On 26
February 1965, the main body of 1 SAS Squadron disembarked in Brunei to
commence the Regiment’s first operational tour of duty. Patrolling commenced
from 28 March, after four weeks of acclimatisation and familiarisation
training.
On 24
May, a four-man patrol moved out from their LZ on the Sabah/Kalimantan border.
They moved along the border for six days, and on the seventh day, crossed into
Indonesian territory.
No
one could have predicted the situation they faced on the afternoon of 2 June,
leading to the first operational death by a member of SASR – Lance Corporal
Paul Harold Denehey, the Patrol Signaller.
Regimental Flag at Half Mast for Anniversary of Paul Denehey’s Death
In October 2024, SAS Historical
Foundation Artist in Residence, Major S, proposed production of an artwork that
captured the significance and tragedy of the event, to be unveiled on its 60th Anniversary. The Foundation’s Directors approved the proposal and Major S set
about researching all available documentation and accounts. Dissatisfied with
the existing information not giving him a feel for the environment and
circumstances, he contacted the only living member of the Patrol, Stephen
Geoffrey Bloomfield.
The Patrol Commander Roy Leslie Weir
died on 14 September 2009, and the Patrol 2IC Bryan Wilson Littler died on 31
August 2024.
At the time of the incident, Steve held
the rank of Lance Corporal and was the Patrol Medic. He was known to his mates
by the nickname “Blossom”.
Major S, in preparing his notes for the
official unveiling of the artwork, described his engagement with Steve thus:
“I had my first
telephone conversation with Blossom where he highlighted the key terrain, the
patrol members’ locations during the attack and a full description of the Rogue
elephant from its head to its toenails. “It was big, brown grey and angry.” He
gave me the full breakdown of events as they unfolded from setting off on the
patrol to the first sign of the elephant’s large footprints, so fresh that
water was still seeping into them. When the PC decided to get the patrol 2IC to
take a photo of the prints Blossum said, “Well he can’t be far from us because
the water is still filling up the footprint’. As soon as he said that the large
elephant walked out from behind a bush and saw them, letting out this
incredible loud trumpet, and it went straight for them.
All four patrol members turned in opposite
directions with two heading back along the ridgeline and Paul heading down the
slope with Blossum running behind him. Blossum, could feel the ground shaking
as he followed Paul down the slope where they both reached a recently uprooted
tree, 4-5 feet thick at the base with soil still in the protruding roots roughly
two feet at the broken end. As Blossum looked over his shoulder, he saw the
elephant’s eye as he was right on him. He saw Paul put a boot on the log, as
did Blossum fortunately slipping forward on the slimy moss, but unfortunately,
he saw Paul falling backwards into the pathway of the elephant.
That was the last time
he saw Paul whilst falling forward over the log. Whilst getting to his feet he
turned, raising his SLR firing three shots into its left ear in succession so
quick all three shell cases were airborne before hitting the ground. The elephant
let out a loud trumpet and fell to its knees only to get back up angrier and
ran through the smaller broken end of the log trumpeting as it brushed past
Blossum back up the ridgeline towards the other two patrol members.
At this stage of the
phone call, I could hear the desperation in his voice, heavier breathing and a
heavy heart over the phone as he talked. Blossum put several more shots into
the Rogue as it ran past him and one up its backside for good measure. When the
firing stopped, the elephant headed into the bush in a rage crashing through
the thick growth. Blossum eventually found Paul fifteen feet further down the
slope. When he saw Paul on his back Blossum asked, “Paul did I shoot you?”
Paul replied, “No, the
elephant got me!”
Quite separately to the development of
the artwork, Paul’s sister Karen Greenwood, who lives in Melbourne, contacted
the Historical Foundation in February 2025 enquiring if it was possible to
visit the SAS Historical Collection in May with her husband. We advised what
was planned regarding the artwork and asked Karen if she would like to unveil a
commemorative plaque. Karen was able to change her travel arrangements and a
plaque unveiling ceremony and artwork reveal were conducted on 6 June, which is
the accepted date of Paul’s death.
The ceremony, attended by friends of
Paul and representatives from all Regimental sub-units, was held in the SASR
Garden of Reflection. The ceremony comprised:
- Welcome
by SASHF Chairman
- Address
by Deputy COMD SASR
- The
SASR Prayer – SASR Chaplain
- Poem
‘My Mate – Lest We Forget’ by SASHF Chairman
- Address
by Mr Barry Standen, close friend of Paul Denehey
- Unveiling
of plaque by Ms Karen Greenwood
- Poem
‘Ode to the Wandering Warrior’ by SASHF Chairman
- Benediction
– SASR Chaplain
Deputy Commander SASR Addressing the Service
The poem, ‘My Mate – Lest
We Forget’, was written by the Foundation’s inaugural Artist in Residence, Ian
Coate, and is a companion piece for his SASR Golden Jubilee commemorative
artwork.
The poem, ‘Ode to the
Wandering Warrior’, was written by former SASR member, Chris Jennison, who
served with Paul in Borneo.
Karen Greenwood Unveiling the Commemorative Plaque
On completion of the
ceremony all participants moved to the History and Research Centre Theatre
where Major S and Karen Greenwood jointly unveiled the commemorative artwork. Les
Murrell, a member of the Patrol that recovered Paul’s body, gave an emotional
account of the circumstances and the feelings of 1 SAS Squadron members at the
time.
An account of the Rogue patrol is
included in SAS: Phantoms of the Jungle – A History of the Australian
Special Air Service by David Horner Allen & Unwin Australia Pty Ltd
1989.
Steve’s actions after Paul being gored
by the elephant were belatedly recognised in 2019 with the awarding of a
Commendation for Gallantry. The citation reads:
COMMENDATION FOR GALLANTRY
16767 LANCE CORPORAL S. BLOOMFIELD
1st SPECIAL AIR SERVICE
SQUADRON
For acts of gallantry in action as a
Special Air Service Regiment medical assistant left alone for three days in
enemy territory to tend to a severely wounded fellow soldier who had been gored
in the abdomen by an elephant in Kalimantan during the Indonesian-Malaysian
Confrontation in June 1965.
Lance Corporal Stephen Bloomfield was
deployed with 1st Special Air Service Squadron in Borneo as part of
the Commonwealth Military Forces during Confrontation between Indonesia and
Malaysia in 1965. He was the medical assistant in a four-man Special Air
Service patrol conducting reconnaissance operations along the border between
Borneo and Indonesia. The patrol followed the border for a week before crossing
into the Indonesian territory of Northern Kalimantan where they followed a
river for a further two days.
On the afternoon of 2 June 1965 as they
were crossing a ridgeline, the patrol was attacked by a wild elephant. Lance
Corporal Paul Denehey, who was the signaller, was gored in the abdomen by the
charging elephant and thrown into the air despite the elephant being fired at
by the patrol. Lance Corporal Bloomfield, who had received only rudimentary
medical training for five days on arrival in Borneo, immediately began applying
basic medical aid with the limited resources available to him. The patrol
attempted to communicate with their headquarters to seek assistance but the
radio which was being carried by Lance Corporal Denehey during the attack had
been damaged and they were unsure if their transmissions were being heard.
The patrol remained where they were for
the rest of the night and at first light attempted to move towards the border. They
had not moved very far when they realised the severity of Lance Corporal
Denehey’s injuries and the difficulties of the terrain meant that their
progress transporting him via a rudimentary stretcher would be limited. The
Patrol Commander decided that he and his Second-in-Command would return across
the border to get help. They left Lance Corporal Bloomfield to care for the
severely injured Lance Corporal Denehey and briefed him that if rescue parties
had not arrived within three days, he was to take matters into ‘his own hands.’
With the two other members of the patrol
striking out through dense jungle over precipitous terrain to seek help which
would in all likelihood take days to return, Lance Corporal Bloomfield was left
alone with his grievously wounded comrade. They were in hostile territory with
the possibility that the enemy may know of their presence as a result of the
earlier gunfire. There was also the threat that other wild elephants and
potentially the one which had been fired upon would return.
With no signal training, a damaged radio
and a lack of understanding of Morse Code, Lance Corporal Bloomfield tried to
make communication but with no success. Unbeknown to him, at least one
transmission had been received, and a rescue attempt was being commenced.
By the next day, Lance Corporal
Denehey’s condition had deteriorated rapidly, and he was crying out in agony,
potentially attracting the enemy. Lance Corporal Bloomfield did his best to
keep Lance Corporal Denehey calm and to care for him although the seriousness
of his injuries was well beyond Lance Corporal Bloomfield’s basic competence as
a medical assistant. By the third day they had run out of rations and Lance
Corporal Bloomfield had expended all of his medical supplies including drugs
and bandages. It was clear to him that Lance Corporal Denehey’s condition had worsened,
and he believed that unless help arrived he would die. Having had no indication
that the rescue party would return and thinking that the other two patrol
members had either been apprehended or become lost, Lance Corporal Bloomfield
made the heart wrenching decision to leave the casualty and attempt to get
assistance on his own. He made Lance Corporal Denehey as comfortable as
possible and bravely struck out alone through enemy territory to seek help.
Lance Corporal Bloomfield succeeded in
crossing the border and was guiding a patrol of Gurkhas back to the casualty
two days later when word was received that another rescue patrol had located
Denehey who was deceased. Several weeks later Lance Corporal Bloomfield led a
patrol back to the incident site to recover equipment he had cached including
the damaged radio and code books.
Lance Corporal Bloomfield’s actions in
tending to and protecting a seriously wounded fellow soldier, alone in the
jungle, in enemy territory for almost three days at the end of a protracted and
debilitating patrol were gallant and worthy of recognition. He demonstrated
fearlessness, tenacity, courage and extreme devotion to duty in the face of
high risk and extreme threat. His courage and gallantry set the standard for
future Special Air Service troopers and were in the finest traditions of the
Australian Army and the Australian Defence Force.
Commendation for Gallantry
Major S sent Steve the last draft sketch
of the artwork for his approval. Steve replied with a big thumbs up then a text
with, “That’s good S… It was my first shot. Bad Day!"
The Draft Sketch
Our intent was to also have ‘Blossom’
attend the commemoration and assist with the unveiling of the artwork.
Unfortunately, Steve died peacefully while sleeping on 22 March.
After leaving Campbell Barracks, Karen
sent us the following message:
“Thank
you for today, it is such an honour to be Paul’s sister, and I can’t thank you
enough for showing Doug and I around today. It was all so beautiful a memory I
won’t forget.”