Lindsay Colin Black was born in Yagoona NSW on the 7th February 1940. In November1960 at the age of twenty Lindsay enlisted in the Australian Regular Army for six years and completed 3 months’ recruit training at the 1st Recruit Training Battalion at Kapooka (near Wagga Wagga NSW). He was posted to the School of Artillery, North Head Sydney in March 1961 for training as a gun number on the 40mm Bofor Anti-Aircraft Gun. On completion of that training Lindsay was posted to 111 Light Anti-Aircraft (LAA) Battery Holsworthy NSW in June 1961. He was promoted Lance Bombardier in April 1962 and consequently promoted to Bombardier in April 1963. In August 1963 he was posted to the Army Team of Lecturers, Northern Command Recruiting Unit, Victoria Barracks, Brisbane, as a driver/film projectionist, who with a Major, travelled all over Queensland to all High Schools briefing senior students on the wonderful benefits of going to Duntroon Military Academy, Canberra, Portsea Officer Cadet School or becoming an Army Apprentice at Balcombe Victoria. Lindsay and Margaret had been going steady since he was eighteen and became engaged when she turned twenty. They were married on Saturday 17 Aug 1963 and next day drove to Brisbane where they had a week to find a flat in New Farm Brisbane before leaving her for six weeks to travel outback Queensland. They had their honeymoon two and a half years later!
Lindsay was posted to Woodside South Australia in January 1966 to assist in the raising of 110 LAA Battery, which was to replace 111 LAA Battery who were defending the RAAF Base at Butterworth, Malaysia, against Indonesian Confrontation. The Indonesian President Sukarno was violently opposed to Malaya, Sabah and Borneo uniting to form Malaysia. This unit was one of the first to receive the newly conscripted National Servicemen into its ranks (Very good soldiers according to Lindsay). Margaret who was pregnant with their first son accompanied him to Butterworth in June 1966. Russ was born at the British Army’s Minden Barracks, Maternity Hospital, Penang in November 1966.
Lindsay was promoted to Sergeant in November 1967 as a Gun Sergeant. He and his family returned to Australia in May 1969 with Margaret pregnant again with their second son. She stayed in Sydney with her mother and Lindsay returned to Woodside. Mick (he hates Michael) was born in August 1969. Lindsay was posted to 12 Field Regiment, Holsworthy, NSW, as a 105mm howitzer gun sergeant programmed to go to South Vietnam. He was not at all impressed with being a gun sergeant on the howitzers as it was all too robotic for him, so when a friend who had served with him in Malaysia, whispered that there was a vacancy in his unit as a radar sergeant, Lindsay volunteered for the job and was accepted. He knew nothing about radar at the time but in December 1969 he was posted to 131 Divisional Locating Battery as a Radar Sergeant and sent to the School of Artillery for three months to learn all about it.
Lindsay passed the course and was now a qualified Mortar Locating Radar Sergeant and in a couple of months was on his way to Vietnam, leaving Margaret and their two sons in an Army Married Quarter in Holsworthy. Fortunately, both their families were in Sydney and she had the car so at least she could get around. Lindsay served a year in Vietnam and on return to Australia was posted to 4th Field Regiment in Townsville as a Technical Sergeant in the Quartermasters (Q) Store. He didn’t like that one bit so after one year he applied to be posted back to Air Defence in Woodside or Divisional Locating in Enoggera Barracks Brisbane. His request was denied, so he wrote a submission to the Commanding Officer and told him what he thought of his Regiment and was promptly kicked out and posted back 16 Air Defence Regiment in Woodside in February 1972.
Lindsay remained a Troop Sergeant in a couple of different Troops until November 1974 when he was promoted to Warrant Officer Class 2 and put into the Battery Orderly Room as the Warrant Officer Assistant Administration. As he had War Service he was eligible for a War Service Home Loan and decided to build a house at Woodside in the Adelaide Hills. Lindsay was appointed Battery Sergeant Major (BSM) Headquarter Battery, 16 Air Defence Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery.
In November 1976 Lindsay was posted to the School of Artillery where he became the BSM of Regimental Training Wing. There were many long days and long nights but he felt a great sense of achievement in the job which lasted until December 1979 when he was promoted to Warrant Officer Class One and posted to the Land Warfare Centre, Canungra, Queensland. He was allocated as an Instructor of Military Law at the Warrant Officer Wing teaching sergeants how to become Warrant Officers.
Lindsay and Margaret enjoyed the social life and made a few lifetime friends from there. It was one of the most enjoyable postings he had, but all good things must come to an end and in December 1981 he was posted to 16 Air Defence Regiment, this time as the Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM), and the family returned to their own home.
In August 1983 he was posted to Keswick Barracks in Adelaide as the District Sergeant Major of the 4th Military District. In 1985 Lindsay gave the army six months’ notice and in November 1985 retired after 25 years’ service. With another army mate they pooled their money and bought a 44ft steel ketch with plans to sail around the world, but that’s another story.
Lindsay died in June 2008. His next story was never published.
Acknowledgements:
- Eyes and Ears Vol 8 No 11 dated 30.11.15
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