Cultured Views

Aussie Hero’s 2: Simpson, The Man with the Donkey.

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Gallipoli was significant in defining Australia as a nation during WWI. The ANZAC’s showed that Australians possessed outstanding qualities of courage, determination and patriotism. One man who was there typified these qualities…The man with the donkey, Jack Kirkpatrick Simpson, became a legendary figure - even though he was only there for 24 days.

Simpson and his donkey have been immortalised in statues and paintings but still remains a somewhat enigmatic figure.

Jack Simpson was actually born in Tyneside, England in 1892- not Australia as some believed. He was born to a poor family and to earn extra money he worked on weekends leading children on donkey rides along the beach at South Shields, it was through this that he developed an affinity for these little creatures that would he would call on later in life.

At the age of 12 his father died and Jack had to leave school and work fulltime helping to support his mother and sister to whom he remained close all his life. As an adult a love of the sea saw him take work on merchant ships and he landed in Australia where he worked as a coal miner, boundary rider and cane cutter.  On the outbreak of WWI he enlisted in the AIF (Australian Imperial Force) under his real name John Simpson.

Jack was a veteran on the first landing on April 25 1915 and worked for the medical corps field ambulance. It was during this time that he noticed some donkeys near to where the Diggers were camped at Shrapnel Gully and he realised how effective a donkey would be in helping him to transport the wounded back to medical help. His first donkey was named Duffy; Duffy would be the first of a several donkeys to assist Simpson.

Jack and his donkey worked tirelessly traversing Shrapnel Gully 12 to 15 times a day carrying the wounded from battlefield to the makeshift hospital on the beach. He did this under fire, without complaint and without fear. This was a big man; strong, cocky and fearless. He became a living legend at ANZAC with every man knowing about the ‘man with the donkey’.  He was known more by sight than by his own name though.  He put the welfare of his charges before his own safety. He was known for his great ‘geordie’ humour and kept his wounded charges smiling as he transported them back to the hospital.

His last ‘trip’ to the battlefield was on 19 May 1915; he was killed by machine gun fire and buried at ANZAC. At a time when death was all around the men, they particularly mourned this giant larrikin who had saved lives at the risk of his own.

Statues have been erected to this man and his donkey around Australia; he is our best known and best loved war hero.

John Simpson, the man with the donkey 1892-1915. Good one mate.

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