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The
hero of Anzac Cove
John
Simpson Kirkpatrick:
The Man with the Donkey
Friday, April 25, on SBS at 8.30pm.
Reviewer: Ben Caddaye
In
the early 1900s, a young Englishman named John Simpson Kirkpatrick
jumped ship from the British steamer he was working on as
it docked at Newcastle in NSW.
Soon after his arrival he enlisted in the Australian Imperial
Force and would go on to become one our greatest ever war
heroes.
To this day, the tale of “Simpson and his donkey”
is synonymous with the bravery, character and heroics of our
Anzac soldiers and typifies, perhaps more than any other story,
the Aussie fighting spirit.
Shovelling coal into the engines of British steamers had turned
the young lad from South Shields in England into an extremely
fit, powerful man.
So when he joined the Army, his strength made him an obvious
choice as a stretcher-bearer in the 3rd Field Ambulance division
of the Australian Army Medical Corps.
On that fateful day in April 1915, a day we now celebrate
as Anzac Day, Private John Simpson, with the help of a stray
donkey, is credited with saving the lives of many Allied soldiers
wounded in the bloody battle at Anzac Cove.
This documentary, though, is about much more then Simpson
and his donkey – it’s a fascinating yarn that many
Australians will find fills in the gaps of one of the most
significant days in our history and one of our best known
military heroes.
Compulsory viewing this Anzac Day.
|
Pianist’s
key to survival
Film
deserves a toast
