Sid Sidebottom (Braddon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

In July 1940, Leading Seaman Jack Mantle, although mortally wounded, kept firing his gun right to the end as a swarm of Nazi stukas attacked his anti-aircraft ship, HMAS Foylebank, in the English harbour of Portland. For his valour Jack Mantle was fittingly awarded a Victoria Cross.

A statutory declaration by Colin Madigan AO, declared on 28 May 2008, states:

I, Colin Madigan AO, make the following declaration under the Statutory Declarations Act 1959:

I served in HMAS Armidale throughout her short life of six months from launching to sinking in action on December 1, 1942.

My action station was on the bridge in the Asdic cabinet and when they order "Abandon ship" was given I had difficulty extricating myself because of my Mae West, which was inflated. I could hear Teddy Sheean's Oerlikon firing all the time and when I eventually got into the water I saw his tracer shells coming up from under the surface. He had gone down with the ship, still fighting.

This act was awe-inspiring. It enters the universal temple Pantheon which records the world's great legends and in this instance combines that rarest of all qualities, altruism. The official gazettal of a Victoria Cross is overdue.

…   …   …

Since 2001, I have sought to have the actions of Teddy Sheean recognised both in this parliament and by the posthumous award of a Victoria Cross. I note that, in relation to this and similar episodes such as that by Richard Emms in Darwin when Darwin was being bombed and by other members of the Royal Australian Navy, not one member of the Royal Australian Navy has ever been awarded the Victoria Cross. After investigating the history of these cases, the only reason for this that I can find is that the RAN had a different honours system of advocacy from the Royal Australian Air Force and the AIF. Until recently, recommendations for a Victoria Cross and other honours for members of the Royal Australian Navy went through the Admiralty and not through the RAN. I think that in the instance of Teddy Sheean and others, like Robert Rankin, that is in a sense scandalous. No one wants to pit the feats of heroism of one person against another. Jack Mantle rightly received a Victoria Cross for what he did; Teddy Sheean was mentioned in dispatches for what he did. I have other records from those who were on the Armidale when it was sunk and subsequently strafed by Japanese fighters and bombers. I will quote from Ray Raymond, who says: 'At 3.15 on 1 December 1942, HMAS Armidale was attacked by 13 Japanese planes, with the result that the ship was hit by a torpedo on the port side abreast of the bridge.' He goes on to give descriptions of where he was. He swam 40 yards away from the ship when confronted by a torpedo. The bridge section of the ship sank first as a result of the section filling with water after the first torpedo. The aftersection righted itself 'from the tilt and after the Oerlikon came into sight, being manned by Teddy Sheehan, who was still firing the gun, which resulted in him shooting down one Japanese plane and damaging possibly two others'. He went on to say, 'As the ship broke in halves, both sections sank from the centre, with the result that Teddy Sheehan was still firing the Oerlikon gun as the aftersection of the ship disappeared below the surface, never to appear again.' That was witnessed by others, and I believe that this new honour system and the tribunal to review this should award a posthumous Victoria Cross. (Time expired)

See this speech in context