Boorowa remembers its Korean War servicemen

Korean Veterans' Day falls on 27 July, marking the anniversary of the armistice that ended fighting in the Korean War in 1953. The Boorowa district can count at least four of its own among the almost 18,000 Australian soldiers, airmen and nurses who served. The Korean War began on 25 June 1950, when North Korean forces invaded South Korea. Australia was one of 21 nations to send military forces under the United Nations Command to support the south. Fighting formally ended on 27 July 1953, when an armistice was signed, though some Australian personnel remained in Korea as part of a peacekeeping force until 1957. Sergeant Archibald Frederick Timms. PHOTO: Boorowa War Memorial Of the almost 18,000 Australians who served, 340 died, more than 1216 were wounded and 29 became prisoners of war. The Korean War is sometimes called the "forgotten war", coming as it did between the Second World War and the Vietnam War. Boorowa's contribution to that conflict is recorded on the town's war memorial, which lists four local men who served. Corporal Hilton Walter Apps, service number NX504664, was born at Rugby, NSW, on 14 March 1928. He served with the Australian Ancillary Unit Korea from February 1953. Private John Robert Crawford, known as "Jacko", service number 7400028, was born in Boorowa on 9 September 1932. A labourer educated in the district, he served with the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR), from May 1953. Crawford returned home to Boorowa, where he lived until his death in May 1995. He is buried in Boorowa Cemetery. Private William Noel Miller, service number 23201, was born in Boorowa on 18 June 1930. He served with the British Commonwealth Occupation Force before his Korean War service, which began in May 1951. Sergeant Archibald Frederick Timms, service number 2992, was born in Boorowa on 21 July 1921. Like Miller, he served with the British Commonwealth Occupation Force before his Korean War service, which began in April 1952. Private John Robert Crawford. PHOTO: National Archives Australia All four names stand alongside those of Boorowa men who served in other conflicts on the town's war memorial, a reminder of how deeply the district's history is bound up with the nation's. The Boorowa community is encouraged to mark Korean Veterans' Day on 27 July. No photograph of Private Miller has yet been found, and we would like to hear from anyone who may have one, along with anyone holding further photographs, letters or recollections of these four servicemen, so their stories can be more fully told.