Phillip
Moon, Butterworth
1971.
The
majority
of
the
Mad
Galahs
are not
the
great
Australian
larrikins as
depicted in
George Mansford's
book, they
are
failed servicemen,
misfits,
morally
bankrupt
frauds,
abusive conspiracy
theorists
and
wannabes.
Here
is another
example.
The
crazy
element
of
the
Mad
Galahs all
have
peccadilloes
in their kit bags.
This
report is about an
occasional
Mad
Galah who claims to
have
served
for 16
years with the
RAAF
and
during that time gave
some
very
remarkable
service for
Queen
and country
as a
junior Airman whilst on
holidays
(Covert
Mission) in
Butterworth
Malaysia.
Phillip
Moon
of
Bundaberg
Queensland
is
the
artful
dodger
who
writes with great flare
and
little truth. In
communications with the Mad Galahs
he has given two
accounts of
heroic
exploits
near
the
Butterworth
airbase
in
Malaya in
1971.
Here
are
Moon's
two
stories
together
with
comments
from
other
Mad
Galahs distributed
by
their
mailman
Allen J
Petersen. The
stories
are
long
winded and Fergus
tried to
remove
some paragraphs for brevity,
but
found
them
so enthralling
couldn't
do
so.
Aye
Fergus
From:
Phillip Moon
Sent:
Saturday,
29
March
2008
3:43
PM
Subject:
Message
from
Phillip
Moon
Hi
Allen and
everyone,
You
may
have
seen a
number
of
reports,
statements,
motivational
advice
remarks
etc
that
I have
made over a
long time, yet
you don't
really know
who I am.
Basically
I
would like you
all to know
some
basics about me.
Please look at
my
website as
I may
be able to help not only
yourselves
but
your family
as
well?
I
joined
the
Air
Force
on the
20th
February 1970
as
an
Equipment
Clerk,
I underwent
all the
same training as everyone
else, to
prepare to go to
Vietnam.
After
rookies
and
being
spat on, pies thrown at
me,
drinks poured over
me and bashed
up,
we were
instructed
by the
Officer Commanding RAAF Base
Edinburgh
to not wear
our
uniforms
outside of the base and
to
wear
hats, so that
we wouldn't
attract
attention.
That
shitted
me
off
right
from
the
start,
here we
were
(me
especially as I was
an
Adult
volunteer, who walked
into
the
Brisbane Recruitment
Office
to
proudly join
up and to
defend
this country on the
encroaching
enemy from the North),
then to
be
treated this way by the
people
we were
supposed
to be
protecting,
really
hit
all of
us
recruits
hard.
I
was
posted
to
RSTT
Wagga at
Forest
Hill
and
began
my
training as an
Equipment
Clerk,
which I completed
at the
end of the year. My first
posting
was to RAAF
Base
Central
Store at
Williamtown near
Newcastle,
where I had
ex-Vietnam
veterans,
suffering from
PTSD,
plus
injuries
working
beside me. I wanted
to go
over
to
participate, like my
Dad
did
during
the
Korean War in the
R.A.N.
and
my
Uncles did
in WWII,
who were both
killed.
My
luck
wasn't
with
me at
all,
I
was
told
to
get
ready
to go
over, go down to
medical and
get my booster shots and
pack
up
my
cabin
trunk
and
duffle
bag, as I
was
leaving
within
three
days. On the day
before, I was
told
that
I
wasn't
going
over
anymore
as
another
chap with
additional
qualifications
was going
over
instead.
That
really upset
me,
so I
applied for an Indulgence
passage
to
Butterworth,
which
came
through
in
1971.
In
the
three
weeks
I
was
there
I
was
asked
to
go
on
a
covert
mission and
one
day
the
opportunity
was
there, so I
went
with
the
Malaysian Army
convoy
inland from
Butterworth,
to
check
out
the
safety
zones for the
base.
About
thirty
kilometres
from
the base we came under fire
from
communists (we had
two jeeps up
front, an
APC, then two
jeeps in the
rear. I
was in the rear jeep
and a
round hit the car
about an
inch
from
my
head.
However
the young bloke in the
front
as the
passenger
froze
and I
quickly
grabbed his SLR
and
saw a
bloke run
behind a
coconut palm
and then
noticed another
chap
do
the
same
behind the
same
tree.
Phillip Moon, Butterworth 1971.
About thirty kilometres from the base we came under fire from communists (we had two jeeps up front, an APC, then two jeeps in the rear. I was in the rear jeep and a round hit the car about an inch from my head. However the young bloke in the front as the passenger froze and I quickly grabbed his SLR and saw a bloke run behind a coconut palm and then noticed another chap do the same behind the same tree.
I didn't have to wait long before one put his head around to see if the coast was clear, so I fired and he went down, so the second one panicked and as he started to run, I fired again and he went down, then behind a pile of fallen trees, I didn't see a third bloke until he jumped up and ran, so I fired hitting him in below the left shoulder blade and down he went.
As the firing finished the Officer came up to us and asked if we were ok and I said I was ok, while the others were also talking. Just then an army chap called out that three communists were over on my side of the jeep about thirty yards away and two had been shot in their heads and one through the heart also through his back. I just sat there very quiet and said that this bloke in the front was a great shot, but that lie didn't last long, as the officer looked at me and said, this is his first trip out here and he couldn't hit a barn if the barrel was leaning against it, so all eyes focused on me. So I said, so I got angry having somebody shooting at me!
Of
course
when
I
came
back to
Australia I
told
the
Squadron
Leader who
asked me
to
go
on
a
mission in
the
first
place,
but
nothing is
written
down about
it,
accept
my
old
passport,
which has my
arrival
and departure dates. I had
been
warned
that it was still
dangerous up
there
in
1971
and
to
watch
out all
the time.
Mirages were
still
taking off and
dropping bombs
on communist
sites only a
hundred
kilometres away
from
Butterworth at that
time.
I decided that just sitting behind a desk writing supply demands and arrivals, was a bit boring so I remustered to the Air Defence Mustering and was posted to No 1 CRU at Brookvale, then after the training, to No 2 CRU at Lee Point near Darwin. In November 1973 Gough brought in the amnesty and I decided to get out and do a Flight Service Officers course in Melbourne for DCA in those days.
I waited for seventeen months without an answer, so I re-enlisted on the 10th April 1975 as a Supplier (Stores person) and was posted to No 2 Stores Depot, Regents Park in Western Sydney. Upon arrival I was asked to be transferred to the Ground Equipment Maintenance Squadron at Villawood. I remained in those two areas until I was posted to Base Squadron Central Store Amberley Queensland.
However
during
my
stay
at
Regents
Park, I
attended the
Granville
Train
Crash on the
18th
January 1977,
as a
party of a small convoy
of
trucks
to
remove
all the body
bags to
Lidcombe or
Parramatta hospital.
After only one
trip to
Lidcombe
morgue, we
carried four
adult bodies
and a
young
girl who
had been
cut
in half, which
affected
both of us
so much that we
drove straight back
to base
and handed the
truck over.
We were
then told to go
straight
back to work, not to
go to
medical for any
counselling
like
they do
today.
All I did was sit on a seat all day at the back of the store listening to a concrete pipe breakage testing unit as it went on and on banging and crashing through pipes to see what pressure they could withstand.
Within
three
days
I
went
into
a 29
year
memory
loss
period
and
have only came out
of it
about
a
year ago. I am now hoping
that
a
claim I
put
in for
PTSD
is
approved,
due to the
constant
nightmares and daydreams I
have
almost every
night!
As
a
Supplier
I
began
handling
chemicals in
1975
and
never
stopped
handling
them
until I
got out of the
Air
Force on
the
9th April
1987.
Not
once
in
those
years
was
I
presented with a pair
of
gloves,
protective
coveralls,
facial
safety
equipment, side splash
units for safety head
wear,
nor even
a pair of
over shoe
protectors. So
now I suffer
numerous
conditions,
plus my
wife suffers
conditions
as
well, due
to her handling my
work
clothes and
the chemicals
staying
in
the
washing
machine
ready
to
contaminate any
other
clothes
that went
in.
Ok
I
have
explained
all
about
that
so
you
have an
idea
about
me,
so
if you
do
want
to
pass
on the
names of chemicals
you used
in the
service or civy
Street,
cosmetics your
wives or
girlfriends use, which
includes your
daughters,
to
see
if
they are
putting poisons
on
themselves,
please feel
free
to
contact me on my
website, as
that's
all I can do
now,
after
handling the SR51
sealant for the
F-111's at
Amberley, so by
offering
to look up
sites and
passing
information on
to
people free
of charge, I still feel
as if I am
doing
something to help
people.
We
were
never
able
to
have any
children,
thanks
to the
SR51,
but the Air Force
don't care
about us, even admitting
that
they were fully liable for
poisoning
us, accepting
the
full
health study and stating we
were going to receive
compensation after
Christmas 2004, not one cent has
arrived
yet.
But
hopefully
the
new
Government
may
be able
to
change
things
around for
us
all?
Right
everyone
cheers
for
now
and
don't
be
afraid to
pass
on
Chemical names for me
to
place
on
my
site
please?
Cheers
for
now,
Phillip
Moon
–
Before
you
read
the
next
moon
adventure a
friend of mine donated
the
following
information to assist
in
this
matter:
"Hello Fergus,
I
have
been
observing
the
comments
of
various
mad
galahs
regarding
their
alleged
Military
Service.
I
was
deeply
dismayed
and
dumbfounded to
see a
Phillip
Moon
make statements in
2008
regarding his alleged service
at
RAAF Butterworth in 1971.
This
base at
this time was in
the
process of being handed over to
the
Malaysian Government
and the
RMAF had a large
presence on
the
base.
Phillip
Moon
made
various
wild
statements
about
the
security
situation at
Butterworth in
1971,
and he claims
among
other things that the former
Communist
insurgency
remained
a security
problem around
Butterworth at that
time and that the RAAF
engaged
in
"bombing
missions"
on
"Communist"
positions.
I
was
at
Butterworth in
1971
as part
of
the
Base
Security
[Infantry]
Company which
was rotated
through
Butterworth
from
Singapore
on monthly basis. I
can
accurately
state
there was no
Communist threat
known
to us at that time,
that to
the best
of my knowledge neither the
RAAF
nor
the
RMAF
conducted "bombing
missions"
on
Communist positions and
that
the whole
area was
very
secure.
In
addition
to
our
role
as
a
base
support
Company
[
Army
],
we
trained
in
riot
drill to
support the
Malaysian
Government if
called in by
the
National
Government
for
internal
security purposes. We
never
were.
All Australian
Forces
in
Singapore and
Malaysia
were deployed at that time
under
the former
SEATO
Treaty,
and
our
responsibilities
were to
protect
those Nations
against
invasion
and
also to support
the
Governments on
internal security
matters, if called
upon
to
do
so
by these two
Governments. We were
never
called
upon to do
so.
The
Malayan Emergency
and
Confrontation
with Indonesia, while
near memories
and
still fresh in our
minds, were
over.
We
had
a
ball
at
Butterworth
and it
was one
of
the
cream
postings of
my
Military
career.
Yours.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx"
Now
following
is what
other
Mad
Galahs
have
said. Firstly
from
the
pen of the infamous
Siren and
all
round authority on matters
veteran,
the non
veteran,
the inimitable
Ms
Jenny
Bell.
From:
Jenny
Bell
[mailto:queenbee1@bigpond.com]
To:
Allen
J
Petersen
Sent:
Monday,
March
31,
2008
9:03
AM
Subject:
TO
MR
xxxxxxxxx
&
MR
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Did
I
miss
something
here
Mr
xxxx
& Mr
xxxxxxx
?
What
amazing
personage
was
it,
who
died
and
left
either,
or
both of you, in
charge of
what
we
should read &
believe ?
As
both
of
you
would
be
very
well
aware,
the
history of
2nd
D&E, (As just one
example
)
which both of you so
scathingly
dismissed, a few short
weeks
ago, has
now in
fact, been
accepted by the AWM, and
acknowledged as having happened , in
SPITE of the fact
that there was
seemingly NO written
history, in
official
accounts!
Official
accounts
have
been
discredited
before
today,
&
some
will continue to be
shown
to
be
non
factual,
in
some
cases.
Why
then,
speak
so
scathingly,
of the
personal
accounts
of
Vets, when you were NOT
PRESENT,
to be able to
say
otherwise ?
And
could
you
Please, tell
me WHY ....you BOTH
seem to
think,
that
someone
has died,and made you
the
God almighty
authority, on what
we should read,
and
/or what Vets
should write
about ?
Phillip
Moon
&
Noel
Muller,
have
written
from
their OWN
personal experience
...not
your
experience
gentlemen....but
THEIRS!
If
you
were
both
not
so
full of
yourselves,
you
would
know
that there are
experiences in
this
world,
(besides
your
own ), that need
telling, and
just
because YOU
were
not
there
& it isn't written
up
by
the army/navy/air force
history, does by no stretch
of
the imagination,mean it
didn't happen!!!
So
Back
Off
Gentlemen!!
And
allow
others
their
own
personal
right, to relay
what
happened
during
their
service,as they
see it. You
have the
right to
use
your
forefinger &
hit the
delete
button if you so choose
...but DONT
dismiss, and
/or ,
denigrate
the personal memoirs
of
others,unless
you
were
THERE,and
don't
presume to tell others what
YOU
think
we
should believe
!!!!
Have
a
nice
day!
Jenny
Bell
Next
is
Ms
Maryann
Martinek,
ex
Servicewoman,
(but
not a
veteran) an NLA and SPSN
stalwart
famous
for
her
dalliance
with a well known
media
person
and
her
chocolate
Slouch
Hats.
Maryann
said:
From:
Maryann
Martinek
To:
Allen
J
Petersen
Sent:
Sunday,
30
March
2008
7:54
AM
Subject:
Re
WHO
I
AM..
(Edited
for
brevity)
Its because these guys are the voices of
the forgotten amongst our history. They also are sought
out to pluck information
from their
memories to fill in
the gaps when
the official military
record is
'hazy. I
like to read
their stories bc if they are generous enough to share them
I
can
see
some
benefit
to
others
like
me
who
are
interested in the
stories
of
pple
like Phil. If
you
knew
him
or
any of
his history
you
would
not
have
made
your
statement.,
……….
……………
Its
not
our
place
to
question or
correct
Phil,
like
xxxx
did
with
all
sorts
of
references to
books
and
articles. I
just
hope
that it
don't dissuade Phil to
send
some more
information if he
wishes
to share it
with
us.
. ………..We can learn a lot from pple like
Phil. If we were to listen and not
judge.
Neville
Bryant
aka
"Nifty
Blue"
a
veteran
of
Gembrook,
Vic
and
ardent
NLA
man
weighed
into an
executive of
Australian
Defence
Association who
rightly
said
that
Moon
is full of
it. (or
words
to
that
effect)
From:
NiftyBlue
To:
Allen
J
Petersen
Sent:
Sunday,
30
March
2008
10:40
AM
Subject:
Re:
WHO
I
AM..
If
we
left
history
to
the
likes
of
xxxxxxxxxxxx,
I
wonder how
the much
recognition
would be
forthcoming of
the
2nd D
& E
Platoon??????
Seems
like
someone
in
RAAF
writing
the
history
for
an
infantry
platoon,
as
xxxxxxxxxx
is
apparently army well
military
intelligence,,
and
telling
us
about
Mirage
fighters,,,
I
seem
to remember them giving demos
at
Singleton in the 60's and
they showed their
strafing
capability
then!!!!! Or
was I dreaming
at the
time???
Look
out!
"Molly"
Muller
the
fighting
pusser
also
rose to
defend Moon.
Look
what he
said "I
make no false
claims", yeh
right
Molly, however we have
all read
about your "Fighting
in
Vietnam," simply
put
you are a liar.
From:
Noel
P
Muller
To:
Allen
J
Petersen
Sent:
Sunday,
30
March
2008
11:52
AM
Subject:
Re:
WHO
I
AM..
For
Greg
xxxxxxxxx
I
would
simply
draw
your
attention
to my
recently
posted
email with the
similar
"Subject Line" to this
email.
There
is absolutely no
necessity for
you
to
become
upset,
involved, or feel
you
are
compelled to make
yourself
the
Village
Policeman
xxxxxxxxx
as
you are just
another Service Number
the same as
what I am. I make no
false claim, I
have
nothing to gain,
I had a claim in
with
DVA but
when I
received the
mentioned
letter from
"Stevo",
I
immediately
rang
DVA
and
"Pulled
said
claim"
and
they
asked
me
to
confirm
my
"Pulling" it with a
follow up
email,
which I
did so
why
don't you
just leave
well enough
alone and go
back into your hollow
and catch a
few rays.
You have no
requisite to
comment,
pass
judgement,
make any
observation
what
so
ever. You
were
not even mentioned in
the
conversation between Neil
James,
Phillip Moon or
anyone
else for that
matter so what makes
you think your
adjudication is
necessary to
begin
with. IT IS
NOT.
Best
regards,
Molly.
Now
for
the
finale
grande
Phil
Moon's
second
description of
his Malayan
escapades
as a
nineteen year
old Airman on a
clandestine mission
to
Malaya –
Gimme a
break!! Part
two
of Phil's "story" is the
final
word on this
matter, it
is hoped the
general
veteran
community have
learned a
little more
about the
integrity
and
stupidity of the
Mad
Galahs.
From:
Plillip
Moon
To:
'Allen
J
Petersen'
Sent:
Saturday,
3
January
2009
1:58
PM
Subject:
Re
INDULGENCE
Hi
Syd,
I
once
made
a
comment
about
my
Indulgence
Passage to
Butterworth
in July
1971
and before leaving
Australia,
I
was told to be
very
careful
because
of
Communist
Insurgents
still
occasionally
causing problems
not
far
from
Butterworth and
Penang. At 19
I was asked while I was
there
to
pretend I was a
tourist and
check
out
Butterworth
Base outside
perimeter
security from
a
different
perspective and not
just
from
the
military side of things.
Basically
due to the
increase of the
locals
moving closer and closer
to
the
back
of
the
bases
perimeter, I was asked to see how
safe it was and pay
particular
attention
to
mortar
shells
being
lobbed into
the base, so the
distance was
important.
On
the
day
in
question
when I
had to
go
over
to
Butterworth
Base to get
Salt
Tablets
from Medical, I
noticed an
Malaysian
Army patrol
getting
ready
to out on
one of their
local
patrols, so I asked if I could
come
along
as a
tourist,
although
I
was
waiting for
a phone call,
which was
again
advised
to watch
out
for while
I
was
up
there, by
the
Squadron
Leader. After
persuading
the
Officer
said seeing
we were only
going on patrol for a
few hours and
I wasn't going to
be
picked up
until 5pm, I could
come
along.
Basically
I
won't
go
through
the
whole
matter
again,
because
the
same chaps who were
there
in the
60's will all come out
of
the woodwork again and accuse me
of making it
all up. But
we came
under attack, I killed three
but
the
entire
sixteen
were
killed. Now
for those
blokes
who even said
there
were no
mirages up there at
the
time,
I will
tell you
something
that should shut your
mouths
instantly,
so back
off!
I
have
four
witnesses
including a 9
Squadron
helicopter
pilot, a person
working
on
the
far
end at
the
back
of
the
base
at the time and
heard gunfire
going off in
the
distance, a
Malaysian SNCO who also
had to put
in a report
or our
trip,
without any mention of
me
going, as
it wasn't
allowed as
you
know, plus one of
the
men of the
group who took me up
there had to be
attended
to,
not
for
being
wounded but for
running
into a stump of a tree
hurting
his
leg. Now
for
the non
believers
that no mirage
aircraft were there
while
I was
at
Penang.
I
was
staying
with
Woff
Cliff Woollard and
his
wife,
Anne and three other
children
almost
across
the
road
at
Tanjong Bungah from the
International School.
Now
for
those
who
totally
disagreed
that I
ever
went
there or
I was telling
untruths, if
you know of Woff
Woollard, he
happened to be the
W.O.D. of
75
Squadron, which
happened
to be
the Mirage Squadron I
was
telling
you about, yet
you
wouldn't
believe me, so that
may
silence a few of you and
by the
way a mate
of mine was posted
to 75
Squadron only
three weeks
after I
left Butterworth
returning home to Williamtown in
August.
His name is Ian Winkle
and
his
job was
to
wash
down
the
Mirages, that you
people
said
that
we're not there!
Before I even left Williamtown to go to Butterworth, I was sent to Medical to have booster shots and told to pack as if I was going to Vietnam, because I was single and could be flown over on the regular flights from Butterworth to Vietnam in those days as Vietnam was still going in 1971. I had to have all my belongings packed into my cabin trunk and the items coming up to Butterworth with me, kept separate. So when I arrived in Singapore first, we stopped off at the R.A.F. Base that had the barriers come down to close the road, while we crossed to the Air Movements area, then we proceeded to Butterworth about an hour later, after letting off about fourteen Singaporean Officers. I also told you that I was told to be very careful as there were still activities going on in very small skirmishes around the Penang area.
One
last
thing
is
that
I
was
told if I
was
to
receive
a
phone
call saying I was
going to
Vietnam from Butterworth,
then
my cabin trunk would be
loaded
on a Herc
and sent to
Nam.
I
also had to watch
any red flags
blowing in the breeze on the
hills
in the Tanjong Bungah
cleared
land
areas and not to
go over to them,
because they
were
traps set with
bags of
lollies for any unsuspected
person
to
walk
over
to
and
pick
up the
bag,
as
it
was
a
triggering
device
for
explosives
underneath
the
site
and all
children
were warned not to
go
near
them.
Which is
what was
verified by a
women School
Teacher from the International School
to me
while I walked
around there
one
day.
So
for
all
you non
believers
who all
had a
go at
me
the
first
time, I will
tell you
again, I
don't have to
answer to any
of
you, it
happened to
me, you
were
not
there at the same
time as I
was and you didn't see the
huge
number
of
your
photos,
including
your
family photos, that I
saw
when I
went into a shop
to buy
something
one
day, but
when
the
owner saw me, it was
too late
and I saw them and
him throw
them under the
counter.
Which I
reported to the
Local Police, so as
I
said the
first
time, I felt you were
very
lucky
as
they
knew
exactly what
you
and your family looked like and
wonder to yourselves, why did they want to know
in the
first place, all I can say is
that
you
were
lucky,
maybe
the
local
Police
went straight
around and saw
him?
To
those
who
still
don't
believe me,
then
tough
and
I
will
not
answer questions as
If I am
facing a
court martial, I
was there,
you
weren't with me
when
this event
occurred,
but my
witnesses know. I am not
after
medals or anything I just
wanted
to tell you about
what
happened. So
you
can
either
believe
me or
just let it go
I
won't lose
any sleep as I am
already
dying from being poisoned by
handling
SR51 for
the
F-111's at
Amberley, along
with
my
wife.
Sorry
Syd
for
going on
a
bit
there, but
I just
wanted
those
people to know that I
wasn't
telling any untruths!
Cheers,
Phil
Anyone
in
the
forum
like
to
comment
on
Mac's
post.
Allen
Moon's
resume:
16 years in the Royal Australian Air Force
Central
Queensland
Region
Coordinator
Global
Recognition
Campaign
for
MCS/Chemical
Injury
and
other
chemically induced
illness
&
diseases
affecting
Civilians
& Military
Personnel!
MCS-GLOBAL Website:
www.mcs-global.org
My Personal website: -
http://poisoned.homestead.com/
My
Personal
Skype
address: -
moonclipper1
My
E-mail
Address
is
phillipmoon@bigpond.com
My
address:
P.O.
Box
5649,
Bundaberg
West,
Queensland,
Australia
4670
Phone
+61741520799
Mobile
+61407507553