Keith Payne
| Keith Payne | |
|---|---|
| Born |
30 August 1933 Ingham, Queensland |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Service/branch | Australian Army |
| Years of service | 1951–75 |
| Rank | Warrant Officer Class II |
| Unit |
Royal Australian Regiment Australian Army Training Team Vietnam |
| Battles/wars |
Korean War Malayan Emergency Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation Vietnam War Dhofar Rebellion |
| Awards |
Victoria Cross Member of the Order of Australia Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Silver Star (United States) Cross of Gallantry (Vietnam) |
| Other work | Counselling sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder |
Keith Payne, VC, AM (born 30 August 1933) is an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest decoration for gallantry "in the presence of the enemy" awarded to members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces. Payne's VC was awarded due to his actions during the Vietnam War. Aged 83, he is the last living Australian recipient of the original "Imperial" Victoria Cross.
Keith Payne was born at Ingham, Queensland, on 30 August 1933, the son of Romilda (Millie) Hussey and Henry Thomas Payne. He attended Ingham State School and later became an apprentice cabinet-maker. Dissatisfied with working as a tradesman, Payne joined the Australian Army in August 1951 and, after brief period in the Citizen Military Forces (CMF), was posted to the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment in September the following year.
Payne served with his unit in the Korean War from April 1952 to March 1953. He married Florence Plaw, a member of the Women's Royal Australian Army Corps, in December 1954, and was promoted to corporal the following year. Payne served in Malaya with this unit and in 1965, now a sergeant, he joined the 5th Battalion. In June 1965, by now a Warrant Officer Class II, Payne was a fieldcraft instructor on the staff of the Officer Training Unit, Scheyville, established to commission national servicemen. In February 1967 he was posted to Papua New Guinea where he served with the 2nd Battalion, Pacific Islands Regiment. He remained there until March 1968 when he returned to Brisbane. On 24 February 1969 he was posted to the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV).
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