Arthur returned to Australia in January 1967 and was posted as an Assistant Instructor Gunnery, Air Defence Wing, at the School of Artillery, North Head. He became the “go to” man for dealings with the Rapier Missile system which had been introduced into the RAA.
The war in Vietnam for Australians was, at this stage, winding down. 4th Field Regiment had deployed there in February 1970 and was due to return home in February 1971. 12th Field Regiment was the next Regiment scheduled to deploy. Arthur was posted to that regiment in October 1969 to prepare for deployment to Vietnam. He was posted as Battery Sergeant Major (BSM) of ‘A’ Field Battery, one of the subunits of 12th Field Regiment. This was significant change for Arthur as his service to date had been mainly with Air Defence.
Arthur deployed to Vietnam with “A” Battery in February 1971 as their BSM. Their tour was cut short with the withdrawal of Australian Forces later that year and Arthur returned home in November 1971. A practice observed by many headquarters was to name various Fire Support Bases after the name of a wife or relative of a unit member. Fire Support Base ‘Shirley’ was so named and was home to ‘A’ Battery during operations in the Xuyen Moc area.
On return to Australia, Arthur was posted on promotion to Warrant Officer Class One (WOI) and appointed Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) of 2nd Field Regiment, an Army Reserve unit based in Batman Avenue, Melbourne. Arthur was subsequently appointed RSM of 12th Field Regiment at Holsworthy in July 1972. 12th Field Regiment and 8th Medium Regiment were linked in November 1973 and Arthur became the first RSM of the now linked 8th/12th Medium Regiment. He remained there until February 1974 when he was posted to the Royal New Zealand School of Artillery as an exchange instructor. This posting was to last for nearly three years and was a most enjoyable time for Arthur and his family.
In December 1976 the Bretherton’s returned to Canberra with a posting for Arthur to Army Office in Operations Branch. Here, he worked with the Director of Artillery, then Colonel J S Humphrey, in career management for Other Ranks in the RAA. His next posting, in November 1977, ensured a further stay in Canberra when he was appointed RSM of The Royal Military College, Duntroon (RMC). Traditionally, this appointment had been given to Infantry Warrant Officers, and there were many in attendance at his first major parade to see how this Artillery Warrant Officer handled things. He passed with flying colours and went on to establish an excellent reputation as one of the College’s more noteworthy RSMs. On Australia Day, 1980, Arthur was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia, (OAM) in recognition of his services as RSM of the RMC. During 1979, Arthur and a fellow WO1, Geoff Annett were tasked with hosting the RSM of the New Zealand Army while on a visit to Australia.
In January 1981, Arthur accepted a Prescribed Service Officer (PSO) Commission to Captain. He remained in Canberra with a posting as Staff Officer Grade 3 (SO3) Ceremonial with Personnel Branch at Army Office. In August 1982 he moved to Operations Branch as the Career Advisor Artillery, working with the then Director of Artillery, Colonel R V McEvoy. Arthur then returned to RMC in a staff appointment in January 1987. After his third posting to RMC and being such a role model for staff and students alike, a street in the RMC village was named “Bretherton Street”.
Arthur’s final posting in the Army was on promotion to Major to the Soldier Career Management Agency (SCMA) in Melbourne. Arthur had served several postings in the personnel area and his appointment as a SO2 at SCMA was a fitting end to a distinguished career. Arthur discharged from the Army on 29 September 1992 after over 37 years’ service including active service in Vietnam and deployments to the United Kingdom and New Zealand. |
