No Victoria Cross for John Simpson Kirkpatrick
His lift volition live forever woven into the stuff of the Anzac legend, just at that topographic point volition live no posthumous Victoria Cross for Private John Simpson Kirkpatrick.
British-born Simpson became an Australian hero for ferrying injured soldiers to security on a ass later Anzac troops stormed ashore at Gallipoli during World War 1.
Simpson, who had enlisted alongside Australian forces, was amid the commencement attacking waves, supporting the third Brigade roofing force.
As a stretcher bearer, he carried casualties alongside the residue of the bearers on the commencement solar daytime of the campaign.
Command as well as command was stretched, as well as equally operations continued amid real high casualties, Simpson, similar many others, became separated from his unit.
He stumbled across a ass inwards a hut, as well as used the creature upwardly as well as downward the unsafe valleys, collecting slightly wounded servicemen as well as carrying them to the dressing stations.
Simpson before long became known amid the soldiers fighting inwards the tight confines of the Gallipoli beach head.
He continued this travel for 25 days until May 19, 1915, when he was killed inwards activeness past times Turkish machine-gun fire.
His exploits earned him a Mention inwards Despatches, just his supporters have got long argued that Simpson deserved the highest British Commonwealth military machine medal for bravery, the Victoria Cross.
His lift was amid thirteen individuals whose cases went earlier the Defence Honours as well as Awards Appeals Tribunal inwards 2011 to reckon whether he should live awarded a Victoria Cross.
The court has reported back, having received 166 written submissions from 125 individuals, organisations, as well as the Departments of Defence as well as the Prime Minister as well as Cabinet. The Tribunal heard from 72 witnesses during Blue Planet hearings.
The report, released past times Secretary for Defence David Feeney, recommended that none of the individuals have a posthumous Victoria Cross.
Feeney said the Australian Government had accepted the findings.
The court concluded that Simpson’s first as well as bravery was representative of all other stretcher bearers of third Field Ambulance as well as that he was appropriately honoured alongside a Mention inwards Despatches.
Feeney said the gallantry as well as valour of the thirteen individuals was beyond question.
“What this research was nigh was whether Commonwealth of Australia should abide by a VC decades later the decision-maker at the fourth dimension came to an alternate conclusion,” Feeney said.
“I do grip alongside the tribunal’s findings,” Feeney said. “A VC must exclusively live awarded inwards the most convincing of cases. It should exclusively hit off when at that topographic point is clear evidence that maladministration has taken identify past times the decision-maker or if compelling novel evidence has come upwardly to light.”
The research establish no illustration where allegedly novel evidence proved acceptable or compelling.
“This is the correct decision. It volition undoubtedly live a determination that volition get relief for roughly as well as anguish for others. Nevertheless, it is the exclusively reasonable determination I could come upwardly to,” Feeney said.
“It is non my wish, nor the wishing of the Defence community, to second-guess commanders who made decisions at the time. This would get irreparable harm to the integrity of the honours as well as awards system.”
Fenney noted that 12 of the thirteen individuals who were the subjects of the research had already received roughly cast of recognition for their actions.
The tribunal’s chairman, Mr Alan Rose, said the research had been a demanding just interesting practice that stretched almost ii years.
“We heard from witnesses at hearings inwards Melbourne, Sydney, Launceston, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide as well as Canberra. The witnesses included identify unit of measurement members, historians, electrical current as well as one-time members of Parliament, as well as officials from the Departments of Defence as well as the Prime Minister as well as Cabinet.
“We conducted over 4500 hours of research as well as sought advice from a hit of regime departments, organisations as well as individuals. There was to a greater extent than than 45 hours of testimony from 72 witnesses.”
John Simpson Kirkpatrick was born inwards South Shields, England, on July 6, 1892.
After a brief association alongside the local Territory Army, Kirkpatrick joined the merchant navy as well as deserted to New South Wales inwards May 1910.
While inwards Perth inwards August 1914, he joined the Australian Imperial Force equally John Simpson.
Part of the third Field Ambulance, Australian Army Medical Corps, Private Simpson landed at Anzac Cove on Apr 1915, as well as the legend was born.
The 22-year-old showed considerable bravery inwards the field. Under threat from shrapnel as well as snipers’ bullets, he as well as his ass ferried casualties to the security of Anzac Cove.
He was fifty-fifty known to sing or whistle equally he tended to the injured, prompting Indian troops fighting alongside the British forces to lift him “Bahadur” – bravest of the brave.
Colonel John Monash wrote of Kirkpatrick’s exploits: “Private Simpson as well as his fiddling beast earned the admiration of everyone at the upper terminate of the valley. They worked all solar daytime as well as nighttime throughout the whole menstruum since the landing, as well as the aid rendered to the wounded was invaluable.
“Simpson knew no fearfulness as well as moved unconcernedly amid shrapnel as well as rifle fire, steadily carrying out his self-imposed describe of piece of job solar daytime past times day, as well as he ofttimes earned the applause of the personnel for his many fearless rescues of wounded men from areas discipline to rifle as well as shrapnel fire.”
He died on May 19, 1915 – 3 as well as a one-half weeks later arriving – cutting downward past times machinegun fire. His trunk lies inwards Beach Cemetery at Gallipoli.
His exploits have got been honoured inwards statues inwards South Shields, inwards England, where he was born, as well as inwards Australia.
His exploits were immortalised inwards a 1916 book, “Glorious Deeds of Australasians inwards the Great War”.
The court received 23 written submissions as well as heard six oral submissions regarding Simpson. Of those, 12 supported additional recognition, 15 were against additional recognition as well as ii took no position.
“There are many witness accounts of Simpson’s conduct,” the court found. “The court was, however, unable to observe whatever witness accounts of a specific deed of valour … which could unmarried out Simpson’s bravery from the other stretcher-bearers inwards the Field Ambulance.
“Some submitters suggested that Simpson deserved a VC because he represented what it agency to live Australian, as well as at that topographic point was rigid community back upwardly for such recognition.
“While this powerfulness live a pop proposition, the VC tin exclusively live awarded for valorous demeanour inwards the presence of the enemy.
“The court establish that Simpson’s first as well as bravery were representative of all other stretcher-bearers
of third Field Ambulance, as well as that bravery was appropriately recognised equally such past times the abide by of a Mention inwards Despatches (MID).
“The court concluded that on both physical care for as well as merits, Simpson’s illustration was properly considered at the time. The physical care for as well as procedures were non followed precisely, just considering the circumstances, they were appropriate as well as fair.
“Private Simpson was appropriately honoured alongside an MID. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 merits review was unable to sustain whatever alternative outcome.
“The court recommends no activeness live taken to abide by Private Simpson a VC for Commonwealth of Australia or other farther cast of recognition for his gallantry or valour.”
Simpson used several donkeys during the 25 days he survived the Gallipoli campaign.
Murphy, the best known of Simpson’s donkeys, was posthumously awarded the RSPCA Commonwealth of Australia Purple Cross Award past times the as well as therefore deputy prime number minister, Tim Fischer, at a ceremony at the Australian War Memorial on May 19, 1997.
The abide by was made to Murphy equally a representative of all the donkeys used past times John Simpson Kirkpatrick for their particular performance inwards helping humans spell nether continual burn at Gallipoli during the First World War.
The tribunal’s written report tin live establish here.
A painting is existence made nigh the exploits of Simpson: http://horsetalk.co.nz/2012/10/22/movie-man-with-donkey-filming-next-year/
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