13 August 2026
Warrant Officer Brian Thomas Boughton CSC, OAM was an incredible man, a great warrior, and a soldier whose life was dedicated to serving Australia and its Army.
It is with great sadness that we farewell one of Army's most respected soldiers. Warrant Officer Boughton's final battle has come to an end, but the legacy he leaves behind will endure for generations to come.
Enlisting in the Australian Regular Army in 1968, as a 17-year-old infantry soldier, he served his country with distinction over the next 36 years, rising from the ranks to become the sixth Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army. His journey from young digger to Army’s most senior soldier reflects the very best of our profession.
A Vietnam veteran, he served with 7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment in South Vietnam from 1969 to 1970. Throughout his career he served across battalions, training establishments, headquarters and on operations, including service in the Sinai. No matter the appointment, he remained committed to soldiers and to making Army better than he found it.
Warrant Officer Boughton was a soldier's soldier. He earned respect because he had done the hard yards, understood the realities of soldiering, and never forgot where he came from. From the jungles of Vietnam to the highest appointment a soldier can hold in the Australian Army, he remained grounded in the values that matter most: service, mateship, professionalism and looking after your people. Those qualities earned him the admiration of soldiers and leaders alike.
His service was recognised through the award of the Medal of the Order of Australia and later the Conspicuous Service Cross. While these honours reflect an exceptional career, those who knew him will remember him most as a leader, mentor and mate who always put service before self.
As Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army from 2001 to 2003, Warrant Officer Boughton represented soldiers at the highest levels of Army. He understood that the success of the Army relies on strong leaders who know their soldiers, earn their trust, and never lose sight of what service to the nation means.
To Brian's family and loved ones, we offer our deepest condolences and our sincere gratitude. The demands of service are never carried by the solder alone. They are shared by the family and loved ones who support them through every challenge, posting and deployment. Thank you for sharing Brian with the Army for so many years.
A funeral service for Warrant Officer Brian Boughton will be held at 1100h on Monday 24 August 2026 at St Peter's Church, East Maitland NSW.
As the current Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army, I am proud to honour one of our own. Brian dedicated his life to soldiers, to service and to the nation. He helped shape the Army we serve in and his influence can still be seen in the standards we uphold, the values we live by and the pride we take in serving our nation.
Warrant Officer Brian Thomas Boughton may have laid down his pack for the last time, but his example lives on in the soldiers he led, the people he mentored and the Army he loved. We thank him for his service, we honour his legacy, and we will remember him always.
Warrant Officer Brad Doyle OAM
Regimental Sergeant Major – Army