Key Dates in Australia's Military History: 1946–1949
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Private FA Dennis of Toowoomba QLD, 65th Infantry Battalion, a Member of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force, on guard with a United States soldier at the Imperial Palace, Tokyo, Japan, 2 September 1946.
(AWM 131479)
13 February 1946
Main Australian contingent of British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) arrives in Japan. During the six-year occupation of Japan, Australians serve with BCOF. Australians were preparing to leave Japan when the Korea War commenced. BCOF officiall continued until the signing of the peace treaty on 28 April 1952.
August 1946
British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) in Japan, including Australian, British, Indian, and New Zealand contingents, reaches a maximum strength of 40,326.
22 October 1946
Corporal JR Sewell, 10th Australian Bomb Disposal Platoon, BCOF, is awarded the George Medal for his rescue of Japanese survivors after an explosion in a boat carrying high explosives.
The crest of the Royal Australian Regiment
(RAR).
1947–51
Australian military observers join the United Nations Good Offices Commission (UNGOC) in Indonesia. This is Australia’s first commitment to defence personnel to a United Nations Operation.
15 September 1948–29 August 1949
RAAF crews take part in the Berlin Airlift, which brings supplies to Berlin during the Soviet blockade of the city.
23 November 1948
Formation of the Australian Regiment, which becomes the Royal Australian Regiment (RAR) on 10 March 1949.
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