1892-1915
soldier, ‘the man with the donkey’
born on 6 July 1892 at Shields, County Durham, England; deserted merchant navy at
Newcastle, New South Wales in 1910
He was 5 feet, 8 inches (173 cm) tall, had a stocky build and weighed 12 stone (76 kg).
He had blue eyes, brown hair and fair skin. He was witty, warm and loved animals.
My name is John Simpson and I represent ‘Young and free’ because I was,
perhaps, the most famous Anzac at Gallipoli. When we landed at dawn on 25 April 1915 I
soon found a native friend – a donkey! Duffy (as he was usually called) and I worked
as a team to carry soldiers who had leg wounds from Monash valley through Shrapnel gully
back to the dressing station on the beach.
IDEA
FOR SCENE: Simpson’s selfless work made him a legend in only 25 days. By the time he
was shot through the heart in Monash valley on 19 May, Simpson represented courage and
heroism on Gallipoli. Time: May 1915, Place: dressing station at Gallipoli. Army personnel
are bandaging wounds and tending to injured soldiers. One patient, who is in a lot of
pain, begs that the person dressing his wound thanks Simpson for him, for picking him up
and carrying him out of the frightening rifle-fire. They talk about Simpson’s
bravery.
