Donald MacKenzie Bourne (1931 - 1967)

Biography

Donald MacKenzie Bourne was born on 14th February 1932 in Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia. ^[1]

Donald married Gabrielle Jean Eveston in 1957 in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales. ^[2]

Donald was commissioned in the Australian Regular Army. On 22nd October 1966, he deployed to South Vietnam and was posted to the 1st Australian Reinforcement Unit. On 8th February 1967 he was posted to 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (5RAR) as a company commander. ^[3]

Just six days later, along with his second-in-command Temporary Captain Robert Milligan he was killed in action on 14th February 1967 during a patrol at An Nhut, near Dat Do, Phuoc Tuy Province. A 'friendly' booby trap set by the South Vietnamese to stop Viet Cong incursions had been tripped. It was Donald's 35th birthday. ^[4]

Donald Mackenzie Bourne's name is located at panel 5 in the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra and at Woden Cemetery, Phillip, Australian Capital Territory. ^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ ascertained from service records, although one gives his birth year as 1931 and another as 1932
2. ↑ New South Wales Marriage Index #26422/1957
3. ↑ Department of Veterans' Affairs nominal roll: 23916 Major Donald Mackenzie Bourne; accessed 9 Mar 2023
4. ↑ Ham, Paul. Vietnam: The Australian War. HarperCollins, Sydney, 2008. ISBN 978-0-7322-8780-1
5. ↑ Australian War Memorial roll of honour: 23916 Major Donald Mackenzie Bourne; accessed 9 Mar 2023