Family pays tribute to Vietnam War veteran Harley Webb, a man with a sharp dress sense and even sharper wit

Tributes are flowing for Battle of Long Tan survivor and Narrikup farmer Harley Webb, a man who had an “infectious love of life”, a sharp dress sense and an even sharper wit. The 76-year-old died on July 7 after his wife Jean and their two children, Michelle and Craig, cared for him in the final stages of prostate cancer. Born in Albany in 1945, Mrs Webb described her husband of 51 years as “a true larrikin” in his youth. “As a child he helped his dad deliver orders from their Albany grocery store, where he was known to charm all the ladies,” she said. “Later when Harley and I became engaged, those same ladies told me how lucky I was to be marrying Harley. “All his life he enjoyed talking to people and, most importantly, listening and remembering what was important to them.” At the age of 20, he was conscripted to the Vietnam War and he fought in the Battle of Long Tan with D Company. Cut off and vastly outnumbered, Australian soldiers withstood sustained and ferocious attacks in a valiant stand that eventually earned their unit an overdue gallantry citation in 2011. In 2016, Mr Webb spoked to the Advertiser about the night “all hell broke loose” and they were swarmed by the Vietcong and North Vietnamese Army amid a monsoonal downpour. A bullet tore through his right shoulder, broke his collarbone, shattered his ribs, and stopped just short of his heart. He kept the bullet removed from his body as a souvenir. Mr Webb spoke about being carried out of the line of fire by Warrant Officer Jack Kirby. “Jack Kirby was an absolute hero,” Mr Webb said. “I’m 6ft 3in (190cm) and he just picked me up like I was a bag of flour.” He described falling in and out of consciousness and hearing one army medic say “this poor bastard’s not going to make it”. “If it had gone another half an inch it would have killed me, but luckily it stopped,” he said. Mrs Webb said her husband suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after the Vietnam War. “He always was most anxious around Anzac Day and Vietnam Veterans Day,” she said. “Harley sought treatment. “ He attended the welcome home parade in Sydney, meeting up with fellow Vietnam veterans, which led to more reunions, which helped immensely with the healing process.” Mr and Mrs Webb married in 1970 and bought the family farm in Narrikup in 1976, where they farmed sheep and cattle for more than four decades. They went on to have two children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Mr Webb was also a well respected stockman and agent for Elders, and travelled the Great Southern writing details about his clients and their lives in a little book. “Harley always wanted to be a farmer and he always said he had the best job,” Mrs Webb said. She said her husband had a lifelong “love affair of horses” which started with the old family workhorse in the backyard. His daughter shares his love of horses and farming, and his son has followed in his footsteps, serving his country in the defence force for 31 years. “Harley was so proud of both their achievements, and although the kids joke that they are the favourite, Harley loved them the same,” Mrs Webb said.

Family pays tribute to Vietnam War veteran Harley Webb, a man with a sharp dress sense and even sharper wit

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