The Battle of Coral
2008 · Not On Label AM005 · Australia
- Artist
- Graham Rodger
- Title
- The Battle of Coral
- Release
- The Fire Within Me
- Year
- 2008
- Label
- Not On Label # AM005
- Format
- CD · Album
- Language
- English
- Country
- Australia
- Songwriter
- Graham Rodger
- Genre
- Country · Traditional Country
- Primary theme
- Post-War
Annotation — Australian & New Zealand Songs
Country musician from Queensland, Australia. Retiring as an ambulance driver in the 1990s, he turned to music, releasing dozens of country albums, with "Australia and Australians as the major themes for his ballads", and a focus on the "traditions cemented into our culture by the late Slim Dusty".1 He wrote and released several songs about the Vietnam War, which were: "The Battle of Long Tan", "The Battle of Coral", "Missing in Action", and "Fifty Thousand Australian Sons". On this album featured the song "The Battle of Coral" (# AM005), about the Battle of Coral–Balmoral (12 May – 6 June 1968), fought between the 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) and the North Vietnamese 7th Division, and Viet Cong Main Force units, outside of Saigon in South Vietnam.2 This is not to be confused with the Battle of the Coral Sea which took place during World War Two. It described the battle in detail, starting with the mission objective: "block Charlie's retreat in and out of Saigon". The North Vietnamese broke through the line, but the "overrun Aussie's dug in and fought back", stopping the advance. The song recalled previous wars: "fought like the ANZAC's of old". The narrator then paid tribute…
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Self-released. About the Battle of Coral-Balmoral, 12 May - 6 June 1968.
About the artist
Graham Rodger - country singer-songwriter from Queensland; a former ambulance officer who turned to music in the 1990s and has released dozens of albums in the Slim Dusty tradition.
Themes
Combat · Battle of Coral-Balmoral · Digger · Saigon · VC · Patriotic · ANZUS