British Commonwealth Forces Korea (BCFK) was the formal name, from 1952, of the Commonwealth army, naval and air units serving with the United Nations in the Korean War. Australian, British, Canadian, Indian and New Zealand units were part of BCFK. 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Commonwealth of Nations (CN), usually known as The Commonwealth, is a voluntary association of 53 independent sovereign states, the majority of which are former colonies of the United Kingdom. ... The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... Combatants United Nations: Republic of Korea  Australia  Belgium Canada  Colombia Ethiopia  France Greece  Netherlands  New Zealand  Philippines South Africa  Thailand  Turkey  United Kingdom United States Medical staff:  Denmark  Australia  Italy  Norway  Sweden Communist states: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea People’s Republic of China  Soviet Union Commanders Syngman Rhee...

In 1949, Australian units based with the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) in Japan were among the first UN personnel to be deployed in South Korea. Prior to 1952, the BCOF commanders in Japan officially controlled all Commonwealth personnel in Korea (with the exception of some serving in US formations). When the San Francisco Treaty took effect in April 1952, the BCOF was superseded by BCFK. The position of BCFK Commander-in-Chief was always held by Australian Army officers, the first being Lt Gen. Sir Horace Robertson. Liaison between the Commonwealth C-in-C and the UN high command was provided by a subordinate headquarters in Tokyo. Year 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... The 2nd Battalion, 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles marching through Kure soon after their arrival in Japan. ... Prime Minister Yoshida Shigeru of Japan, gave a speech on Reconciliation and rapport (和解と信頼) in 1951 at San Francisco Peace conference. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Australian Army is Australias military land force. ... Lieutenant General Sir Horace Robertson was an officer in the Australian Army and at one time Australias most decorated soldier. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

By the time BCFK came into being, the Commonwealth armies had formed the 1st Commonwealth Division (in July, 1951) and British and Canadian Army personnel predominated at the operational level in the Commonwealth land forces. Lt Gen. William Bridgeford took over from Robertson in October 1951, and he was later succeeded by Lt Gen. Rudolph Bierworth. The 1st Commonwealth Division was a multinational unit that took part in the Korean War, as part of British Commonwealth Forces Korea. ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... Canadian Forces Land Force Command (LF) is responsible for army operations within the Canadian Armed Forces. ...

The Royal Navy (RN) usually had at least one aircraft carrier on station during the war. Five British carriers: Glory, HMS Ocean, Theseus, Triumph and Unicorn (a maintenance and aircraft transport carrier) were involved in the conflict. The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) provided the carrier HMAS Sydney. The RN, RAN and Royal Canadian Navy also provided many other warships. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ... Four aircraft carriers, Principe-de-Asturias, USS Wasp, USS Forrestal and HMS Invincible (front-to-back), showing the difference in size between a supercarrier, light V/STOL carriers, and an amphibious carrier. ... HMS Glory (R62) was a Colossus-class aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy laid down on 8 November 1942 by Stephen at Govan. ... The fifth HMS Ocean was a Royal Navy Colossus-class light fleet aircraft carrier of 13,190 tons built in Glasgow. ... HMS Theseus (R64) was a Colossus-class light fleet aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy. ... HMS Triumph (R16) (1944–1981) was a Colossus-class light fleet aircraft carrier, laid down during World War II on 27 January 1943. ... HMS Unicorn 172: Maintenance Carrier (modified Colossus-class Light Fleet Carrier) 14750 tons standard, 20300 tons full load. ... The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. ... For other ships by her former name, see HMS Terrible. ... The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) was the navy of Canada from 1911 until 1968 when the three branches of the Canadian military were merged into the Canadian Armed Forces. ...

The RN carriers provided the only British fighter planes to take part in the war. On August 9, 1952 a propeller-driven Sea Fury, piloted by Lieutenant Peter Carmichael of No. 802 Squadron, based on HMS Ocean, shot down a MiG-15 jet fighter , becoming one of only a handful of pilots of propeller planes to have shot down a jet. A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for attacking other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. ... August 9 is the 221st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (222nd in leap years), with 144 days remaining. ... The Sea Fury was a fighter aircraft developed for the British Fleet Air Arm by Hawker during World War II. The last propeller-driven fighter to serve the Royal Navy, it was also the fastest production single piston-engined aircraft ever built. ... The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (NATO reporting name Fagot) was a jet fighter developed for the USSR. History Design began under the bureau designation I-310, which first flew in 1947. ...

The only front-line unit from a Commonwealth air force to serve under BCFK was Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) No. 77 Squadron, which initially flew P-51 Mustang fighters and later converted to Gloster Meteor jets. British and Canadian aircrews also served with the RAAF. (Some Commonwealth personnel also served with US Air Force formations.) The only Royal Air Force contribution was a wing of Short Sunderland flying boats based at Iwakuni in Japan. An Air force is a military or armed service that primarily conducts aerial warfare. ... The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. ... No. ... The North American P-51 Mustang was a successful long range fighter aircraft which set new standards of excellence and performance when it entered service in the middle years of World War II and is still regarded as one of the very best piston-engined fighters ever made. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Gloster Meteor was the Allies first operational jet fighter. ... RAF redirects here. ... The S.25 Sunderland was a flying boat patrol bomber developed for the Royal Air Force by Short Brothers, first flown on 16 October 1937. ... Iwakuni, including the Kintai Bridge Iwakuni (岩国市; -shi) is a city located in Yamaguchi, Japan. ...

External links

• Lt Col. John C. Blaxland, 2004, The Korean War: Reflections on Shared Australian and Canadian Military Experiences
• Historical Section, General Staff, Army Headquarters, 1956, Canada's Army in Korea: the United Nations Operations, 1950-53, and their Aftermath