AUSTRALIAN VICTORIA CROSS AWARDS SOUGHT

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V25 2022 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 25, Number 48, November 27, 2022, Article 25

Last week we discussed a movement in Canada calling for the country to award Victoria Cross medals. While many had been awarded in WWII, none had been awarded since the selection process moved from the British monarchy to the Canadian government. It turns out Australia has a similar problem. Here's an article from The Spectator Australia - a number of WWII heroes are being promoted for Auatralia's VC. -Editor

Imagine today if every approval for an Australian gallantry award had to be ticked off by someone in London. That was the case in World War II. That was what our Navy had to endure. The other two forces had their awards approved in Australia. Navies take a long time to grow, and ours had been ˜parented' by the RN. When war arrived, there was no time for revision. Fighting for its life against Germany and Italy, and later Japan, Britain was understandably under extreme pressure.

Perhaps due to that, there are at least four WWII naval personnel who could have received a VC. Some received what was called a ˜Mention in Despatches', not a medal, rather a badge, albeit a prestigious one. Many thousands of Aussies were awarded a MID before it was phased out in 1975. But some of the bravest Navy personnel received no recognition whatsoever.

Ship's cook Francis Emms fought at his machine gun against Japanese aircraft until wounded, later dying aboard HMAS Kara Kara in Darwin Harbour on 19 February 1942. He received only a Mention; the VC being the only other possible posthumous possibility.

Only weeks later, Captain ˜Hec' Waller commanded HMAS Perth in battle until it was sunk, losing his life in the process. Fighting alongside the Australian cruiser, also sunk, was USS Houston. Her Captain Rooks received the very highest American award, the Medal of Honor. In fact, no one noticed Waller had not been recommended for anything at all, except post-war when – ironically – someone from the RN in Britain noticed the anomaly. The paperwork was hurriedly filled in, only for Waller to receive a MID when a VC would have been appropriate.

And at the end of 1942 – a terrible year for our Navy – Teddy Sheean manned his 20mm anti-aircraft gun even as the corvette Armidale sank underneath him, having disregarded the order to abandon ship in an effort to save his shipmates' lives.

At least these three were given a MID, with Sheean's now removed and replaced by the VC. Others received nothing.

To read the complete article, see:
Australian notes (https://www.spectator.com.au/2022/11/australian-notes-325/)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
THE RAREST VICTORIA CROSS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v25/esylum_v25n47a25.html)