In November 1933 Serong applied to the Royal Military College, Duntroon, but was unsuccessful.
He subsequently joined the CMF, serving in the 57th/60th Battalion, and was based in Heidelberg, in outer Melbourne.
In a five-month period he went from the rank of private to lance corporal.
He also studied the military and civilian subjects that made up Duntroon's first-year curriculum in the hope of gaining entry into the college at second-year level in 1934.
Serong successfully completed the service entry exam in August 1934, entering RMC in February 1935.
In 1936 Serong won the welterweight category of the RMC boxing championship.
At the end of 1937 he graduated from Duntroon as a lieutenant, and initially served with the coastal artillery, being posted to Queenscliff in 1938.
Subsequent postings included Fort Largs near Adelaide to help raise and train Militia and develop the artillery installation there, before returning to Queenscliff as an instructor in 1940.

With the outbreak of the Second World War, Serong was concerned he might spend the entire conflict in the coastal artillery.
After transferring to Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF) to be able to serve overseas, he arranged a posting to the Armoured Corps and was posted to the 2/8th Armoured Regiment as its adjutant in July 1941.
Serong's division, the 1st Armoured Division, had initially been earmarked to deploy to North Africa to fight the Germans and Italian, but in early 1942 it had been ordered to northern Australia to defend against a possible Japanese invasion instead.
During this time Raymond had been serving as a sergeant with the 2/8th Battalion, which was part of the 6th Division fighting in North Africa, Greece and Crete.
Meanwhile, Serong had married a nurse, Kathleen Blayney, on 19 February 1942, and was promoted temporary captain, returning to Duntroon to complete the first wartime staff course.
Raymond subsequently returned to Australia, but later died of malaria in Melbourne in May that year.
Serong deployed to New Guinea in November 1942 as a major, posted to the operations staff of the 6th Division in Port Moresby, just as the Australians halted the advance of the Japanese at the height of the Kokoda Track campaign.

In 1943 Serong served as General Staff Officer 2 with the combined 6th and 7th Divisions on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland, where they were resting and retraining prior to conducting further operations.
In early 1944 he instructed on the staff course at Cabarlah.
That August, he moved to Aitape to prepare for the deployment of the 6th Division.
He was later attached to American forces for the landing on Morotai Island in the Netherlands East Indies in mid-September 1944.
In the last few weeks of the war, Serong was mentioned in despatches for his actions fighting the Japanese at Wewak, whilst serving with the infantry in the 35th Battalion.
During an incident on 21 July 1945, he commanded a force of three platoons and native police on a patrol to destroy a Japanese ammunition dump.
Although serving more time in training roles than in combat, during the war Serong had made important contacts with whom he would later work in future postings, including Colonel Reg Pollard, who went on to become Chief of the General Staff (CGS), and Colonel Charles Spry, later the Director of Military Intelligence and the Director General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO).
In November 1933 Serong applied to the Royal Military College, Duntroon, but was unsuccessful. He subsequently joined the CMF, serving in the 57th/60th Battalion, and was based in Heidelberg, in outer Melbourne. In a five-month period he went from the rank of private to lance corporal. He also studied the military and civilian subjects that made up Duntroon's first-year curriculum in the hope of gaining entry into the college at second-year level in 1934. Serong successfully completed the service entry exam in August 1934, entering RMC in February 1935. In 1936 Serong won the welterweight category of the RMC boxing championship. At the end of 1937 he graduated from Duntroon as a lieutenant, and initially served with the coastal artillery, being posted to Queenscliff in 1938. Subsequent postings included Fort Largs near Adelaide to help raise and train Militia and develop the artillery installation there, before returning to Queenscliff as an instructor in 1940.
With the outbreak of the Second World War, Serong was concerned he might spend the entire conflict in the coastal artillery. After transferring to Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF) to be able to serve overseas, he arranged a posting to the Armoured Corps and was posted to the 2/8th Armoured Regiment as its adjutant in July 1941. Serong's division, the 1st Armoured Division, had initially been earmarked to deploy to North Africa to fight the Germans and Italian, but in early 1942 it had been ordered to northern Australia to defend against a possible Japanese invasion instead. During this time Raymond had been serving as a sergeant with the 2/8th Battalion, which was part of the 6th Division fighting in North Africa, Greece and Crete. Meanwhile, Serong had married a nurse, Kathleen Blayney, on 19 February 1942, and was promoted temporary captain, returning to Duntroon to complete the first wartime staff course. Raymond subsequently returned to Australia, but later died of malaria in Melbourne in May that year. Serong deployed to New Guinea in November 1942 as a major, posted to the operations staff of the 6th Division in Port Moresby, just as the Australians halted the advance of the Japanese at the height of the Kokoda Track campaign.
In 1943 Serong served as General Staff Officer 2 with the combined 6th and 7th Divisions on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland, where they were resting and retraining prior to conducting further operations. In early 1944 he instructed on the staff course at Cabarlah. That August, he moved to Aitape to prepare for the deployment of the 6th Division. He was later attached to American forces for the landing on Morotai Island in the Netherlands East Indies in mid-September 1944. In the last few weeks of the war, Serong was mentioned in despatches for his actions fighting the Japanese at Wewak, whilst serving with the infantry in the 35th Battalion. During an incident on 21 July 1945, he commanded a force of three platoons and native police on a patrol to destroy a Japanese ammunition dump. Although serving more time in training roles than in combat, during the war Serong had made important contacts with whom he would later work in future postings, including Colonel Reg Pollard, who went on to become Chief of the General Staff (CGS), and Colonel Charles Spry, later the Director of Military Intelligence and the Director General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO).
Ted Serong