TeresaBrousseau at 08:46, 27 August 2025

2025-08-27T08:46:14Z

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{{Short description|1950–1956 units in the Korean War}}
{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name = British Commonwealth Forces Korea
|image = File:Indian, British, New Zealand and Australian soldiers in Korea 1951.jpg
|image_size = 300px
|caption = Indian, British, New Zealander and Australian soldiers in Korea, c. March 1951.
|country = {{Flag|United Kingdom}}<br>{{Flag|Australia}}<br>{{Flag|New Zealand}}<br>{{flag|Canada|1921}}<br>{{flag|India}}
|allegiance = {{Flag|United Nations}}
|branch =
|type = [[Rapid reaction force]]
|dates = 1950–1956
|specialization =
|command_structure =
|size =
|current_commander =
|garrison = [[1st Commonwealth Division]]
|ceremonial_chief =
|nicknames =
|motto =
|colors =
|march =
|battles = [[Korean War]]
|notable_commanders =
|anniversaries =
}}

'''British Commonwealth Forces Korea''' ('''BCFK''') was the formal name of the [[Commonwealth of Nations|British Commonwealth]] army, naval and air units serving with the [[United Nations]] (UN) in the [[Korean War]]. BCFK included Australian, British, Canadian, Indian, and New Zealand units. Some Commonwealth units and personnel served with United States and/or other UN formations, which were not part of BCFK.<ref>For example, [[2 Squadron SAAF|No. 2 Squadron]], [[South African Air Force]] was part of the [[18th Wing|US 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing]] in Korea, flying P-51s and F-86s.</ref>

==History==
In 1950, Australian units based with the [[British Commonwealth Occupation Force]] (BCOF) in Japan were among the first UN personnel to be deployed in [[South Korea]]. After the administrative support role of BCOF in Japan to the fighting forces in Korea had been decided in November 1950, the title BCFK appeared.<ref>[[Jeffrey Grey]], ''The Commonwealth Armies and the Korean War: An Alliance Study.'' Manchester University Press ND, 1990, {{ISBN|0719027705}}, 9780719027703, p. 110</ref> The position of BCFK Commander-in-Chief was always held by [[Australian Army]] officers, the first being Lieutenant General Sir [[Horace Robertson]]. Liaison between the Commonwealth C-in-C and the UN high command was provided by a subordinate headquarters in [[Tokyo]].

[[File:SoldiersRecreationNAAFI.jpg|thumb|Two [[Australian Army]] soldiers enjoy some recreation time at a sandbagged [[Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes]] (NAAFI), [[Korea]], 1952]]

Seven months after BCFK came into being, the Commonwealth armies formed the [[1st Commonwealth Division]] (in July 1951) and [[British Army|British]] and [[Canadian Army]] personnel predominated at the operational level in the Commonwealth land forces. Lieutenant General [[William Bridgeford]] took over from Robertson in October 1951, and he was later succeeded by Lieutenant General [[Henry Wells (general)|Henry Wells]]. Wells was succeeded by Lieutenant General [[Rudolph Bierwirth]] in 1954 and Brigadier [[Leonard Bruton]] in 1956.

The [[Royal Navy]] usually had at least one [[aircraft carrier]] on station during the war. Five British carriers: [[HMS Glory (R62)|''Glory'']], [[HMS Ocean (R68)|''Ocean'']], [[HMS Theseus (R64)|''Theseus'']], [[HMS Triumph (R16)|''Triumph'']], and {{HMS|Unicorn|I72|2}} (a maintenance and aircraft transport carrier) served in the conflict. The [[Royal Australian Navy]] provided the carrier [[HMAS Sydney (1944)|HMAS ''Sydney'']]. The RN, RAN and [[Royal Canadian Navy]] also provided many other warships. The [[Royal New Zealand Navy]] deployed a number of [[Loch class frigate]]s throughout the war.

The RN carriers provided the only British fighter planes to take part in the war. On 9 August 1952 a propeller-driven [[Hawker Sea Fury|Sea Fury]], of No. 802 Squadron, based on HMS ''Ocean'', shot down a [[MiG-15]] jet fighter. Credit was originally assigned to senior officer, Lieutenant [[Peter Carmichael (Royal Navy officer)|Peter Carmichael]]. However, it was later confirmed by squadron testimony and comparison against squadron diary records that the kill was achieved by Sub Lieutenant Brian 'Shmoo' Ellis, making him one of only a handful of pilots of propeller planes to have shot down a jet.<ref>{{cite web | title=Mig 15 vs Hawker Sea Fury | Untold Story from the Korean War | | website=[[YouTube]] | date=January 2020 | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm24pawGO2w&ab_channel=AviatorsLounge }}</ref>

The only front-line unit from a Commonwealth air force to serve under BCFK was [[Royal Australian Air Force]] (RAAF) [[No. 77 Squadron RAAF|No. 77 Squadron]], which initially flew [[North American P-51 Mustang|P-51 Mustang]] fighters and later converted to [[Gloster Meteor]] jets. British and Canadian aircrews also served with the RAAF. The only [[Royal Air Force]] contribution was a wing of [[Short Sunderland]] flying boats based at [[Iwakuni]] in Japan.

[[file:Monument for the Participation of the British Commonwealth in the Korean War.JPG|thumbnail|Monument for the Participation of the British Commonwealth in the Korean War]]

==See also==
* [[1st Commonwealth Division]]
*[[KATCOM]]
* [[United Nations Memorial Cemetery]] in [[Busan]], Korea, where a total of 1589 Commonwealth casualties are buried.
*[[Korean War Memorial, London|Korean War Memorial in London]]

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last=Farrar-Hockley |first=Anthony |title= The British Part in the Korean War Volume I: A Distant Obligation |location=London |publisher= HMSO |year=1990 |isbn=0116309539}}
* {{cite book |last=Farrar-Hockley |first=Anthony |title= The British Part in the Korean War Volume II: An Honourable Discharge |location=London |publisher= HMSO |year=1995 |isbn=011630958X}}
* {{cite book |last=Lansdown |first=John R. P. |title= With the Carriers in Korea: The Naval and Air War in SE Asia, 1950-1953 |location=Wilmslow, Cheshire |publisher= Crecy Publishing Ltd |year=1997 |isbn=0-947554-64-5}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Korean War forces}}
* [http://www.journal.forces.gc.ca/vo4/no4/lecture-conferen-eng.asp Lt Col. John C. Blaxland, 2004, ''The Korean War: Reflections on Shared Australian and Canadian Military Experiences'']
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050513005227/http://www.forces.ca/hr/dhh/downloads/Official_Histories/Korea1956_e.pdf Historical Section, General Staff, Army Headquarters, 1956, ''Canada's Army in Korea: the United Nations Operations, 1950-53, and their Aftermath'' ]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070228220638/http://www.remuseum.org.uk/corpshistory/rem_corps_part19.htm#korea Royal Engineers Museum] Royal Engineers and the Cold War (Korean War)
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070823091247/http://www.remuseum.org.uk/rem_col_online.htm Royal Engineers Museum]
Royal Engineer pictures of the Korean War
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071026015253/http://assoc.orange.fr/france-coree/eurokorvet/uk/minewarfare_korea.htm Invasions of Inchon and Wonsan remembered] '''French''' and '''English''' supported operations. Allies provide a unique perspective of naval operation in the Korean War ...
* {{in lang|en|fr}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20071030082347/http://assoc.orange.fr/france-coree/eurokorvet/eurokorvet.htm EuroKorVet] European Korean war Veterans website (non-off)

{{Korean War}}

[[Category:History of the Commonwealth of Nations]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of the Korean War|UK]]
[[Category:British Commonwealth units and formations]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1950]]
[[Category:United Nations Forces in the Korean War]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of the United Kingdom in the Korean War]]
[[Category:South Korea–United Kingdom relations]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of India]]
[[Category:British Commonwealth Occupation Force]]

British Commonwealth Forces Korea - Revision history

TeresaBrousseau at 08:46, 27 August 2025