Farewell to a legend of the Army

BRIG George Mansford (rtd) has said goodbye to 51FNQR as Honorary Colonel after contributing more to the Army than a lot of members can manage in two careers.

Brig Mansford comes from the roots up. He enlisted as an infantryman in Perth in 1951 full of mischief and determination.

His larrikin ways and deep understanding for the diggers made him invaluable, especially during the conflicts in which he served, including Korea, Malaya, Vietnam, New Guinea and Singapore.

Brig Mansford tested the waters in nearly every rank, some twice, before he was commissioned in 1964 after 20 years in the battalions of the RAR.

In 1975 he was made a member of the Order of Australia for his immense contribution to the mop-ups of cyclones Althea and Tracey, the Brisbane floods and swatting off the locust plague in central Queensland.

In-between natural disasters he also founded and developed Land Command Battle School (LCBS) in north Queensland. LCBS has proven to be the lynch pin in training soldiers for jungle warfare.

His commands are lengthy and impressive, but the real reason to say goodbye to this outstanding soldier is because he has paved the way and left us with a legacy of the true soldier.

You can still learn a thing or two from Brig Mansford by reading his books, Junior Leadership on the Battlefield and The Mad Galahs.

Brig Mansford retired from duty in 1990.

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