Salute to those that showed Anzac spirit
A DIGGER who threw himself on a shell to save his comrades and a nurse gunned down after refusing to leave her patients are among the servicemen and women named by our top historians as most embodying the spirit of Anzac.
A QUEENSLAND soldier in the Somme who threw himself on a shell to save his comrades, the Afghanistan commando who became a Victoria Cross awardee, and a nurse gunned down by the Japanese after refusing to abandon her patients.
These are just three of our servicemen and women who most embody the spirit of Anzac, according to military historians.
Dr Meleah Hampton, Dr Ian Hodges and Dr Michael McKernan have compiled a list of 15 Anzacs who displayed qualities like bravery, unity and loyalty — to name just three — which comprise the Hall of Memory in the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
The historians’ choices span all conflicts, from the First World War, through to Rwanda and Afghanistan, and all ranks and positions from the Australian Imperial Force to the Australian Defence Force.
A group of shipwreck survivors from the HMAS Armidale best embodied the quality of unity, according to Dr Hodges.
“Armidale was sunk by Japanese aircraft off the coast of Timor, the survivors drifted at sea on a makeshift raft for several days,” he said.
“One group, the captain and the wounded, used a motorboat to get to Australian waters, another floated the wreck of a whaler, bailed and rowed for days until rescued.”
Dr McKernan agreed that the December 1942 sinking highlighted the best of the Anzac traits, especially in the case of decisive and devoted 18-year-old Tasmanian Edward “Teddy” Sheean, an Ordinary Seaman who strapped himself to the ship’s gun and fired on overhead aircraft as he was dragged underwater with the sinking ship.
Just 49 of the original 149 men on board survived the ordeal to attempt their resourceful escape.
Three female medical staff made the list, nominated by our experts, for their overwhelming courage in the face of adversity.
Dr McKernan said nurse Vivian Bullwinkel, the only survivor of the Bangka Island massacre, Dr Hampton suggested Irene Drummond, who was killed during that massacre, and Dr Hodges nominated Rwanda medic Captain Carol Vaughan-Evans.
Corporal Cam Baird, who was killed in Uruzgan province in 2013 during his fourth tour of Afghanistan, showed coolness, decision and audacity when he charged a doorway into a room full of insurgents, and paid with his life.
The commando’s family in 2017 released a letter, the final one written by Corporal Baird, in reply to a Sydney schoolboy who had written him a note of gratitude.
“Sometimes my job is difficult but I have good reasons to do it. Making the world a safer place for others is one reason,” Baird wrote.
He was killed two weeks later, gaining the Victoria Cross for the act that would prove the ultimate act of service for the Australian Defence Force.
DR MELEAH HAMPTON
Corporal Cameron Baird
Tasmanian-born, Melbourne-raised Baird dreamt of a life playing professional Australian Rules football but joined the commandos instead, serving in East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan. Baird was killed by enemy fire while charging an insurgent stronghold in 2013 and was recognised with a Victoria Cross in 2014.
Corporal John Metson
Melburnian Metson was then posted to Port Moresby in 1942 where he was shot in the ankle and unable to walk. Refusing to let the weakened stretcher-bearers carry him, Metson crawled on his hands and knees for three weeks “in silent agony” but in good heart. The 24-year-old was executed by the Japanese while sheltering in the village of Sangai.
Private Thomas Whyte
The keen South Australian sportsman volunteered as a rower at the Gallipoli landing, often described as the most dangerous position for those involved in the landing. He wrote to his fiancee Ellen on April 24, in the case of his death.
Sergeant David Emmett Coyne
Coyne, who was born in Mackay, threw himself on a bomb in the trenches of Corbie, yelling “here goes” as he did. He then “got the whole issue”, survived long enough for a smoke and a shot of rum, before dying at the closest clearing station.
Sister Irene Drummond
The Ashfield nurse was gunned down by the Japanese at Bangka Island in 1942. She had been told to wade into the surf with 21 of her fellow nurses, after they escaped a shipwreck to a Japanese-held island. The sisters insisted on staying behind and caring for the wounded, while suggesting women and children escape to another island. Her last words were: “Chin up girls, I’m proud of you and I love you all.”
DR IAN HODGES
Captain Carol Vaughan-Evans
Co-ordinated the casualty clearing station of the 1995 civilian Rwandan Kibeho massacre, which held hundreds of wounded. Captain Vaughan-Evans remained cool and decisive in her role, despite hostile gunfire and exhaustion amid the terror of the situation.
Survivors of HMAS Armidale
The ship was targeted and sunk by the Japanese in December 1942, but the surviving crew united to try and build a means of escape — including floating an old whaler and constructing a raft out of debris — after floating at sea for several days.
Warrant Officer Class II Kevin ‘Dasher’ Wheatley
Born in Surry Hills in 1937, Dasher Wheatley faced certain death when he refused to leave his mate, Ronald Swanton, who had been shot while both were operating in Tra Bong. Despite being told to withdraw and abandon Swanton, Wheatley pulled the pin from two grenades and lay in wait for the Vietcong, who later killed the pair. He received the Victoria Cross for his act of sacrifice.
Lieutenant Frank McNamara
The Victorian McNamara was wounded on an operation on 20 March 1917, but saw a comrade who had been shot down along with a strong force of Turks making their way towards the crash site. McNamara landed and rescued the man despite his own serious wound, and brought him to safety. For this he received the Victoria Cross.
Corporal Ernest Corey
Cooma-born Corey, a stretcher-bearer, received the Military Medal on four occasions. He rescued injured men from the Western Front despite exhaustion and deadly conditions, “regardless of personal danger”.
DR MICHAEL MCKERNAN
Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Hyacinth (Jump) Honner
The Fremantle officer, known as ‘Jump’ is “the best battalion commander Australia has produced”, according to McKernan. In charge of the 39th battalion, who had been nicknamed “chockos” — chocolate soldiers who would melt in the heat of battle — Honner transformed the demoralised unit into a fighting force.
Ordinary Seaman Edward ‘Teddy’ Sheean
The 18-year-old went down with the HMAS Armidale, strapped to his gun, wounded and refusing to abandon ship, firing at Japanese planes until he was pulled down with the ship.
Chaplain Major William McKenzie
Dr McKernan called McKenzie “the best loved man in the AIF”. The Scottish-born Salvation Army chaplain spent his early years in the cane-cutting district of Bundaberg, before receiving a posting to Newcastle, which he said was “a tough place”. McKenzie ensured soldiers’ wellbeing was prioritised while working in Gallipoli and the Western Front, denying comfort and living on the front line with his soldiers. There have been reports that McKenzie even fought.
Corporal Ernest Albert Corey
“Four Military Medals, never before or since equalled.”
Lieutenant-Colonel Vivian Bullwinkel
The only survivor of the Bangka Island massacre, Bullwinkel was shot in the diaphragm and lay as if dead, surrounded by her murdered nursing colleagues. She was taken into captivity for a further three years and when the war ended, returned to nursing and established a fund for the nurses’ memorial on Bangka Island, to which she returned in 1992.
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