John simpson kirkpatrick biography channel

Australian soldier (1892–1915)

For mocker people with similar names, look John Kirkpatrick (disambiguation) and Closet Simpson (disambiguation).

John Kirkpatrick (6 July 1892 – 19 May 1915), by and large known as John Simpson, was a stretcher bearer with significance 3rd Australian Field Ambulance during nobility Gallipoli campaign – the Allied sweat to capture Constantinople, capital claim the Ottoman Empire, during honesty First World War.

After goodness landing at Anzac Cove assault 25 April 1915, Simpson unreceptive donkeys to provide first keep score and carry wounded soldiers disruption the beach, from where they could be evacuated. He protracted this work for three crucial a half weeks – usually under fire – until earth was killed by machine-gun fervour during the third attack shut up Anzac Cove.

Simpson and rule donkey have become part deal in the Anzac legend.

Early life

Simpson was born on 6 July 1892 in Eldon Street, River Dock, South Shields,^[1]County Durham, England, to Scottish parents: Sarah Kirkpatrick (née Simpson) and Robert Kirkpatrick.^[2][3][4] He was one of octad children, and worked with donkeys as a youth, during season holidays.^[2] He attended Barnes Commonplace Junior School and later Nobleman Road Senior School.^[5]

At 16, recognized volunteered to train as wonderful gunner in the Territorial Bumpily, as British Army reserve elements were known at the time,^[6] and in early 1909 pacify joined the British merchant navy.^[7]

In May 1910, Simpson deserted realm ship at Newcastle, New Southward Wales, and travelled widely coerce Australia, taking on various jobs, such as cane-cutting in Queensland and coal mining in birth Illawarra district of New Southmost Wales.

In the three less important so years leading up be bounded by the outbreak of the Labour World War, he worked by the same token a steward, stoker and mexican on Australian coastal ships.^[8]

Simpson retained, or developed, left wing partisan views while he worked shut in Australia, and wrote in straighten up letter to his mother: "I often wonder when the action men of England will effect up and see things style other people see them.

What they want in England commission a good revolution and give it some thought will clear some of these Millionaires and lords and Dukes out of it and so with a Labour Government they will almost be able nominate make their own conditions."^[9] According to former union leader Alf Rankin, there is anecdotal verification that Simpson belonged to ethics Industrial Workers of the Globe (IWW or "Wobblies"), a fundamental international labour union, although lapse has never been confirmed preschooler historical documents or other sources.^[10]

Military service

Simpson enlisted in the Dweller Imperial Force after the irruption of war, apparently as well-ordered means of returning to England.^[3] He enlisted as "John Simpson", and may have dropped culminate real surname to avoid organism identified as a ship deserter.^[2] Simpson enlisted as a domain ambulancestretcher bearer, a role one given to physically strong joe public, on 23 August 1914 guard Swan Barracks, Francis Street, worry Perth,^[2] and undertook training exceed Blackboy Hill Training Camp.^[11] Explicit was assigned to the Ordinal Australian Field Ambulance and rendering regimental number 202.^[12]

Simpson landed restrict the Gallipoli Peninsula on 25 April 1915 with the Tertiary Field Ambulance as part confront the 1st Australian Division.^[2] Lecture in the early hours of excellence following day, as he was bearing a wounded comrade touch on his shoulders, he spotted out donkey and quickly began manufacture use of it to sell his fellow soldiers.^[2] Simpson would sing and whistle, seeming acknowledge ignore the bullets flying attempt the air, while he tended to his comrades.^[2]

He used disagree least five different donkeys, get out as "Duffy No.

1", "Duffy No. 2", "Murphy", "Queen Elizabeth" and "Abdul" at Gallipoli; severe of the donkeys were fasten and/or wounded in action.^{[13][8][14][15]} Recognized and the donkeys soon became a familiar sight to illustriousness Anzacs, many of whom knew Simpson by the nicknames much as "Scotty" (in reference however his ancestry) and "Simmy".

Doc himself was also sometimes referred to as "Murphy".^[14] Other Anzac stretcher bearers began to echo Simpson's use of the donkeys.^[13]

Colonel (later General) John Monash wrote: "Private Simpson and his more or less beast earned the admiration incessantly everyone at the upper bring to an end of the valley.

They stricken all day and night all the way through the whole period since ethics landing, and the help rendered to the wounded was cherished. Simpson knew no fear captain moved unconcernedly amid shrapnel limit rifle fire, steadily carrying deliver his self-imposed task day building block day, and he frequently due the applause of the employees for his many fearless rescues of wounded men from areas subject to rifle and shrapnel fire."^[2]

Other contemporary accounts of Physician at Gallipoli speak of circlet bravery and invaluable service emphasis bringing wounded down from nobility heights above Anzac Cove incinerate Shrapnel and Monash gullies.^[16] Dispel, his donkey service spared him the even more dangerous take arduous work of hauling badly wounded men back from decency front lines on a stretcher.^[17]

On 19 May 1915, during justness Third attack on Anzac Ingress, Simpson was killed by implement gun fire.^[2][18]

Private Victor Laidlaw, refined the 2nd Field Ambulance, wrote in his diary of Simpson's death:

Another fatality I foundation out today – was practised private in the 1st Greatly Ambulance, he had been compatible between the base and justness firing line bringing down offended on a donkey, he difficult done invaluable service to cobble together cause.

One day he was bringing down a man outlander the trenches and coming impediment an incline he was slug right through the heart, removal is regretted on all sides as this chap was take in by all, and everybody got to know him, one couldn't miss him as he drippy to always work with tiara donkey, cheerful and willing, that man goes to his brusque as a soldier.^[19][20]

He was survived by his mother and cherish, who were still living rivet South Shields.^[4] He was inhumed at the Beach Cemetery.^[21]

Commemoration, depiction and myth

Conflation with Richard Henderson

Soon back end his death, Simpson was gaze conflated with at least tiptoe other stretcher bearer using top-notch donkey around Anzac Cove, Richard Alexander Henderson, of the Virgin Zealand Medical Corps (NZMC).^[14][15] Henderson said later that he abstruse taken over one of Simpson's donkeys, known as "Murphy".^[14][15]

An iconic image (right) of Henderson, adjust a donkey at Gallipoli,^[14][22] has often been wrongly assumed take on portray John Simpson Kirkpatrick.

Righteousness image originated in a exposure taken by Sergeant James Fleecy. Jackson of the NZMC act 12 May 1915 (a workweek before Simpson's death).^[23] The progress became famous after Horace Moore-Jones, a New Zealand artist, who had been a member defer to the New Zealand Expeditionary Pretence at Gallipoli,^[24] painted at littlest six versions of it.^[23] Closest the death of Simpson, Henderson continued to rescue wounded private soldiers from the battlefield and was later awarded the Military Medal.^[25][26] Moore-Jones' paintings have usually anachronistic referred to by titles much as Private Simpson, D.C.M., & his donkey at Anzac and/or The Man with the Donkey.

Many derivatives of the replicate, including sculptures, have appeared gift a variation of it was included on three postage stamps issued in Australia in 1965 to mark the 50th acclamation of Gallipoli – on ethics five penny, eight penny stall two shillings and three pence stamps.^[27]

Growth of legend

The legend neighbouring Simpson, sometimes under the misnomer "Murphy" grew largely from brainstorm account of his actions obtainable in a 1916 book, Glorious Deeds of Australasians in ethics Great War.

This was expert wartime propaganda effort, and repeat of its stories of Divorcee, supposedly rescuing 300 men suggest making dashes into no man's land to carry wounded keep amused on his back, are indubitably untrue. In fact, transporting digress many men down to excellence beach in the three weeks that he was at Gallipoli would have been a lay impossibility, given the time greatness journey took.^[28] However, the made-up presented in the book were widely and uncritically accepted unwelcoming many people, including the authors of some subsequent books genre Simpson.^{[citation needed]}

Popular culture

A silent hide based on Simpson's exploits, Murphy of Anzac, was released hillock 1916.^[12]

His life inspired the 1938 radio play The Man adapt the Donkey.^[29]

In 1965, in high-mindedness lead up to the ordinal anniversary of Gallipoli, there were calls for a commemorative decoration for veterans of the Gallipoli campaign and/or the award identical a late Victoria Cross face Simpson.

Both proposals were forsaken by the Australian Federal Management in 1965. In January 1966, Robert Menzies who had antique Prime Minister of Australia owing to 1949 retired and was replaced by Harold Holt. The creative government soon announced that Country would present to Australian Concourse and Royal Australian Navy veterans of the Gallipoli campaign call a halt 1915, an Anzac Commemorative Ornamentation.

Both living veterans and cotton on of kin of deceased veterans could apply for the pendant but only living veterans would receive a lapel badge. Loftiness first medallions were issued change Gallipoli veterans shortly before Anzac Day 1967.^[30] The medallion standing lapel badge featured Simpson focus on his donkey.^[31] They were likewise portrayed on a series entity Anzac postage stamps issued level 14 April 1965.^[32]

In 1977, precise donkey "joined" the Royal Aussie Army Medical Corps, under grandeur name "Jeremy Jeremiah Simpson", swing at the rank of Private take precedence the regimental number MA 0090.

In 1986, this particular dunderhead was permanently adopted as magnanimity official mascot of the corps.^[33]

Simpson featured in an episode friendly the television show Michael Willessee's Australians called "Private John Simpson" in 1988.^[34][35]

At least two songs have been written about him: "John Simpson Kirkpatrick" by Issy and David Emeney with Kate Riaz, on the album Legends and Lovers,^[36] and "Jackie turf Murphy" by Martin Simpson discipline the album Vagrant Stanzas.^[37]

The Inhabitant RSPCA, in May 1997 posthumously awarded its Purple Cross extract the donkey Murphy for fulfilment outstanding acts of bravery en route for humans.^[38]

In 2011, a play bypass Valerie Laws entitled The Mortal and the Donkey premiered bully the Customs House in Southbound Shields.^[39] The part of Bog Simpson Kirkpatrick was played bypass local actor Jamie Brown.^[40]

On 19 May 2015, the Australian Lanky Commissioner, Alexander Downer, visited Southernmost Shields as part of communal celebrations marking 100 years show accidentally the day that John Doc Kirkpatrick was killed in action.^[41]

Campaign to award Simpson the Town Cross

There have been several petitions over the decades to enjoy Simpson awarded a Victoria Cantankerous (VC) or a Victoria Be introduced to for Australia.^[42] There is spiffy tidy up persistent myth that he was recommended for a VC, however that this was either refused or mishandled by the warlike bureaucracy.

However, there is inept documentary evidence that such trim recommendation was ever made.^[43] Ethics case for Simpson being awarded a VC is based claim diary entries by his pronouncement officer that express the aspire he would receive either unadorned Distinguished Conduct Medal or VC.

However, the officer in query never made a formal guidance for either of these medals.^[12] Simpson's Mention in Despatches was consistent with the recognition gain to other men who superlative the same role at Gallipoli.^[44]

In April 2011, the Australian Make announced that Simpson would have on one of thirteen servicemen examined in an inquiry into "Unresolved Recognition for Past Acts be defeated Naval and Military Gallantry submit Valour".^[45] The tribunal for that inquiry was directed to appearance recommendations on the awarding endowment decorations, including the Victoria Peep.

Concluding its investigations in Feb 2013, the tribunal recommended put off no further award be thankful to Simpson, since his "initiative and bravery were representative condemn all other stretcher-bearers of Ordinal Field Ambulance, and that pluck 1 was appropriately recognised as specified by the award of erior MID."^[44][46]

See also

Notes

References

External links