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Rex Clark

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Rex Clark
Born(1935-09-14)14 September 1935
Inverell, NSW, Australia
Died19 October 1978(1978-10-19) (aged 43)
Canberra, Australia
Allegiance Australia
Service / branchRoyal Australian Engineers
Australian Army
Years of service1963–1972
RankMajor
UnitAustralian Army Training Team
Battles / warsVietnam War
Dhofar Rebellion
Awards OStJ, SM, BS(V), AM(V), JSCM, CG, LSM, AFHM, SSM, TSM
Other workAuthor of military history articles, curator at Australian War Memorial

Rex Clark (14 September 1935 — 19 October 1978) was an officer of the Australian Army and a military historian. He was the most decorated Australian serviceman to serve in Vietnam, by the number of decorations and awards received. He gained some notoriety due to his serving as a mercenary in foreign wars while on leave from the Australian Army, and consequently being awarded a number of awards for bravery. He ended his own life while being investigated in relation to the disappearance of militaria from museums and private collections.

Military service

Major Rex Clark served as a member of the Australian Army Training Team in the South Vietnam in 1963–1964. He was assigned to the Army staff in London for two years in 1968 and returned to Vietnam as project officer in the Australian Army Assistance Group Vietnam in 1972.[1][2] Clark also served secretly while attached to an American unit which was fighting in Cambodia.[3]

The Dhofar Rebellion in Oman that raged between 1962 and 1976 attracted foreign mereceneries to help fight the Marxist guerillas who were threatening the regime of the British-educated Sultan Qaboos bin Said al-Said. This war attracted soldiers with Vietnam War combat experience like Rex Clark and Keith Payne, who were recruited with other mercenaries directly into battlefield leadership roles to shore up the Sultan's regime and to help prevent the key oil-exporting Strait of Hormuz from falling under communist control.[4] Attached to the Iranian Brigade as a liaison officer Clark was wounded during a successful bid to save Iranian soldiers caught in a battle during the rebellion.[2][3]

While on long service leave from the Army in August-September 1978 he fought unofficially with Rhodesian troops against guerrilla forces.[2][3]

Decorations and awards

Major Rex Clark was the most decorated Australian serviceman to serve in South Vietnam, by the number of decorations and awards received.[5] He was also controversial for being awarded a number of foreign awards for bravery — while serving as a mercenary in foreign wars and while being on leave from the Australian Army.[6][7] Due to Australian Government policy and military regulations at that time, he was not allowed to wear these foreign decorations.[8][9]

Vietnam War

He was awarded the US Soldiers Medal for saving two wounded South Vietnamese soldiers by crawling through a minefield,[9] and the South Vietnamese Life Saving Medal for rescuing a young girl who was drowning in Da Nang harbour.[7]

Major Clark received the following Foreign Decorations and Awards during his Vietnam War service:

This feat was completed during Clark's 469 days of active service while in the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam during the Vietnam War.[1][5]

Dhofar Rebellion

While on leave from the Australian Army in 1975, he joined the Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces to fight as a mercenary against Marxist insurgents from South Yemen during the Dhofar Rebellion. While serving as a mercenary in Oman, Major Rex Clark was awarded the Sultan's Gallantry Medal (Oman) — Oman's highest military award. Clark infuriated the Australian Defence Forces by joining the army of pre-revolutionary Iran, an Omani ally, while on leave in 1975. He was awarded the Iranian Gold Medal for Valor — Iran's highest award and the only foreigner to win the award,[10] for saving Iranian soldiers caught in a battle during the Dhofar Rebellion.[2]

Other awards

In 1972 Major Clark received an Imperial award from The Most Venerable Order of Saint John (OStJ) for services to St. John Ambulance brigade.[9]

Military history publications

Major Rex Clark was respected as a military historian. He contributed to a number of military history publications[11] including Sabretache, The Journal of the Military Historical Society of Australia, and articles in the Australian Dictionary of Biography.[12]

Militaria collections scandal

Major Rex Clark was an established authority on militaria and possessed an extensive collection. In 1967 his expertise was cited in a case of counterfeit medals being sold in militaria shops in Sydney. It was claimed that he possessed the world's largest collection of military medals awarded to Australians.[13]

In April 1974 Clark was arrested by Australian Commonwealth Police in Canberra on a warrant for extradition to Britain. The extradition warrant said that Clark was accused of "conspiracy to steal, stealing, receiving stolen goods and bribery in the United Kingdom". The charges involved more than A$12,000 in goods.[14] The application for extradition was dismissed in May 1974 due to lack of evidence.[3]

Following an investigation in the disappearance of rare military relics and medals from collections and museums around the world, in 1978 Australian Commonwealth Police discovered duplicated military medals in Sydney and also recovered the original tunics of Sir John Monash and Sir Thomas Blamey, stolen from the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. Clark was implicated in their theft and was believed to have duplicated medals after borrowing them from collectors. He was suspected of keeping the originals and returning realistic-looking copies to the unsuspecting collectors.[2][15]

Clark was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head at his home in the Canberra suburb of Page, while still being under investigation.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b CLARK, Rex, Service No: 24263" on the Department of Veterans' Affairs site
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Major's death may end medals case, say police", Sydney Morning Herald, 28 October 1978
  3. ^ a b c d "OBITUARY Major Rex Clark, a fighting soldier". Canberra_Times. ACT. 22 October 1978. p. 1. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  4. ^ "'Mercenaries' who helped sustain a sultan". The Australian. 2014-01-04. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  5. ^ a b "Viet Nam - VC Recipients" published by the Blue Mountains Vietnam Veterans and Associated Forces, Springwood, Australia.
  6. ^ "Major won 'VC' while on leave", Sydney Morning Herald, 6 May 1976, p.1
  7. ^ a b "Can wear one medal, not other", Star-News, 1 June 1972, p.8
  8. ^ "Digger's bravery rewarded everywhere but at home", The Age, 5 June 1972
  9. ^ a b c "Another award for major", The Age, 15 June 1972
  10. ^ "Australian in Iran wins medal", The Age, 5 May 1972
  11. ^ List of publications at the Australian War Memorial by Rex Clark
  12. ^ List of article by Author: "Rex Clark" at the Australian Dictionary of Biography site
  13. ^ "Medals made him cross" Sydney Morning Herald, 10 July 1967
  14. ^ "Extradition of army man sought", The Age, 1 May 1974
  15. ^ "Posting on a military discussion forum". Retrieved 10 October 2014.

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