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Western Mail, 11 July 1929, p. 2
The Man with the Donkey.
Further Details.
In this column on July 4 reference was made to a statement in the "Reveille," the R.S.L. official organ in New South Wales, attributing to General Brand a claim that the "Man with the Donkey" enlisted in Queensland. Readers were asked if they could verify the widespread belief here that he enlisted in this State. The following reply by Mr. Cedric Rosser, No. 178, Third Field Ambulance, confirms Western Australia as the Man's place of enlistment:- "The Man with the Donkey was W. Simpson of C Section, Third Field Ambulance. Western Australia, and not Queensland. He was called 'Simo' by the' boys, and did not enlist under the name of Kirkpatrick, although he told some of us that his real name was that. He was among the first at Blackboy Hill camp, left Western Australia, on the Medic, and sailed from Lemnos in the Devannah, and landed at Anzac from tho destroyer Kibble on Anzac morning.
"He was a great lover of animals and smuggled an opossum, which he had caught, at Blackboy, on board the Medic. 'Simo' got his little pet right to Mena Camp at the base of the Pyramids, where, it finally escaped. One wonders what "became of that strange little traveller. His love for animals soon brought him in contact with the forlorn little donkey at Anzac, and the two were inseparable. Poor 'Simo' got into many a scrape at first foraging feed for his long-eared companion, and on one occasion remarked to an irate officer of the Army Service that 'It was impossible to feed the poor cow on air.'
''Simpson was shot, through the heart in Shrapnel Gully at about. 8 o'clock on the morning of May 19. I can vouch for this as I have my diary alongside me with the account of it. The Turks had made a very fierce attack that morning against our lines, and were driven back with great loss. 'Simo' was bringing his man down as usual on the donkey while he walked alongside supporting his patient. He was shot in the back and dropped dead. The patient managed to keep his seat and the donkey continued his pace down to the beach, and stopped as usual at the dressing station, but without his master one of the gamest men who ever wore the Aussie tunic. I have seen 'Símo' and his donk come down Shrapnel Gully when not another man was visible and .the whole place a shrieking death.
"When 'Simo' went the donk wandered aimlessly about browsing on the slopes and in the valleys, and his utter indifference once to shellfire caused many a comment. Later he was taken charge of by the 21st Mountain Battery of Sikhs, who were camped near us. It was later rumoured that one of their officers look him back to India when the battery returned, but I cannot vouch for this. 'Simo' was a ship's fireman in peace time, and enlisted at Francis-street and not Queensland."