

In 1965, the
Australian Government decided to commit an
infantry battalion to operate with the USA
and other forces in South Vietnam.
The First Battalion, The Royal Australian
Regiment (1RAR) was selected for this task.
At that time 1RAR, which was stationed at
Holsworthy, west of Sydney NSW, was
organised as a Pentropic Battalion with a
strength of 1200 men and it was necessary to
re-organise that battalion to a strength of
approximately 800 men, so that it would be
compatible with an American infantry
battalion.
The government decided to raise the Fifth
Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment
(5RAR) by transferring 400 men from 1RAR.
Some weeks before raising 5RAR on the 1st
March 1965, an administrative organisation
for 5RAR was established in Gallipoli
Barracks adjacent to 1RAR lines. This
organisation included experienced selected
officers and NCOs' who were to form the
nucleus of the new battalion. Major John
Warr was appointed to administer command of
the group and some other members including
Major John Miller, Captains Ron Shambrook,
Peter Isaacs and Ron Boxall, Lieutenants
Greg Negus, John McAloney, Daryl Lovell and
Bob Supple, WO2 Hughie Hughson and WO2 Bob
Armitage, Staff Sergeants Merv Friedolf and
Lofty Cunningham, Sergeants Brian London,
John Hush and Tassie Wass. While everyone
was disappointed that they were not going to
Vietnam with 1RAR, the morale within 5RAR
was very high and it was generally accepted,
that in all probability, that 5RAR would
eventually serve in Vietnam.
One afternoon, in the intervening period
before March ' 65, a message was received
from Army Headquarters which gave authority
to raise 5RAR. Among other matters, its
message stated that the lanyard for the new
battalion would be gold and the colours for
the battalion would be black and gold.
Whether one follows Australian Rules
football or Rugby League, black and gold
meant only one thing - "Tigers". The black
and gold Balmain "Tigers" play Rugby League
in Sydney, while the black and gold Richmond
"Tigers" play Australian Rules based in
Melbourne.
At that time ESSO, as an advertising
gimmick, had carried the phrase; "Put a
Tiger in Your Tank" and was freely giving
away black and gold striped tiger tails
which could be attached to
your
car's petrol cap. That afternoon there was a
burst of exhaust fumes as every member
allotted to 5RAR who owned a car sped to the
nearest ESSO Garage to fill up and get a
tiger tail. From that time onwards, tiger
tails where attached to cars, kitbags and to
anything, limited only by the free supply of
tiger tails. The first commanding officer of
5RAR, Lt Col Peter Oxley recognised
spontaneously what was happening within the
new battalion and in April '65, he addressed
the members of the battalion. He stated that
he had been offered a goat as a mascot, but
he thought that the type of mascot should be
one which emphasised the desirable qualities
of an infantry battalion such as
aggressiveness and courage, which were
present in a number of animals including
tigers. It was quite clear that, while 5RAR
had inherited the history and traditions of
the Royal Australian Regiment, the members
of 5RAR wanted their new battalion to be a
very special battalion and to be different
from the older battalions of the Regiment.
They recognised that to be likened to a
tiger was a very appropriate and worthy aim
in training and operations. It should be
noted that the tiger is exclusively Asiatic,
which is the area that the Australian Army
has most interest. The tiger can hunt
individually or as a team and will defend
young cubs with courage and energy.
In September 1965, Lt Col John Warr was
appointed as commanding officer and almost
immediately he was pressured by senior
officers to get rid of the tiger symbol. On
the departure of Colonel Oxley a small
silver tiger, to be known as the 'Oxley
Tiger', was presented to the battalion by
Bill Brennan who later provided similar
tigers to be named after each commanding
officer. Bill Brennan also provided a tiger
skin for the bass drum and a tigers head for
the Officers Mess. All the officers were
supplied with canes topped with a small
tigers head and tiger heads were painted on
all the unit vehicles.
The major and final exercise undertaken by
the battalion before it departed for service
in Vietnam was named 'Ben Tiger' and the
helicopter pad inside the 5RAR area in the
Task Force base in Vietnam was known as
Tiger 5. All these activities helped to have
5RAR known as 'The Tiger Battalion'.
7RAR, whose mascot was a pig, relieved 5RAR
in Vietnam in April 1967 and a presentation
was made to 7RAR of a pig painted with tiger
stripes. When the battalion was preparing to
return to Australia in 1967, Lieutenant
Colonel Warr gave the officer in charge of
the advance party, Major John Miller, a list
of tasks to be completed before the arrival
of the battalion in Sydney and these tasks
included the provision of a tiger to march
with the battalion. Major Miller was able to
arrange for Taronga Park Zoo to provide a
tiger cub to be known as Quintus. A Lance
Corporal from the advance party worked at
the zoo for a couple of weeks and became the
cub's handler. Quintus was at the wharf to
welcome the battalion home, but he was too
small to participate in the welcome home
parade and his paws were too tender to walk
on the metal roads. Quintus was enrolled in
the Army with the Regimental Number
TF005.Some months later, 5RAR arranged with
Taronga Park Zoo to contribute financially
to the upkeep of Quintus.
Queen's and Regimental Colours were
presented to 5RAR at Holsworthy on the 29th
October 1967 by the Governor of New South
Wales, Sir Roden Cutler VC. who in his
address referred to the battalion as "THE
TIGER BATTALION". The original Quintus died
in 1969 and was replaced by Quintus
Secondus. In 1974 Quintus had a litter of
cubs called Bravo, Charlie and Delta after
three of the rifle companies (at the time
Alpha Company was a training company). Later
when other cubs were born, they were named
after COs wives, e. g. Jocelyn ( Newman),
Wendy (Greenhalgh) and Lorelie (Hooper).
5RAR was linked with 7 RAR in December 1973
and Quintus was retained as mascot of the
5/7RAR (Mechanised).
Contributed by:
Roger Wainwright
John Miller
John Warr
(5RAR was reformed on the 3rd December 2006)
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