07/10/2026
Lest we Forget
🇦🇺WWII uncovered: Honouring Reg Saunders: The First Aboriginal Australian to be Commissioned as an Officer in the Australian Army
Reginald "Reg" Walter Saunders was the first Aboriginal Australian to be commissioned as an officer in the Australian Army. The son of a First World War veteran, Saunders was born in western Victoria on 7 August 1920 and brought up by his grandmother.
According to the Australian War Memorial: "Very conscious of the service of Aboriginal men during the First World War, Saunders enlisted on 24 April 1940 and, after his initial training, was sent to the Middle East as a reinforcement for the 2/7th battalion. Having survived several encounters with German aircraft in North Africa, Saunders embarked on the ill-fated Greek campaign which he, along with many others, considered a mistake. After Greece his unit fought on Crete where Saunders experienced his first close combat and was forced to remain hidden on the island for twelve months after the German victory."
"After escaping Crete in May 1942, Saunders returned to Australia before rejoining his battalion in New Guinea - now as a Sergeant. He fought through the Salamaua Campaign, remaining in action with the 2/7th until mid-1944 when his commanding officer nominated him for officer training. After a 16 week course, Saunders was commissioned in November 1944 and returned to New Guinea."
"For the remaining months of the war, Saunders fought as a Platoon Commander in New Guinea. He was in the Wewak area when the war ended and was repatriated to Australia to a welcome tinged with sadness for his younger brother Harry who had been killed in action in New Guinea. Saunders sought work in the city and, for the next five years, worked as a shipping clerk and, later, a builder's labourer."
"When the Korean War began he returned to the Army, leaving his wife and three daughters behind. In Korea, Saunders served as a Captain in the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment and fought at Kapyong. On returning from Korea, he was posted to National Service Training but, dissatisfied with the training regimen, he left the Army in 1954 and found work as a logging contractor in Gippsland. He then moved to Sydney and, for the next 11 years, worked with the Austral Bronze Company."
"In 1969 Reg Saunders was selected to be among the first Aboriginal Liaison Officers for the Office of Aboriginal Affairs, which became the Department of Aboriginal Affairs. Devoted to those he had served with, he was a man of dignity and good humour who remained committed to the advancement of his people."
"His community work was recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours of June 1971 when he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). In July 1985 Reg was appointed to the Council of the Australian War Memorial, and held this position until his retirement. On 11 November 2015 the Australian War Memorial's Western Gallery and Courtyard were renamed in Saunders' honour. These were the first sections of the Memorial to be named after any Australian."
Reg Saunders passed away on 2 March 1990 in Canberra and was cremated with Anglican rites. His ten children survived him. The AWM holds his medals and his portrait by Pamela Thalben-Ball. In 1992 the RSL established a scholarship in his name for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women.
Captain Saunders was 69 years old at the time of his passing. Please take a moment to join us in honoring Reg for his lifetime of service. Lest We Forget.
Description and photo sourced by The Australian War Memorial Collection/057894/083166/P01813.703 and Fifty Australians AWM 7 December 2020 (Fair Use Photo)
