VC Heroes--The True Stories Behind Every VC Winner Since World War Two by Cawthorne Nigel

Author:Cawthorne Nigel [Nigel Cawthorne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781857828108
Publisher: John Blake Publishing
Published: 2012-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

This appeared in the London Gazette of 26 August 1969 and the supplement of 29 August 1969.

‘I almost fell over,’ said Simpson, when he heard of his award. ‘I don’t believe it. It’s incredible.’

The United States also awarded him the Silver Star and the Bronze Star for Valour, making him the most highly decorated soldier in the Australian Army.

That night there was a party at the Savoy, the Australian Warrant Officer and Sergeant’s club. A large amount of beer was consumed. And Australia’s other two VCs from the Vietnam war were not forgotten: Kevin Wheatley and Peter Badcoe were mentioned in the toasts.

Also on hand was Sergeant Peter Holmberg. Simpson put his arm around Holmberg’s shoulders and said, ‘He was with me on those actions they gave me the VC for. He’s a beauty.’

The following day, Simpson was posted to the Mekong Delta, where he was to join a small group of advisers teaching the villagers local defence.

‘Ray’s new posting is for a definite reason,’ said Lieutenant Colonel Lloyd. ‘He had four pretty hectic years here so far. A time out of the regular fighting line will do him good. The posting was decided well before the Victoria Cross award was approved.’

Simpson received his Victoria Cross from the Queen during an investiture held at Government House, Sydney, on 1 May 1970. Three days later he left the army. He loved soldiering, but he knew that he would not be allowed to return to active service in Vietnam. He loathed the frustration of a desk job and he wanted to be with his wife, so he moved to Japan to be with her. In fact, he would not even have bothered to go back to Australia to get his VC if his wife had not insisted. Otherwise, as with the DCM, they could have posted it to him, he told a friend.

Asked how he wanted it presented, he said that he did not care ‘as long as they give it to me with the cheese and kisses there right beside me’. The Daily Telegraph and Daily News translated this curious piece of rhyming slang as, ‘You know, the Mrs, I want her to be there. She has been through a lot.’

In 1972 he took up a position as administrative officer at the Australian Embassy, Tokyo. But administrative work did not really suit him.

‘My job is fair enough,’ Simpson told his niece. ‘The pay is quite reasonable and the work is easy, but for me very boring. I was never cut out to be a “desk jockey”. The outdoors for this bloke.’

And, when the story of the postwar VC winners was recorded by the Australian authorities, Lieutenant Colonel R L Burnard, who had served with Simpson in Korea, Vietnam and the SAS, said, ‘He was the most outstanding soldier among an elite group of men. He is a rough and tough sort of bloke, who knows more about soldiering than anyone I know. He’s pretty much a loner, a man who knows what he’s doing.

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