Richard Leslie Norden
Private, 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR)
- Award
- Victoria Cross for Australia (posthumous, retrospective)
- Rank
- Private all Privates →
- Unit
- 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR) all Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR) VCs →
- Date of action
- 14 May 1968, Near Fire Support Base Coral, Battle of Coral-Balmoral, Binh Duong Province, South Vietnam on this day → all of 1968 →
- Conflict / campaign
- Vietnam War
- London Gazette
- 11 November 2024 on this day → all of 2024 →
- Born
- 24 August 1948 at Gundagai, New South Wales, Australia
- Died
- 30 October 1972 at Canberra, ACT (motorcycle accident while on duty as an ACT police officer, aged 24)
- Award
- Posthumous all posthumous VCs →
- Memorial / grave
- Woden Cemetery, Phillip, Canberra, ACT. A new memorial was unveiled at Gundagai, NSW, on 14 May 2026 by the Governor-General.
- Medal held by
- Presented to the family (widow) in July 2025
- Investiture
- 15 July 2025, Rockhampton, Queensland, by Governor-General Sam Mostyn to his widow Robynn Freeman
Summary of the action
On 14 May 1968, during the fighting around Fire Support Base Coral, Norden's platoon was ambushed by North Vietnamese troops and his section commander and forward scout were both badly hit. Norden, aged 19, ran forward under fire, and when his own ammunition ran out picked up a fallen soldier's weapon, killed an enemy soldier and dragged the section commander back to safety. He went forward twice more, killing another soldier who was using the dead scout's body as cover and clearing the position with grenades so the scout's body could be recovered. He was seriously wounded. His DCM was upgraded to the VC for Australia 56 years later, the most recent VC-type award anywhere as of October 2026.
A summary in our own words; the official citation can be read in The London Gazette (link below).
Awarded after Alf's death. This entry was compiled by his family in 2026 from public sources so that the register remains complete. Sources: en.wikipedia.org, abc.net.au, victoriacrossonline.co.uk, victoriacross.org.uk, minister.defence.gov.au
Visit the grave or memorial
Alf recorded the memorial as: Woden Cemetery, Phillip, Canberra, ACT. A new memorial was unveiled at Gundagai, NSW, on 14 May 2026 by the Governor-General.
Map links open a search for the place name Alf recorded; please check opening times and exact locations before travelling. Many VC graves have since been restored by the Victoria Cross Trust.
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