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Warrant Officer Keith Payne V.C.Print Page Print this page

Keith Payne VC Botanical Gardens
Keith Payne VC Botanical Gardens

Photographs supplied by Diane Watson / Ian Bevege

The gardens commemorate Keith Payne, a recipient of the Victoria Cross (V.C.) during the Vietnam War. Keith Payne was born in Ingham. 

In May 1969 Payne was commanding the 212th Company of the 1st Mobile Strike Force Battalion when it was attacked by a strong North Vietnamese force. His company was isolated and, surrounded on three sides, Payne's Vietnamese troops began to fall back. Payne, by now wounded in the hands and arms and under heavy fire, covered the withdrawal before organising his troops into a defensive perimeter.

He then spent three hours scouring the scene of the day's fight for isolated and wounded soldiers, all the while evading the enemy who kept up regular fire. He found some forty wounded men, brought some in himself and organised the rescue of the others, leading the party back to base through enemy dominated terrain.

Location

Address:Jane Street, Ingham Memorial Botanic Gardens, Ingham, 4850
State:QLD
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -18.651698
Long: 146.158683
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Garden
Monument Theme:People
Sub-Theme:Military
Actual Event Start Date:03-August-1962
Actual Event End Date:01-January-1973

Dedication

Front Inscription

Keith Payne VC

Ingham Botanical Gardens

 

Source: MIV, MA
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au