|
|
Post by corsair67 on Jul 25, 2006 21:35:24 GMT 12
From The Australian.
Alfred Shout was born in New Zealand.
Good to see this will be joining the other eight Australian Gallipoli Victoria Crosses at the AWM.
Stokes pays record $1m for last Gallipoli VC
Tracy Ong
July 25, 2006
MEDIA mogul Kerry Stokes has paid a world record price of $1 million for the last privately owned Gallipoli Victoria Cross, and will donate the medal to the Australian War Memorial.
It took less than a minute to sell lot 1078 at Bonhams & Goodman's Sydney auction house last night, after bidding opened at $300,000. But Mr Stokes, who kept his identity as the bidder secret until earlier today, will pay $1,214,500 for the medal.
However, he won't be keeping it. Auctioneer Tim Goodman said the new owner would "work with the RSL to ensure the medal is displayed in the Australian War Memorial in Canberra".
Mr Stokes, owner of the Seven Network with a fortune estimated at $1.8 billion, did not comment on the purchase. But the RSL released a statement confirming his identity as the new owner.
"Mr Stokes has shown a remarkable generosity of spirit and commitment to our nation. We are grateful for the example of selflessness he has again shown," it said.
Mr Stokes is a life member of the RSL. In 1993, he gave significant financial support to the RSL to buy the VC awarded to Kevin "Dasher" Wheatley in 1965 in Vietnam, at an estimated cost of $160,000.
RSL president Bill Crews said Mr Stokes was a "genuine Australian individual that looks to do the right thing by his country when he's able to do that".
The medal was posthumously awarded to Captain Alfred John Shout for leading a grenade attack on Turkish trenches at Lone Pine in August 1915, which killed nine Turks.
Before the raid, he reportedly told his platoon: "We will make a name for Australia and ourselves tomorrow."
Shout was wounded in his torso, face and a hand after one of the grenades he was carrying exploded in his hand. He died three days later on a hospital ship.
The VC is the highest award for acts of bravery in wartime.
Shout's grandson Graham Thomas last night joked the family had hidden the medals "under the bed" for the past 90 years. An emotional Mr Thomas, 67, said last night the money would go to his children.
"I just hope he's pleased with what we've done," he said.
Also auctioned last night was Shout's Military Cross, awarded for leading a bayonet charge against Turkish machinegun fire at Gallipoli.
John Howard has said he would like to see the Shout VC join the eight others awarded to Australians at Gallipoli at the War Memorial in Canberra.
The price broke the record of $575,000 for the VC awarded to RAF pilot Sergeant Norman Jackson in World War II.
Bonhams & Goodman's head of collectables, Giles Moon, said "this was the most significant VC to come up to date" because of Shout's exploits and the fact that it completed the set awarded to Australian servicemen in Gallipoli. He said a US buyer had also expressed interest, provided the medal stayed in Australia.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 25, 2006 22:34:18 GMT 12
Yes, very interesting. I was interested to read that Australia's most decorated WWI soldier was actually a Kiwi, just like their most decorated WWII soldier, Nancy Wake!
Good to hear the medals will probably go into a public museum.
|
|
|
|
Post by corsair67 on Jul 25, 2006 22:42:48 GMT 12
Speaking of VCs: what happened to Charles Upham's medals? His daughters were wanting to sell them earlier this year; did that happen or not?
I know there was a huge media/public backlash against the family while I was home in February.
|
|
|
|
Post by Calum on Jul 25, 2006 22:58:05 GMT 12
Yes, very interesting. I was interested to read that Australia's most decorated WWI soldier was actually a Kiwi, just like their most decorated WWII soldier, Nancy Wake! Good to hear the medals will probably go into a public museum. You won't hear fromt eh Aussies htough... The importing and claiming as their own of anyone who excels started a long time back ;D |
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 25, 2006 23:04:23 GMT 12
Indeed. Have they claimed you yet Calum?
|
|
|
|
Post by corsair67 on Jul 25, 2006 23:38:03 GMT 12
A mate of mine always says that these Kiwis (who are claimed as Australians) wouldn't have been any bloody good at all if they'd stayed in NZ! :-)
Anyway, plenty of people like to point out that Sam Neil wasn't born in NZ either when I'm reminding them of all the famous Kiwis in the world!
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 25, 2006 23:48:49 GMT 12
Sam Neill isn't our only foreign-born Kiwi film icon. Kiwi director Roger Donaldson was born an Aussie!
Basically I think both countries should be equally proud of both Shout and of Wake.
|
|
|
|
Post by yak2 on Jul 26, 2006 0:36:53 GMT 12
Not so Calum.... you are hearing from this Aussie. And who is 'they'? We are a nation of immigrants and don't have a problem with anyone who choses to call themselves Australian. Especially the 25000 Australian nationals presently in Lebanon who are trying to get back to their adopted home. One of our greatest heros of WW1 never to receive a VC was Simpson (and his donkey). Like many of the troops who made up the AIF, he was a Pom. It is not a matter of 'they' claiming someone as our own, it is how that person describes themselves. Many Kiwi's such as Sam Neill have distinguished themselves in public life in Australia, and it is probably because we share a similar history and values, and sometimes(!) even sound the same, that assumptions are made. Ask a Yank........they can't tell us apart (or together!). And yes Dave, I agree both countries should be proud.
|
|
|
|
Post by phil82 on Jul 26, 2006 10:17:22 GMT 12
Well. I'm glad an Aussie purchased it and that it will now never again come up for sale and will remain in Australia in perpetuity. The guy was an Aussie when he won it, Good on 'em. Likewise, I think the NZ Government should step in and buy the Charles Upham Double VC. Helen will look awfully embarrassed if they leave the country. I suspect that [the purchase by the Government that is] may have already happened in fact because the topic has gone off the boil, and his daughter was at the VC reunion in London recently.
As for Aussies.....I've worked with them over the years in my air force days, and have visited Australia many times since, and I've never met an Aussie I didn't like. They are not all Ockers, and in fact I've found them always to be very much like us. Sure they're laid back and talk funny, but so are Kiwis!
Some years ago I arrived at Tindal Air Force Base, near Katherine in the NT, and therefore surrounded by hundreds of miles of the GReat Australian FA, and I had been there a matter of hours when I was found by our Sqn WO, and RAAF Docter, and an Aussie Police Sgt. It turned out that there had been a serious accident on the main road involving an Army truck in which the passenger had been killed and the driver seriously injured. He was in the cottage hospital in Katherine, needed blood, and I was the only one within hundreds of miles who had the necessary B-Neg; 'would I donate some?"
So off we went in the cop car, into the "hospital" which was two rooms, one a surgery, and the other with two beds in it! This poor bugger was on the table in the surgery being attended by a local Doctor who asked me how much he could take? It was air-conditioned, and 40c outside, so I suggested he do what he thought was safe, and keep me there overnight, which they did. So they took my blood and fed it to the customer. Next day the RAAF Doc came to collect me, and on the way back to Tindal he told me the guy had died. I reflected on that for a moment, but then moved on because I had done all that was asked of me and couldn't do more. The next thing was I was told the Aussies were taking me to Darwin for the next three days or so to "recuperate". Recuperate was a very loose term for what amounted to the biggest piss-up ever. I didn't buy a beer for three days! The lad's mates, the RAAF, everyone were queuing up to get me pissed. They then laid on a flight back to Tindal. My one regret at the time was not finding out that young guy's name.
A similar incident happened in NZ once, involving a very well-known A4 pilot seriously injured in a car accident, but who shall be nameless because he's still around!
|
|
|
|
Post by corsair67 on Jul 26, 2006 10:48:50 GMT 12
Colin, that's an excellent story, although a little sad too. I used to think the Aussie accent was really funny, until the day I suddenly realised that I'd been here so long that I was starting to notice how funny the Kiwi accent was too! Whenever I am back in New Zealand I am amazed how thick the Kiwi accent really is: Jim Hickey used to just about have me in stitches when he was reading the weather - and that's not just because he is such a dork! ;D I am sure that if Upham's medals had gone up for auction, we'd all know about it by now. There was talk that under cultural heritage law these medals may not be able to legally leave New Zealand, so that would drive down their value considerably? Anyway, it'd be nice to see them on display at the Army Museum in Waiouru, or maybe even at Te Papa in Wellington. Surely the Govt could cough up the money for them as they're certainly more important to NZ history and culture than bloody hip hop!  |
|
|
|
Post by phil82 on Jul 26, 2006 11:07:08 GMT 12
I was a passenger on an Andover once, accompanying the then CNS, and we visited Nowra. He went off and did his thing but I stayed with the aircraft which had an inverter problem. Without it, we couldn't fly home!
So the sparky we had on board wandered over to the hangar as the lineys union tend to do, and he shortly returned with his RAN equivalent, a Chief as it turned, and they soon disappeared into various orifices on the Andover muttering wiggly amp language. Pretty soon, this strange aircraft attracted more curious inspection from the Hangar, and there were perhaps eight or nine people hanging around offering advice. Then, from the depth of the hangar, appeared a Sub-Lieutenant, immaculate in his Navy 'anyone for tennis' uniform, white shoes, white shorts, white shirt etc, clearly looking for his workers. He spots the crowd out at the Andver, and marches across. I was a Flt Lt at the time, and could see what was about to occur, so I sort of discreetly removed myself to the welcome shade of the wing, and stood by to watch the fun!
"What are all these people doing out here Chief?" says the Subby. I kid you not, without looking round, the Chief replied ; "Awwwrrl yew need to knaaaw maaate, ees they're weeth me". "Oh, alright then" and Subby wanders off back to the hangar.
|
|
|
|
Post by phil82 on Jul 26, 2006 11:21:24 GMT 12
I'm on a roll here!
The Canberras used to do 'Lone Rangers' to Amberley, and in theory, the crews were supposed to put the aircraft to bed and do the refuel etc, but in practice that never happened, as the ever-obliging Aussies did it all for them. There was one particularly obnoxious pilot, name of Smith, who duly arrived at Amberley, waved to the lineys, and went off to the Mess. When they arrived at the mess, all scrubbed and polished, they found the bar occupied by some fairly senior RAAF brass, including the CAS. Our man shoulders his way through to the bar, ignoring the guests, and was into his first beer when an Aussie Sqn Ldr approached him and quietly suggested it might be a good idea to acknowledge the Aussie CAS. Smithy looked at him, took a swig of his beer, and said; "Listen, mate, if I wanted lessons in etiquette, Australia would be the last place I'd come". .
Well, next day, Smithy and his Nav wander out to their Canberra to find it exactly as they had left it. Door open, no debris guards fitted, not refuelled, and not an Aussie liney in sight. Love it!
|
|
|
|
Post by phil82 on Jul 26, 2006 11:39:27 GMT 12
You're right, they're not allowed to leave NZ.
|
|
|
|
Post by corsair67 on Jul 26, 2006 12:56:18 GMT 12
Colin, that last story is excellent!
I almost imagine how much butt-kissing that pilot had to do to get his aircraft readied for flight that morning! ;D
|
|
|
|
Post by phil82 on Jul 26, 2006 14:54:49 GMT 12
Every one a gem!
Off topic a bit, but as many of you techos will know, the Canberra had a Maxaret brakes system, a sort of ABS. They didn't use it that often unless there was a need to stop in hurry on landing. The other reason was that the brake discs used to get VERY hot, and after shut down, Avon engines tended to dribble a bit of fuel. The fireies new about both the brake discs and the fuel, so carried a bucket for emergencies. Well, Canberra lands, uses Maxaret for some reason, and the brakes end up very hot while various people congregate at the end of the runway around the aircraft, including one very new JENGO. He leans over the brakes and reaches out........"Don't touch anything Sir....." followed by a sizzling sound and a Jengo dancing around with burned fingers.
We once had a Nav who's eyesight was deteriorating and when flying he wore glasses. The story goes that he walked out to his B12 one day, climbed aboard and waited for his pilot....and waited...and waited...until finally he unstrapped and climbed out onto the tarmac..to see his pilot grinning ear to ear in the next Canberra on the line. Next day, the lineys substituted the numbers on the aircraft to a huge size, with a large arrow pointing to the door saying "This Way".
The Herald today has a mention of the Upham VCs.
|
|
|
|
Post by corsair67 on Jul 26, 2006 15:34:12 GMT 12
I can relate to that story about the burning of hands on the brakes because I did something just as stupid as that when I was in my early teens at Wigram!
The Museum's Harvard had just given a display and was parked outside Hangar 7 for the the public to have a look at it, and for some stupid reason whilst trying to get a closer look at something, I put my hand on the exhaust pipe extension!
I guess I was lucky not to have suffered a serious burn, although my hand was only on the pipe a fraction of a second and it was fortunately near the end of the pipe. I was more embarrassed than anything else.
Anyway, I've never done it again since! ;D
Ah, the good old days before everything was roped off at airshows. ;D
|
|
|
|
Post by phil82 on Jul 26, 2006 17:39:53 GMT 12
One of the funniest 'liney' stories I ever heard was from an ex-RAF Armourer now living in Sydney, when we having a jar or two in that lovely old pub in the Rocks, the name of which I forget. It was at the time of the Aden troubles and a Bristol Britannia had been laid on to shift the lineys of 8Sqn [Hunter GGA 9] from Khormaksar to somewhere equally miserable. Everyone was seated, and the aircraft on its take-off run, just at the point of lift-off, when one of the cabin side windows blew out! Up leapt a Sgt Armourer from near the back, and he ran up the aisle shouting "stoooooppppp". They didn't, of course.
!
|
|
|
|
Post by corsair67 on Jul 26, 2006 22:03:11 GMT 12
So Colin, when is that book of yours coming out?
I want a signed copy! ;-)
|
|
|
|
Post by phil82 on Jul 26, 2006 22:08:07 GMT 12
The Book?
2007 hopefully. I have a publisher in the UK who does these things and has read some bits, and is happy with what she has read. Many of the recollections I have made here are in it, in greater detail.It will have a very limited readership! My air force career was nothing if not varied and unique!
|
|
