Reg Saunders

Reg Saunders
Reg Saunders in 1940
Birth name	Reginald Walter Saunders
Born	7 August 1920 Framlingham, Victoria
Died	2 March 1990(1990-03-02) (aged 69) Sydney, New South Wales
Allegiance	Australia
Service/branch	Australian Army
Years of service	1940–45 1950–54
Rank	Captain
Unit	2/7th Battalion (1940–45) 3 RAR (1950–51)
Battles/wars	Second World War North African campaign Battle of Greece Battle of Crete Salamaua–Lae campaign Aitape–Wewak campaign Korean War Battle of Kapyong Battle of Maryang San
Awards	Member of the Order of the British Empire
Other work	Department of Aboriginal Affairs

Reginald Walter Saunders, MBE (7 August 1920 – 2 March 1990) was the first Aboriginal Australian to be commissioned as an officer in the Australian Army. He came from a military family, his forebears having served in the Boer War and the First World War. Enlisting as a soldier in 1940, he saw action during the Second World War in North Africa, Greece and Crete, before being commissioned as a lieutenant and serving as a platoon commander in New Guinea during 1944–1945. His younger brother Harry also joined the Army, and was killed in 1942 during the Kokoda Track campaign.

After the war, Saunders was demobilised and returned to civilian life. He later served as a company commander with the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3 RAR) during the Korean War, where he fought at the Battle of Kapyong. Saunders left the Army in 1954 and worked in the logging and metal industries, before joining the Office of Aboriginal Affairs (later the Department of Aboriginal Affairs) as a liaison officer in 1969. In 1971, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his community service. He died in 1990, aged 69.