than the mere nineteen files now extant over the eight years they were in Vietnam.  It is therefore assumed that the section created many more files but these were probably culled either before leaving Vietnam or upon their return to Australia.

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).

Series AWM98 (records of HQ AFV) and AWM116 (records of HQ 1 ALSG) contain several items relating to AFV Education Section and army education in general.  Series AWM314 (records of 1 Australian Civil Affairs Unit) may also be of interest because of that unit’s educational role.

Sources

AWM administrative file, AWM307 series dossier