In 1965 Australia and her dependencies issued common design stamps to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the landing of Australia New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) forces at Gallipoli, Turkey during the First World War. Depicted on these stamps is a man holding another man who is astride a donkey. The design on the stamps was done by Can Andrew based on a statue by Wallace Anderson now at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne. The statue, made and cast in 1986, is called "Simpson and his Donkey".
John Simpson's Early Life
The man shown standing beside the donkey is John Simpson Kirkpatrick, one of Australia's best known historical figures. John was born in South Shields, England in July 1892 to Robert and Sarah Kirkpatrick. In his youth he spent his summers giving donkey rides to children at the local fair. When his father died in 1909, John joined the Merchant Marine and the next year sailed to Newcastle, Australia where he jumped ship. For the next few years he drifted around Australia working at assorted jobs from cane cutting to cattle driving to the goldfields, eventually returning to coastal shipping.
World War I
When war broke out in 1914, John was in Perth and three weeks after the outbreak of hostilities he enlisted in the 3rd Field Ambulance Corps. He gave his name as John Simpson fearing that his having deserted the Merchant Marine might bar him from joining the army. He had hoped that he would be shipped home to England for basic training but was diverted to Egypt when it was found that England was not equipped to handle a large colonial contingent. Eight months later, April 1915, John Simpson, a stretcher bearer with C Section, 3rd Field Ambulance, 1st Australian Division, Australian Imperial Force, landed at ANZAC Cove in Gallipoli, Turkey. Wading ashore under heavy fire from the Turkish Army, half of the 1500 men in the first wave were casualties. Simpson spent the following days, under heavy fire, carrying the wounded to a makeshift Red Cross station on the beach.
Gallipoli
Amongst the supplies landed on the 500 acre beachhead were a number of donkeys. Some of these had deserted and Simpson caught one, variously called Abdul, Murphy or most commonly, Duffy, to help him carry the wounded from the beach. Technically, he was supposed to report to headquarters for instructions but decided that his time would be better spent helping the wounded. For four days he continued his work technically AWOL and his commanding officer turned a blind eye to his actions.
Shrapnal Alley
Twelve to fifteen times a day, Simpson and his donkey traveled up Shrapnel Alley, the main supply route to the front, and into the killing grounds where the opposing trenches were only 15 yards apart in places. Leaving his donkey under cover he would make his way under fire to where ever the wounded lay and carry them back to safety.
Baladur
Being unable to find fodder for his donkey, Simpson moved in with the 21st Kohat Indian Mountain Artillery Battery who had brought food for their own animals. They called him 'Baladur' meaning 'bravest of the brave'. For four weeks he dodged bullets though several of his donkeys were killed. He had adopted a fatalistic philosophy and often said “The bullet hasn't been made that’ll stop me.”
Heaven’s Gate
On May 19,1915 the Turks launched a massive counter attack, intending to drive the Australians from the beach. 45,000 Turks surged forward and for eight hours the battle raged until 8,000 Turks were dead and the attack thrown back without loss of a single foot of trench. As the attack came to an end, Simpson set out with his donkey to gather the wounded. On his way back with a wounded man he was warned about the presence of a Turkish machine gunner. Simpson grinned and carried on. Moments later the rattle of a machine gun split the air and Simpson fell, dead before he hit the ground. The frightened donkey carried on to the aid station with the wounded man on his back.
When the men who knew him asked where he was they were told "at Heaven's Gate, helping the soldiers through."
Though posthumously nominated for many military awards, including the Victoria Cross, he received none.
Bibliography
Mark Greenwood - Simpson and his Donkey – Walker Books – 2008
Patsy Adam-Smith – The ANZACS – Penguin Books - 1978
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