| Keith Payne VC sold his medals for an undisclosed | | | | wounded in the hands and arms. |
| sum to provide for his family in the future. He | | | | Despite his outstanding efforts, the indigenous |
| also wanted his Victoria Cross to stay in | | | | soldiers gave way under the enemy's increased |
| Queensland. | | | | pressure and the Battalion Commander, together |
| The Victoria Cross: Awarded for very outstanding | | | | with several advisors and a few soldiers, |
| deeds of gallantry in the presence of the enemy. | | | | withdrew. Paying no attention to his wounds and |
| The cross is bronze and made from one of the | | | | under extremely heavy enemy fire, Warrant |
| Russian guns captured at Sebastopol. It has the | | | | Officer Payne covered this withdrawal by again |
| words "For Valour" on the front. On the reverse | | | | throwing grenades and firing his own weapon at |
| side of the cross is the date of the act of | | | | the enemy who were attempting to follow up. |
| bravery with the persons name engraved at the | | | | Still under fire, he then ran across exposed ground |
| back of the clasp. | | | | to head off his own troops who were |
| It can be awarded to any rank, any length of | | | | withdrawing in disorder. He successfully stopped |
| service, wounded or killed. | | | | them and organised the remnants of his and the |
| The American Unknown Soldier, buried at | | | | second company into a temporary defensive |
| Westminster Abbey was awarded the Victoria | | | | perimeter by nightfall. Having achieved this, |
| Cross. | | | | Warrant Officer Payne of his own accord and at |
| Keith Payne VC sold his medals for an undisclosed | | | | great personal risk, moved out of the perimeter |
| sum to provide for his family in the future. He | | | | into the darkness alone in an attempt to find the |
| also wanted his Victoria Cross to stay in | | | | wounded and other indigenous soldiers. Some had |
| Queensland. | | | | been left on the position and others were |
| His VC and a host of his other medals are now at | | | | scattered in the area. |
| Maryborough Museum which is owned by John | | | | Although the enemy were still occupying the |
| Mayers who convinced Keith to sell his Victoria | | | | previous position, Warrant Officer Payne, with |
| Cross and his other medals. | | | | complete disregard for his own life, crawled back |
| Keith joined up in 1951. Served in the Korean War | | | | on to it and extricated several wounded soldiers. |
| from April 1952-March 1953. | | | | He then continued to search the area, in which |
| Saw service in Malaya and Papua New Guinea, | | | | the enemy were also moving and firing, for some |
| returning to Brisbane in March 1968. | | | | three hours. He finally collected forty lost soldiers, |
| Off again in February 1969, his final posting and | | | | some of whom had been wounded, and returned |
| where 3 months later he won his Victoria Cross | | | | with this group to the temporary defensive |
| with the Australian Army Training Team in | | | | perimeter he had left, only to find that the |
| Vietnam. | | | | remainder of the battalion had moved back. |
| [ London Gazette, 19 September 1969 ], Ben Het, | | | | Undeterred by this setback and personally |
| Kontum Province, Vietnam, 24 May 1969, | | | | assisting a seriously wounded American adviser, |
| Warrant Officer II Keith Payne, Australian Army | | | | he led the group through the enemy to the |
| Training Team, Vietnam. | | | | safety of his battalion base. |
| On 24 May 1969, in Kontum Province, Warrant | | | | His sustained and heroic personal efforts in this |
| Officer Payne was commanding 212th Company | | | | action were outstanding and undoubtedly saved |
| of 1st Mobile Strike Force Battalion when the | | | | the lives of a large number of his indigenous |
| Battalion was attacked by a North Vietnamese | | | | soldiers and several of his fellow advisors. Warrant |
| force of superior strength. | | | | Officer Payne's repeated acts of exceptional |
| The enemy isolated the two leading companies, | | | | personal bravery and unselfish conduct in this |
| one of which was Warrant Officer Payne's, and | | | | operation were an inspiration to all Vietnamese, |
| with heavy mortar and rocket support, assaulted | | | | United States and Australian soldiers who served |
| their position from three directions simultaneously. | | | | with him. His conspicuous gallantry was in the |
| Under this heavy attack, the indigenous soldiers | | | | highest traditions of the Australian Army. Keith |
| began to fall back. | | | | Payne was invested with his Victoria Cross by |
| Directly exposing himself to the enemy's fire, | | | | Queen Elizabeth II on the Royal Yacht Britannia in |
| Warrant Officer Payne, through his own efforts, | | | | Brisbane on the 13th April 1970. |
| temporarily held off the assaults by alternatively | | | | The medal entitlement of Warrant Officer II Keith |
| firing his weapon and running from position to | | | | Payne - Australian Army Training Team, Vietnam |
| position collecting grenades and throwing them at | | | | (held by the Maryborough Military & Colonial |
| the assaulting enemy. While doing this, he was | | | | Museum, Queensland). |