RAA Liaison Letter 2025/2026 Edition 1 VALE IN FOCUS ON TWO GUNNERS OF RENOWN FROM A DIFFERENT ERA PATRICK JOHN (PADDY) DURNFORD, OAM 30 JANUARY 1939 – 23 JANUARY 2026 Peter Bruce, OAM Patrick, or Paddy as everyone knew him, was born at Te-Teho on the Southern Alps of the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. His early schooling was in Auckland where he lived with his brother and father after his parents’ separation. In 1952, Paddy and his brother moved to Sydney to live with his mother and sister. At the age of 14, Paddy decided he had had enough of school and left home to work on a cattle and sheep property near Mittagong in NSW. On 8th August 1956, at the age of 17, Paddy enlisted in the Australian Regular Army (ARA). After completing recruit training at Kapooka he was allocated to the RAA. He completed initial gunnery training at the School of Artillery North Head, and his first unit posting was to ‘S’ Battery of 1st Field Regiment at Holsworthy. The Battery was at that stage equipped with 4.2-inch mortars. ‘S’ Battery was renamed 102nd Light Battery in 1959 and he stayed with the Battery until 1960. In May 1960, Paddy was posted to the newly raised 4th Field Regiment at Wacol in Queensland. He was allocated to 103rd Field Battey which had been warned out for service in Malaya. On 9th October 1961 Paddy and the Battery sailed from Sydney on board the ‘MV Flamina’ and arrived in Singapore 14 days later. The Battery was then transported to Terendak Camp, near Malacca on the Malaysian Peninsula. Even though the ‘Emergency’ was officially over, the Battery was involved in anti-terrorist operations on the Thai-Malayan border. During their two-year tour, 103rd Field Battery was attached to the British Army’s 26th Field Regiment in support of a British battalion, rather than the Australian 2nd Battalion, RAR. The Battery was issued with the new 105mm L5 Pack Howitzers and was the first Australian Gunner unit to lift and transport the L5s in RAF Whirlwind helicopters. Paddy and the Battery returned to Australia in November 1963 to join 1st Field Regiment at Holsworthy. The Australian Government had committee the ADF to support US forces in Vietnam and 105th Field Battery had deployed in September 1965. 1st Field Regiment had been warned out for duty in Vietnam and Paddy, with 103rd Field Battery deployed to Vietnam in May 1966. Paddy at this stage had been promoted to Sergeant. 103rd Field Battey was one of the batteries supporting D Company 6 RAR in the action at Long Tan in August 1966. 103rd Field Battery returned to Australia in May 1967 with the Regiment returning to Holsworthy. Paddy was part of the team retraining the Battery in the use of the 5.5 inch guns and 103 became 103rd Medium Battery. During 1968, Paddy was promoted to Warrant Officer Class Two and appointed Battery Guide (BG) of ‘A’ Field Battery, a sub-unit of 12th Field Regiment. This Regiment had been warned out for deployment to Vietnam. In January 1970, 12th Field Regiment moved to Townsville to take over the barracks of 4th Field Regiment which had deployed to Vietnam. In February 1971, ‘A’ Field Battery with Paddy as BG, deployed to Vietnam. For Paddy it was his second operational deployment to Vietnam. In October/November of
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