John Simpson Kirkpatrick

Lore & Background

Simpson was born in England to Scottish parents and worked with donkeys as a youth. After deserting his merchant navy ship in Australia, he worked various jobs and developed left-wing political views. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force after the outbreak of war, apparently as a means of returning to England, and dropped his real surname to avoid being identified as a ship deserter. He was assigned to the 3rd Australian Field Ambulance as a stretcher bearer.

Landing at Anzac Cove on 25 April 1915, Simpson began using a donkey the following day to carry wounded soldiers. He used at least four different donkeys, known as 'Duffy No. 1', 'Duffy No. 2', 'Murphy', and 'Abdul'. He worked for three and a half weeks, often under fire, and was known by nicknames such as 'Scotty' and 'Simmy'. Colonel John Monash wrote that Simpson 'knew no fear' and moved unconcernedly amid shrapnel and rifle fire.

On 19 May 1915, the day after the major Turkish assault on Anzac Cove, Simpson was killed by machine-gun fire while carrying wounded. He was buried at the Beach Cemetery. Soon after his death, his story was conflated with that of another stretcher bearer, Richard Alexander Henderson, who used one of Simpson's donkeys. An iconic image of Henderson with a donkey has often been wrongly assumed to portray Simpson.

Reader's Guide

Simpson's legend grew largely from a 1916 propaganda book, Glorious Deeds of Australasians in the Great War, which included demonstrably untrue claims that he rescued 300 men. Despite this, his story became central to the Anzac legend. In 1965, calls for a late Victoria Cross for Simpson were rejected by the Australian government, but an Anzac Commemorative Medal featuring Simpson and his donkey was issued to Gallipoli veterans. In 1977, a donkey named 'Jeremy Jeremiah Simpson' joined the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps as its mascot. Simpson's image appeared on Australian postage stamps in 1965 and inspired a silent film, a radio play, and a television episode. The conflation with Henderson remains a point of historical confusion, with Moore-Jones' paintings of Henderson often misidentified as Simpson.

Did You Know?

• Simpson used at least four different donkeys at Gallipoli, named Duffy No. 1, Duffy No. 2, Murphy, and Abdul.
• He enlisted under the name 'John Simpson' to avoid being identified as a ship deserter.
• An iconic image often thought to be Simpson actually shows Richard Alexander Henderson of the New Zealand Medical Corps.
• The claim that Simpson rescued 300 men is considered physically impossible and is not supported by historical evidence.