Reginald Roy Rattey

On 22 March 1945, Corporal Reginald Roy Rattey helped turn a stalled Australian advance on Bougainville into a successful assault by attacking heavily defended Japanese positions at close range with a Bren gun and grenades. His actions on the Buin Road became one of the notable Australian acts of gallantry of the final year of the Second World War and resulted in the award of the Victoria Cross.

Born at Barmedman, New South Wales, Rattey grew up in the Wyalong district and worked on his family’s farm and as a miner before the war. He had already served part-time in the Militia with the 21st Light Horse Regiment when he was mobilised for full-time service in September 1941. In 1942 he volunteered for the Australian Imperial Force. After later serving with a carrier unit in New Guinea, he transferred to the 25th Australian Infantry Battalion, with which he deployed to Bougainville in late 1944.

By March 1945, the 25th Battalion was engaged in difficult fighting in South Bougainville. On 22 March, Rattey was serving as a corporal with A Company when the battalion encountered a strongly defended Japanese position astride the Buin Road. Heavy fire from bunkers, weapon pits and other prepared positions halted the Australian advance and caused mounting casualties. Recognising that moving his whole section forward would expose the men to severe fire, Rattey went ahead himself. Firing his Bren gun from the hip, he closed on three forward bunker positions, used a grenade against the first, then returned through enemy fire to obtain further grenades before attacking the remaining positions. His action broke the immediate resistance and allowed the company to resume its advance.

When another Japanese machine-gun subsequently stopped the Australians, Rattey again advanced directly on the position with his Bren gun. The gun crew was driven from the post, and the Australians captured the machine-gun together with approximately 2,000 rounds of ammunition. With the obstruction removed, the company was able to continue forward and consolidate its objective. The official citation credited Rattey’s courage, cool planning and stern determination with transforming a serious tactical situation and inspiring the men around him.

Rattey’s Victoria Cross was formally recorded in The London Gazette, Supplement No. 37194, page 3857, associated with the issue dated 24 July 1945. This gazette publication should not be confused with either the date of his action or the later presentation of the decoration. Rattey subsequently attained the rank of Sergeant, the substantive rank recorded at his discharge from the Australian Army on 31 October 1945.

In 1946, Rattey travelled to Britain as a member of the Australian Victory Contingent. During the visit, King George VI invested him with the Victoria Cross at Buckingham Palace. After his military service, Rattey returned to the West Wyalong district, where he established a farming property and resumed civilian life. Rattey continued to take part in national and Victoria Cross commemorative events after the war. In 1953 he returned to London as a member of the Australian contingent for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, and in 1956 he and his wife travelled to Britain for the Victoria Cross centenary celebrations. Reginald Roy Rattey died at West Wyalong on 10 January 1986, leaving a legacy centred on the courage he displayed with the 25th Battalion on Bougainville.