Michael “Mick” Hannaford – Vietnam
RSL Victoria remembers the sacrifice of Trooper Michael “Mick” Hannaford who lost his life in service of his country during the Vietnam War.
Mick was born in Melbourne on 24 January 1947, the second of five children born to Frank and Faye Hannaford. He spent his early years living in Croydon and attended the Ringwood technical school. He took up an apprenticeship at Oliver’s butcher shop in Main Street Croydon where his father was the manager.
Mick worked alongside another apprentice, Ray Moore, who dreamed of joining the Army and seeing the world. Mick was content to stay in the outer suburbs of Melbourne, leaving his father’s butcher shop to start working as a truck driver for a tiling business in Croydon.
Mick’s tall and lean physical frame making him the perfect ruck for Mooroolbark Football Club where he was regarded as one of the best players in the seconds competition, winning the best and fairest trophy. His playing days were interrupted though when he was conscripted in July 1967.
His future wife, Margaret, met him for the first time the day before he went to his National Service basic training at Puckapunyal.
“It certainly wasn’t love at first sight,” Margaret said. “He was quite drunk when I got there and he had long hair all the way down his back. Everything I didn’t like.”
After completing basic training, he returned home briefly and it was then that he met Margaret again at the Olinda Hotel. Mick walked in, his long hair shaved off army style.
“We all laughed at him,” Margaret said. “But he sat down and spoke with us, and I could see the Army had really straightened him out. He was a really nice bloke now.”
Soon after he was assigned to the 1st Armoured Regiment for his Corps training. At the football club’s presentation night during this time, Mick sat at Margaret’s table and asked her out. Though Mick was away training at Puckapunyal during the week they were inseparable during the weekends. After six months together Mick said he was being sent to Vietnam in three weeks.
“He said he wanted to be married before he left,” Margaret said. “We didn’t have time to do much. We had a small wedding ceremony and a reception at home with the aunties and uncles.”
The day after the wedding Mick had to return to Puckapunyal and the very next weekend he departed for Vietnam.
C squadron had been deployed progressively to Vietnam from around the time of the Tet offensive and was involved in the fighting at the Battle of Coral-Balmoral. Mick arrived on 6 August 1968 posted as a Centurion Tank driver in 3 Troop.
One of the greatest threats to the tanks of the 1st Armoured Regiment was land mines.
There were three occasions where Mick was in a tank that struck a mine.
Mick recovered from his injuries but the next time he got in a tank it would be his last.
The current President of Rye RSL, John Wilson, was Mick’s Troop Leader on his last mission.
“We had gone about 700 meters and lost three ACAV’s from 3/11 ACR US and I said we are not going any further until the area is cleared of mines,” John said.
Mick’s tank hit a mine and caused a massive explosion. John ran across to the tank and pulled him out of the driver’s compartment.
Mick was returned to Australia, and he was buried at the Lilydale lawn cemetery on Christmas Eve 1968.
In the years that followed Margaret would meet and fall in love with another Vietnam Veteran who had served in the medical corps. They married and had children, but he too became a victim of Vietnam. He died of brain cancer she believes was caused by exposure to Agent Orange during his service.
Mick was not the only soldier Margaret knew who died in Vietnam. Her friend Geoffrey Tweedie of Lilydale was killed the year before, Ray Moore, who had undertaken his apprenticeship at the same butcher store as Mick, was killed in action the year after and Private Gary Willoughby, who had gone to school with Margaret, was killed in action in 1970.
Two of those men and Mick, connected in life, now lie at the Lilydale Lawn Cemetery with another local casualty from Vietnam, Malcolm Robertson, killed in 1969. Geoffrey Tweedie was buried at Springvale Cemetery.
RSL Victoria pays tribute to Trooper Michael Hannaford, his family and all those who have sacrificed in the service of their country.
Lest we forget.
