South Tyneside History
| Title | John Simpson Kirkpatrick. a.k.a. "The Man with the Donkey" |
|---|---|
| Reference Number | STH0002946 |
| Photographer | Unknown |
| Town or Village | South Shields |
| Date | c 1900 |
| Original Format | Black and White Photograph |
| Period | Edwardian (1901-1910) |
| Copyright | South Tyneside Libraries |
| Further Information | John Simpson Kirkpatrick was born in South Shields but later emigrated to Australia. In August 1914 he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force, as Private John Simpson. Serving with the 3rd Field Ambulance, he landed at Gallipoli on 25 April and served until he was killed in action at Shrapnel Gully, on the 19 May, 1915. He is buried at Beach Cemetery, Anzac cove, Turkey. He became famous as the "Man with the donkey". Frequently braving deadly sniping and shrapnel fire, he and his donkey rescued 300 wounded men and carried them to safety. During the last of these rescue attempts, he was killed by machine-gun fire. The war diary of the 3rd Field Ambulance commended "the excellence of the work performed by Pte Simpson continuously since landing". He was posthumously mentioned in Dispatches. A campaign lobbying for him to be awarded a posthumous Australian Victoria Cross is still ongoing |
