Gallipoli hero remembered 100 years on

Brits and Aussies have united in paying tribute to Gallipoli hero John Simpson Kirkpatrick on the 100th anniversary of his death.

People from the north English seaside town of South Shields have gathered to remember a local hero who is arguably Australia's most famous Anzac.

The locals know him as John Simpson Kirkpatrick.

In Australia he's referred to as Simpson and is always mentioned in the same breath as his donkey - on which he carried injured diggers during the bloody Gallipoli campaign in 1915.

Brits and Aussies were united in paying tribute to Simpson on Tuesday, the 100th anniversary of his death on the Turkish peninsula on May 19, 1915.

A crowd of 150 gathered at a larger-than-life, fibreglass statute of Simpson and his donkey in the town's centre.

"Born here in South Shields in 1892, Kirkpatrick secured a place in Australian history with his valour," Australia's high commissioner to the UK, Alexander Downer, said at a short commemorative service.

"His contribution reflects not only huge individual bravery and courage but also highlights the closeness of our nations."

Mr Downer said in Australia it was little known that Simpson was an Englishman.

He joined the British merchant marine aged 17, which led him to Australia.

He enlisted in the army after war broke out, drawn by the prospect of returning to England rather than any strong desire to be a soldier.

Posted to the 3rd Field Ambulance, Simpson landed at Gallipoli on April 25, 1915.

The 22-year-old was a stretcher bearer but decided his task could be better accomplished using one of the donkeys brought in for carrying water.

Simpson transported wounded from Monash Valley to the beach on Anzac Cove.

He did so, according to historian Charles Bean, through "deadly sniping down the valley and the most furious shrapnel fire".

Simpson was killed by machine gun fire on May 19 - less than a month after the landing. He was buried at Hell Spit, now known as Beach Cemetery, on the Turkish peninsula.

Simpson won no medals at Gallipoli but is commemorated in paintings and with a prominent bronze sculpture at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

The statue of Simpson and his donkey in South Shields was sculpted by a local artist and unveiled in 1988. A small reproduction was sent to then prime minister Bob Hawke two years later to mark the 75th anniversary of the Anzac campaign.


Share

3 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world