Heroic Australian sailor Teddy Sheean’s VC cross coming home

He bravely sacrificed his life to protect his mates in World War II. Now Australian sailor Teddy Sheean will finally get the recognition he deserves.

A colourised picture of Edward “Teddy” Sheean, who was killed in action aboard the HMAS Armidale.

AUSTRALIAN sailor Teddy Sheean is a step closer to being honoured with a Victoria Cross, with his medal due to be collected in England this morning.

News Corp Australia understands Britain’s Royal Navy was due to hand over the medal to the Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, George Brandis, in a private ceremony in Portsmouth.

The medal, which is the military’s highest honour, will then be securely sent to Australia ahead of a planned public ceremony, most likely in Canberra.

Teddy Sheean will finally be recognised for his bravery.

The Tasmanian will become only the fifth Australian to receive the honour, which has also been awarded to Corporal Mark Donaldson, Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith, Corporal Daniel Keighran, and Corporal Cameron Stewart Baird.

Previous winners have been honoured with a ceremony at Government House in Canberra, with the award presented by the Governor General.

The Tasmanian, an 18-year-old ordinary seaman, will be given the recognition that he deserves after he was snubbed for decades by the top brass, which was described as “manifestly unjust”.

The Queen officially signed off on his honour in August.

The HMAS Armidale.

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Sheean bravely sacrificed his life to climb back on a sinking ship to protect his mates who were being machine-gunned by Japanese aircraft in World War Two.

The HMAS Armidale had sailed from Darwin to Timor to support allies there, and was attacked at 2pm on December 1, 1942.

Sheean helped sailors get into a life raft, then climbed back on-board the Armidale and continued firing his Oerlikon gun at the Japanese aircraft.

He was seen firing as the ship slipped beneath the waves and had strapped himself into the gun to be able to continue protecting his mates in the water despite being wounded.

Teddy Sheean’s nephew, Garry Ivory. Picture: Patrick Gee

There has been debate for decades about Sheean’s bravery, with previous reports underestimating his valour.

But Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in July that a new inquiry found “compelling new evidence in support for high recognition for Sheean”.

“Sheean was done a substantial injustice in consideration of his actions in the original decision-making period in 1942 to 1943,” he said at the time.

“Any ambiguity that existed before, or that had been allowed to prevail by acting hastily, that could have undermined the recommendation that we have made.

“So I can now make this recommendation confidently on the basis of the process that we have followed.”

Former Defence Minister Brendan Nelson was on the panel that reviewed Sheean’s case for a Victoria Cross.

The new inquiry looked at records from the Japanese about the attack, which revealed that Japanese aircraft came under fire from the Armidale as it sank.

Tasmanians had campaigned for Sheean to receive the honour, with his nephew Garry Ivory telling the Hobart Mercury that he had never “given up hope.”

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Originally published as Heroic Australian sailor Teddy Sheean’s VC cross coming home