Simpson and his donkey became famous for helping wounded Allied soldiers during the ANZAC campaign at Gallipoli during World War I (1914-1918). In April 1915, the Allies landed troops on the Gallipoli Peninsula on the west shore of the Dardanelles, then controlled by the Ottoman Empire. ANZAC troops, a force of Australian and New Zealand volunteers, played a key role in the landing. If successful, the attack would have opened a route to the Black Sea. The Allied forces, especially the ANZAC troops, fought bravely. But they suffered heavy casualties, and Allied commanders ordered them to withdraw in December 1915. The campaign failed disastrously.
John Simpson Kirkpatrick was born on July 6, 1892, in South Shields, England. He lived in Melbourne, Australia, until he entered World War I as part of the Third Field Ambulance company. Simpson’s donkey was one of several that had been landed with their Greek drivers on April 25, 1915, to be used in carrying drinking water. The Greek drivers soon left, and most of the donkeys, regarded as useless without them, merely wandered. Simpson found one and called it Duffy. Together, he and the donkey carried wounded soldiers between Monash Valley and the beach.
Simpson and his donkey camped at the Indian mule camp. They reported daily at the field ambulance. On May 19, Simpson was killed by a shot in the heart. Duffy went with the Indian mule drivers after the ANZAC evacuation. A statue of Simpson and his donkey was erected in Melbourne.
See also Gallipoli campaign.
