July 1953. Sergeant Brian Cooper (MM) of 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (2RAR), poses with a Russian PPSh-41 submachine gun he recently captured
Brian Cooper was 19 years old when he had to call down artillery onto his own position during the battle of Samichon River in July 1953.
“I reckon my luck’s been used up,” he said.
“The fire was right on top of us and the noise was horrendous … We were in weapon pits, so we ran a certain amount of risk, but not as much as the Chinese.
“We knew it was coming and we could get down, whereas the Chinese were out in the open, so they were just going to cop it.
“I had words with the great Godfather up above, and I said to him, ‘Well, if it’s going to be me, I’d like it to be quick.’
“I didn’t want to be wounded and lying around, or taken prisoner or something like that, and I said, ‘If you can, go easy on my blokes.’
“And that’s the extent of my religion.”
Brian Cooper on a field telephone at Hill 159 in May 1953.
A sergeant in command of one of four sections of 2RAR’s medium machine-gun platoon, Brian had been stationed with US Marines on Hill 111 to provide fire support and guard the western approaches to the Australian lines on “the Hook”, near the Imjin River in North Korea, when they suffered repeated artillery barrages and waves of enemy infantry attacks on the 24th and 25th of July.
“It was terrifying, I can tell you that,” he said.
“I’d called down our artillery twice during that night, and I called them a third time, but they wouldn’t come.
“As far as I was concerned, and I think the rest of my blokes were concerned, we were done for – we were history – so it wasn’t too hard to make that decision.
“You just got down in the communications trench, and hoped to God that a shell didn’t drop in next to you.”
Brian was awarded the Military Medal for his actions on Hill 111 and celebrated his 20th birthday a few weeks later.
Sergeant Brian Cooper, right, holding a bottle of beer, part of a gift parcel from the RSL, with Corporal Ron Walker, in August 1953. Both men had been involved in the defence of Hill 111.
An excellent read here:
https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/blog/brian-cooper-mm-and-the-battle-of-samichon-river-the-hook-korea