Somalia is found in the horn of Africa and is bounded by the Gulf of Aden, the Indian Ocean, Kenya (south), Ethiopia (west) and Djibouti (north). Control of the country in recent times has been by the Arabs, the Persians, the Italians and the British. In 1960 independence was granted by Britain and Italy through the United Nations and the Republic of Somalia was established.
The President was assassinated in a military coup in 1969 and the army seized control. War with Ethiopia, civil unrest and a military dictatorship destroyed all civil and administrative functions within the country. By 1990-1991 the country was in the hands of local warlords / bandit groups who dominated by terror. Murder, robbery, rape and the rule of the gun were the weapons used.
The United Nations Security Council resolution 775 proposed the intervention of armed forces to ensure the distribution of humanitarian aid to the population. On the 14th October 1992 the Australian Government committed a Movement Control Unit (MCU) to Mogadishu. The United States (US) committed a task force of 1800 to the Mogadishu area on the 29th November 1992. The United Nations passed another resolution (794) authorizing a multi-national force lead by the US to intervene in the war torn country and establish order. This was operation “RESTORE HOPE”.
The Australian media was running with the story of 1 RAR being sent overseas and this was beginning to worry some families. The soldiers however were jubilant, as all the years of training would now pay off. The government announced the deployment on the 15th December.
1 RAR was officially warned for duty in Somalia on the 17th December 1992. The timing created some disruption with the end of the school year, some soldier’s families preparing to go on holidays and others on reposting. This was the beginning of the Christmas stand-down period for the defence services, which meant the supply system would be reduced and the Navy would also be on leave. This proved to be a major challenge, which was over come by long hours and hard work by some very dedicated people.
The HMAS Tobruk was undergoing repairs in Sydney and this had to be accelerated and her crew recalled. She sailed for Townsville on the 26th December with HMAS Jervis Bay sailing from Sydney for Townsville on the 19th December.
The battalion under command of Lt Col David Hurley, deployed to Somalia by air and the HMAS TOBRUK and JERVIS BAY with A Coy (the on line company) leaving on the 24th December. Operation Solace was part of a UN force to regain order in Somalia after a protracted period of tribal fighting which had left the country in a shambles. The Battalion group consisted of 653 from 1RAR including 56 soldiers from 2/4RAR, elements from 107Battery 4 Field Regiment, B Squadron 3 / 4 Cavalry Regiment, 17 Field Troop 3 Combat Engineer Regiment, 103 Signals Squadron, Public Relations, Battalion Support Group and Divisional Intelligence.
The advance party (CO, HQ staff) flew from Townsville on the 8th January 1993 with remainder due in country from the 15th onward. The HMAS Jervis Bay arrived on the 14th January and began unloading immediately. The first flight arrived from Australia on the 15th.
The battalion group of 900 established itself at the Baidoa Airfield in January 1993 and worked with the US 10th Mountain Division until March. The mission was to provide a safe environment for the distribution of humanitarian relief to the suffering population (Humanitarian Relief Sector, Baidoa, HRS). To achieve this 1RAR must have a secure base, make Baidoa safe, create a strong presence in the surrounding countryside and ensure the safety of the food convoys.
Aggressive patrolling and convoy protection during the next months ensured the safe passage of over 400 convoys of essential supplies to the starving population. Contact with the enemy (bandits – war lord forces) was usually fast with the response from the Australians being decisive and deadly.
During this time the battalion had contacts with Somali gunman (war lord teams) resulting in 7 enemies killed, 4 wounded and 70 taken prisoner and handed over to the Security Forces. This action also secured 935 weapons and ensured the safe delivery of over 8000 tons of aid supplies.
The experience of being exposed to the waste of human life, the murder of innocents, the lack of water and sewerage facilities and the total decay of human values was a shock to some. It was however an experience most will never forget and are wiser for it.
One member of the battalion L/Cpl Shannon McAliney died after being accidentally shot while on patrol.
1 RAR handed over responsibility to the French contingent of the UN Forces and returned to Townsville on the 22nd May 1993.
The following group of photographs (supplied by Mark Edwards) are not captioned but show the soldiers on patrol, show the people they had to deal with and shows the harshness of the country in which they worked.
The country is littered with the refuse of war including weapons, mines and wrecked vehicles.
The people are tribal, their attitude hostile and in all this the soldiers were working to maintain order and instill trust. Frustration, anger, fatigue and humour were some of the emotions felt by this force.