MAN WITH DONKEY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22463, 6 July 1936, Page 6

MAN WITH DONKEY

HERO OF GALLIPOLI i memorial unveiled CEREMONY IN MELBOURNE [from our own correspondent] JfELBOURXE, June 22 Gallipoli veterans in New Zealand -will remember the story of the man with the donkey, for it was one of the e pi c episodes of the campaign. Several years ago Melbourne decided to honour the memory of this modest and an in. stantaneous response was made to an appeal for funds for a memorial. This memorial has just been unveiled op a site near the Shrine. Victoria'! memorial to the war dead. The long delay between the raising of the fundi and the execution of the work was due in part to the sanctions policy, for tho memorial was cast in Italy and difficulty was found in arranging for its delivery here.

The Man with the Donkey is almost an unknown hero. Some say that on Gallipoli he was known simply a, Murphy, but the name under which he enlisted and the name graven on the memorial is Simpson. Actually his name was Kirkpatrick, according to General Sir Harry Chauvel, who should know. Inscriptions on Memorial The memorial takes the form of a bronze figure of Simpson and his donkey, with a wounded man on the donkey's back, leaning against Simpson in a state of exhaustion. There is a drinking fountain at each end. The inscription on the front reads:—"The Man with the Donkey, Gallipoli, April 25 to May 19, 1915. In commemoration of the valour and compassion of the Australian soldier." On the reverse side is written:— "After the landing at Gallipoli Simp, son, with his little donkey, worked alone day and night, taking water to the front line and carrying the wounded back to the dressing stations. He and his donkey xrere killed by a shrapnel shell on May 19, 1915. Simp, son was mentioned in despatches by Sir lan Hamilton, Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force." Great Australian Hero In unveiling the memorial the Governor, Lord Huntingfield, described the erection of the statue as the reverent tribute of-the people of Australia to a great Australian hero. He expressed the hope that it would be an inspiration to those who came after —an example of courage, self-sacrifice and patriotism, and a memorial to one who had lived and died for his country.

Sir Harry Chauvel traced the history of Private .John Simpson (actually Joha Simpson Kirkpatrick). Before the war, he said, Simpson worked as a fireraau on the liner Karinga. At the outbreak of war he enlisted in the Third Field Ambulance, A.1.F., and was with the First Australian Division in Egypt and 011 Gallipoli. On Gallipoli he began the work of transporting wounded men from the peak of the line, near Quinn's Post, down a gully to the base. Most of the dailv casualties occurred along his "beat."

Fire of Turkish Snipers With his donkey, which he had acquired in some unexplained way, Simpson was continually subjected to the fire of Turkish snipers and to the danger of shrapnel shells. It was a shrapnd shell which killed him in Monash Valley, less than a month after the landing. Sir Harry Chauvel said he often saw Simpson, sometimes with twe wounded men, making his way down the gully. Simpson refused to take particular care of himself. It was mentioned at the ceremony that Simpson was aged only 22 at his death. One speaker said:—"lt is significant that a man so young and so unknown should have attracted to himself such genuine admiratipn among the Australian people. He was only a boy, but he made a name for himself that will never be forgotten."