Pilot Officer Mark McGrath RAAF

[loongdavid]

January 3 marks the 45th anniversary of the death of Pilot Officer Mark McGrath Royal Australian Air Force. Mark was attempting to land his Sabre jet fighter at Ubon Ratchathani Royal Thai Air Force base when his aircraft suffered a catastrophic engine failure and it impacted the ground some 2kms from the runway. The aircraft was too low for Mark to effect a successful ejection. Mark was a member of 79 Squadron RAAF which was based at Ubon (a fact few Thais are aware) to provide top cover for the USAF aircraft that were based at Ubon and were bombing North Vietnam. Mark was the only Australian to die whilst on active service in Thailand during the Vietnam war. Lest we Forget.

[Somtamnication]

RIP.

[harrry]

I believe there were 5 Canberra bomber crew members of the RAAF that died in Vietnam too.

[harrry]

It seems the Australian Government has forgotten or tried to cover up this invovement.

http://vietnam-war.commemoration.gov.au/royal-australian-air-force/index.php

No mentio here at all.

[aveabeeror2]

I believe there were 5 Canberra bomber crew members of the RAAF that died in Vietnam too.

And a RAA F cook stabbed to death by a South Vietnam Comando.Pm if you want to know why. (He was on active service,in a way)

[loongdavid]

Although Mark has his name inscribed on the wall at the National War Memorial in Canberra, there is no mention whatsoever of his demise here in Thailand. Senior RTAF officers at Ubon were totally unaware that Australia had a fighter squadron based at Ubon during the Vietnam war.

[harrry]

Although Mark has his name inscribed on the wall at the National War Memorial in Canberra, there is no mention whatsoever of his demise here in Thailand. Senior RTAF officers at Ubon were totally unaware that Australia had a fighter squadron based at Ubon during the Vietnam war.

Was that because at the time there were officialy no forces here...only advisers or was it later. Not sure exactly when.

I thought there were some Canberras operating from Thailand too but could be wrong about that.

Edited December 27, 2013 by harrry

[loongdavid]

No harry, RAAF Canberra bombers never operated in Thailand. The closest they ever came was to Phan Rang in South Vietnam and Butterworth in Malaysia. There was never any secret about Australia having a squadron of Sabres in Thailand they just did not broadcast the fact widely. 79 Squadron were under strict instructions never to leave Thai air space and jeopardise Thai neutrality.

[krisb]

Lest we foget.

[geriatrickid]

Although Mark has his name inscribed on the wall at the National War Memorial in Canberra, there is no mention whatsoever of his demise here in Thailand. Senior RTAF officers at Ubon were totally unaware that Australia had a fighter squadron based at Ubon during the Vietnam war.

Don't be so hard on the Thais.

I doubt most US nationals are aware of the Australian presence, or that approx. 30,000 Canadians volunteered for active service in the US military with 110 KIAs during the Vietnam war.

Edited December 27, 2013 by geriatrickid

[thailiketoo]

I always heard that 4 or 5 thousand Brits served in Vietnam attached to the Australia and New Zealand forces. They had a nick name for them, British lads or London fellows or something. Maybe an Aussie or Kiwi will remembers.

http://www.nam.ac.uk/whats-on/lunchtime-lectures/video-archive/jungle-too-far-britain-vietnam-war

British SAS personnel are known to have been operating in Thailand at this time as trainers for the Thai Special Forces but it has been suggested that from there they were also able to support covert attacks onto the Ho Chi Minh trail.

One of the men who was responsible in such an operation was Sergeant Dick Meadows of 22 SAS seen here in June 1969's edition of the SAS 'Mars and Minerva' journal in a US Army uniform receiving the Silver Star for his service in Vietnam. Interestingly within 'Mars and Minerva' the caption reads as him belonging to USSF/22 SAS. There are also six SBS [special Boat Service] personnel located in Thailand at the same time.

Most of the British service personnel in Vietnam, though, weren’t serving directly in British units. According to personal recollections there is a strong suggestion that British men had been sent to Fort Dix for Nato (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) training exercises. When they arrived there they symbolically resigned from the British Army and re-enlisted in the US Army. After completing tours of duty in Vietnam, the veteran GIs reversed this process receiving discharges from the US Army and re-enlisting into the British Army.

A very interesting extract from the book 'Soldier V SAS: Into Vietnam' by Shaun Clark states: The Aussies were still working there under these appalling conditions when three members of the legendary SAS arrived secretly from Bradbury Lines, Hereford to give assistance in a major assault against the VC.’

A small unattached party of British Special Forces operators were allegedly serving with the joint Australian/American Mekong Delta river reinforce as well. SAS personnel were supposedly dispatched to serve alongside 82nd and 101st Airborne and the Australian and New Zealand SASs, and Royal Marine Commandos and SBS boatmen were serving with the US Navy Marines.

[Farma]

79 Sqn may have gone into hybernation for a few years but was not forgotten. The original Ubon crew room fridge was located, refurbished and took pride of place when the Pheonix rose from the ashes at Butterworth back in 1986.

[Nignoy]

79 sqn were good hosts to all the boys from the crown operation 100kms up country from ubon they also introduced us to the joys and bruises of Aussie Rules,lest we forget

[davidsuphan]

Not sure if Pilot Officer Mark McGarth was a member of the family who had Holden dealerships in Sydney "McGarths Holden"but I remember people talking about this family in the 70's at the Lewisham Hotel,Mark may have been who they were referring too.

Reading the posts it rang a bell,but it's a long time ago.It is these things that Make TV good to read,and to see that people like Mark,and anyone else who has served their country are not forgotten.Lest We Forget.

[loongdavid]

My understanding is that Mark came from Adelaide, South Australia, certainly his service number was South Australian. His surviving relatives still reside in South Australia.