Raymond Lewis Burnard

1930 - 2026

Ray Burnard was born in Wadhurst, Sussex, located in Southern England on the 20th of January 1930. He was too young to serve in the Second World War, but always held ambitions to become a soldier. In 1948, he wanted to attend the Royal Military College Sandhurst but was having difficulties with his application. At the same time, his parents were attempting to migrate to Australia. This ended up being fortuitous for Ray, as whilst at Australia House, he was informed that he could easily apply to the Royal Military College Duntroon. Excited by the prospect, he did so and was soon accepted into the college.

After a long voyage south, the Burnard family arrived in Sydney. Almost immediately, Ray was sent to Canberra where with in a week he had commenced his early training at Duntroon. It was usually a four year course, as the Korean War was well underway, those not interested or able to acquire the degree that came with the longer course could graduate after only 18 months. This was mainly due to the high turnover of junior officers in the field. As a result, Ray graduated in 1951 and began infantry specific training. Ray was assigned to K Force and was sent to Japan to undergo further training. From here, he was attached to 3RAR and sent to join them, arriving in Korea on the 4th of February 1953.

Upon reaching 3RAR, he was assigned to command a platoon in A Company, though at some point transferred to D Company. Whilst in A Company, he learnt the basics of patrolling, as well as serving with Platoon Sergeant Rayenor Simpson, who later went on to receive the Victoria Cross in Vietnam. However, the most intense action Rays war came in March.

On the 17th, another incident occurred ahead of 3RAR’s positions. In an effort to combat the ongoing issue of poorly maintained minefields, the Battalion decided to send forth a mapping party to gain the outline of the minefield so that new wire could be laid. This party was led by Ray and consisted of his platoon signalman and a sapper from the Special Company. They moved forward just after midnight and began the difficult task of mapping the land in the pitch-black darkness. All was going well until, looking down at his map, Ray realised he had strayed into the minefield. The three men froze; it was a miracle they were alive at all. With the sapper leading the way, they began the slow crawl up the slope towards UN Lines. All men made it out safely, though it had taken a long time to do so. By then, the sun was starting to rise and they needed to get back to friendly lines. The three men made their way up the slope as silently as they could, but the silence was shattered by the echoes of gunfire. Shockingly, this fire came from the direction they were heading towards, their own lines. The sapper and radio man dropped, and so to did Raymond, though he was too slow. The rounds came from a Bren Gunner manning the line, and the single burst sent three bullets into the lieutenant. Two of them ricocheted off the steel plates of his flak vest, though the third hit the heavy metal zipper, deflected upwards and went straight through Raymonds throat. He fell backwards. However, by the second miracle of that night, the round had failed to hit any vital arteries in his throat, nor his spine. The two men called out for the fire to cease, though the commotion led to return fire from the Chinese. It didn’t take long for word to filter to the battalion what had happened, and soon a white flag was raised from the UN lines and a small group of soldiers emerged carrying a stretcher. The stretcher team was headed by Warrant Officer Jack Morrison, and they moved down the eerily silent slope. Morrison later described the feeling of “2000 eyes watching them move”. The stranded Australians were retrieved and bought home. Burnard was evacuated via helicopter to a near by MASH, and then sent on to better care in Japan. He made a full recovery over the coming months and actually returned to duty in Korea after the signing of the ceasefire.

After returning to his Battalion in early September, Ray carried out garrison duties with the other UN forces who remained in Korea to ensure the ceasefire. His tour of duty ended on the 16th of February 1954, and he returned to Australia. From here, Ray remained in the Army. In 1957, a new special company was formed which asked for volunteers to act as guinea pigs in its infancy. This was the Special Air Service Company (SAS). Modelled of the British unit of the same name, this would be a highly trained special forces unit. Ray volunteered and was posted to the unit as its second in command. Over the next two years he helped to train the first recruits and to mould what would become one of the most effective formations in the world. After leaving SAS, he continued to gain rank and experience and even went abroad where he studied in the UK and Pakistan at their respective staff colleges.

In 1978, Ray received a promotion to Brigadier, and took command of 3rd Brigade in Townsville, Queensland. Following this, he took up his final posting with the Australian Army when he took command of the Command and Staff College at Fort Queenscliff in Victoria. Following retirement, He moved to Bowral, NSW, where he lived in a local retirement village until his passing in late 2025.

Photography by Tae Yun. Courtesy of the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Sydney. 

FURTHER INTERVIEWS