Posthumus VC awarded after 78 years

[pierre the shy]

Only saw this tonight, but seems like some good news from Australia for a change, given how tough their fight against Covid-19 has been lately....

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-12/teddy-sheean-victoria-cross-approved-by-queen/12550210

Nice to see that his mate is still around to see it awarded after all this time......

Well done that man.........

[Steve J]

Nice to see his sacrifice recognised at last.

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Good one

[Techno]

Nice to see his sacrifice recognised at last.

Certainly is !!

As you say, Peter...Well done that man.

Cheers - Phil

[paulr]

The linked story is a little light on details

Edward 'Teddy' Sheean was on the corvette HMAS Armidale when it was attacked by 13 Japanese bombers and struck by 2 torpedoes and 1 bomb

As the crew abandoned ship the Japanese aircraft fired on the them in the water

Sheean after helping launch a life raft and having already been wounded twice manned the aft 20mm Oerlikon and shot down one Japanese aircraft and damaged two others

Sheean maintained his fire as the water rose above his feet, and remained firing as he "disappeared beneath the waves". Sheean's crewmates later testified to witnessing tracers rising from beneath the water's surface as Sheean was dragged under.

We will remember them

[John Cook]

I'm trying to think of any VC, posthumous or otherwise, that has been awarded so long after the event.  Is this unprecedented, I wonder?

Do the Aussies have a  penchant for this kind of thing?  I'm thinking of the controversy over bravery awards for Long Tan.  Mind you, we are not much better sometimes.  There is a case for a VC for bravery at Mirbat in 1972. 

[pierre the shy]

I'm trying to think of any VC, posthumous or otherwise, that has been awarded so long after the event.  Is this unprecedented, I wonder?

Do the Aussies have a  penchant for this kind of thing?  I'm thinking of the controversy over bravery awards for Long Tan.  Mind you, we are not much better sometimes.  There is a case for a VC for bravery at Mirbat in 1972. 

It's a VERY unique situation John.,...The Australians went through no less than 3 reviews...in 1942/3 and again in recent years to consider if this VC should be awarded. The second review recommended against the award but a further final review by a very distinguished panel found additional information and recommended  to the Australian government thatthe award be made. This was accepted and recommendation made to the Queen who agreed that VC should be awarded.

Fwiw.l think that the award of the VC to Ordinary Seaman Sheean is 100% correct 👍

[DaveH]

Bit overdue but looks like it was a deserved award.

[paulr]

The awarding of medals for valour has always been a fraught affair with many deeds not observed and others more widely reported

One of the more unusual was Flying Officer Lloyd Allan Trigg VC DFC

His VC was awarded posthumously based on the evidence of Oberleutnant Klemens Schamong, commander of U-468, which Trigg's Liberator sank before crashing in flames due to fire from the U-boat. The small group of German survivors were picked up in the dinghy of the crashed Liberator

[pierre the shy]

The awarding of medals for valour has always been a fraught affair with many deeds not observed and others more widely reported

Indeed.......my late father was a very junior officer on a LCT on D Day. One of the few things he told me about that day was the bridge of one of the other LCT's in his flotilla was hit on the run into the beach and all personnel on the bridge but the skipper were killed. He was mortally wounded but insisted on conning the ship into the beach and seeing it unloaded. As he did so he was hit again fatally. Several recommendations were subsiquently made to award him a VC as his actions were widely observed and thought that worthy but he was awarded an immediate MiD on the evening of D Day so did not qualify for the higher award.