Militaria

Lot 331    SESSION 1 eSALE ONLINE ONLY (MON 20TH NOV CLOSE FROM 9.30AM)    Militaria

Estimate $100
Bid at live.noble.com.au

AUSTRALIA, pewter beer tankard, base stamped, "Kirra" Pewter, by Pewter Products P/L, Melbourne, Australia, one side inscribed, 'Presented to/Lt. Col. C.H.A.East MBE/Second Commanding Officer/by the/Officers 4 RAR/8th Jan. 68'. Needs cleaning, a few bumps, otherwise very fine.

Ex Warwick G. Cary Collection.

17512 Colin (Hubert) Alan East, RA Infy, born 16Jun1921 at Waverley, Sydney, NSW; WWII Service: 17512 (420121, QX4535); Enl.08Nov1938 at Brisbane, Qld; served in Middle East and Borneo; Vietnam War Service: Official Duty (from Army HQs, Canberra) 08Jun-11Jul1965 and 25Jun-30Jun1966; Disch.29Feb1976; joins Department of Foreign Affairs; transfers to Department of Veterans' Affairs in 1982; retires in 1986 and serves as Life Governor of the Royal Australian Regiment Foundation, President of the Australia-Papua New Guinea Friendship Association, President of the Royal United Services Institution of NSW and Vice-President of the Royal Commonwealth Society; Died at his home 07Dec1999.

In 1964 Lt-Col East was the first Australian and the first foreign student to attend the Indonesian Army's Command and Staff College (Seskoad) in Bandung. He joined the Army in 1938 as a Private and served in World War II and was severely wounded at the Battle of Tobruk. The balance of his WWII service was in Darwin and as company commander in the 2/9th Infantry Battalion in the 1 July landing at Balikpapan. He also served with BCOF (awarded MBE) and in the Korean War. He completed the Australian Staff College in 1955 and 1957 and also attended the University of Melbourne where he studied the Indonesian language and culture. He was posted to the 28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade in British-Malaya from the end of 1957 (awarded MID). On 11 November 1966 he became Commanding Officer 4RAR at Terendak Garrison, Malacca, Malaya and the unit was part of the British Commonwealth Far East Strategic Reserve. In 1968 he was promoted to Colonel and appointed as Commanding Officer of 1 Recruit Training Battalion. It appears that the above tankard was presented to him when he was leaving 4RAR to take command of the Training Battalion. Lt-Col East's contribution to Australia-Indonesia relations is recognised to this day by the annual Colin East Award Study Visit which recognises the importance of people to people links between the Australian Defence Force and the Indonesian National Armed Forces.