Teddy Sheean

Edward "Teddy" Sheean, (28 December 1923 – 1 December 1942) was a sailor in the Royal Australian Navy during the Second World War. Born in Tasmania, Sheean was employed as a farm labourer when he enlisted in the Royal Australian Naval Reserve in April 1941. Following training at HMAS Derwent and the Flinders Naval Depot, he was posted to Sydney, where he joined the newly commissioned corvette HMAS Armidale in June 1942. Sheean served aboard Armidale as she took part in escort duties along the eastern Australian coast and in New Guinea waters. In October he transferred with the ship to Darwin, where Armidale was tasked with assisting Australian operations in Timor.

On 29 November 1942, Armidale set out for an operation to Betano, Timor, along with HMAS Castlemaine. The two ships were attacked by Japanese aircraft along the way, and were subsequently late in arriving at their destination, missing a planned rendezvous with HMAS Kuru. While returning to Darwin, the pair encountered Kuru south of Betano and it was decided by Castlemaines commanding officer—as the senior officer—that Armidale and Kuru should make for Betano. The two ships took different routes to Betano, during which both vessels came under aerial assault. During a subsequent confrontation with thirteen Japanese aircraft on 1 December, Armidale was struck by two torpedoes and a bomb, and began to sink; the order to abandon ship was given. After helping to free a life-raft, Sheean was wounded by two bullets. He made his way to the aft Oerlikon 20 mm cannon and began to fire on the Japanese aircraft to protect those in the water. Sheean managed to shoot down one of the Japanese bombers, but was killed when Armidale sank. Many of the survivors credited their lives to Sheean and he was posthumously mentioned in despatches, this award was later cancelled on 1 December 2020 when upgraded to the Victoria Cross for Australia.

Consideration was given to awarding Sheean the Victoria Cross for Australia (VC) and, in 1999, the RAN submarine HMAS Sheean was named in his honour. An inquiry in 2013 recommended that he not be awarded the VC. A 2019 inquiry recommended in favour of the award, but was rejected by the Government. Another inquiry held during 2020 recommended that Sheean be awarded the VC, and this was accepted by the Government. Queen Elizabeth II approved the award on 12 August 2020.

Early life Sheean was born in Lower Barrington, Tasmania, on 28 December 1923, the youngest of fourteen children to James Sheean, a labourer, and his wife Mary Jane (née Broomhall). Soon after his birth, the Sheean family moved to Latrobe, where he was educated at the local Catholic school. Following the completion of his schooling, Sheean gained casual employment working on several farms in the vicinity of Latrobe and Merseylea.

Second World War On 21 April 1941, Sheean enlisted in the Royal Australian Naval Reserve. He had followed in the steps of five of his brothers who had already joined the armed forces—four in the Australian Army and one in the Royal Australian Navy—for service in the Second World War. On finishing his initial training course, Sheean was attached to the Flinders Naval Depot in Western Port, Victoria, for further instruction from 11 February 1942. Despite this, Sheean maintained his fire as the water rose above his feet, and remained firing as he "disappeared beneath the waves". Sheean's actions were recognised with a posthumous Mention in Despatches, awarded on the recommendation of Armidales commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander David Richards, and announced in a supplement to The London Gazette on 29 June 1943. However, many held the opinion that Sheean's gallantry, devotion to duty and self-sacrifice were worthy of the Victoria Cross, Sheean was subsequently commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy on 23 February 2001, and was the first Royal Australian Navy vessel to be named in honour of a naval rating. Carrying the motto "Fight On", the vessel was one of six s entered into service. A painting depicting Sheean's final moments is held by the Australian War Memorial.

Victoria Cross for Australia

In 2001 a Bill was introduced into the Australian Senate to have three awards of the Victoria Cross for Australia made, one being to Sheean. The Bill came as part of a campaign by the then-leader of the Australian Labor Party and Federal Opposition, Kim Beazley, to secure more rights for war veterans. However, it was subsequently rejected by the Liberal Government.

In 2011, at the direction of the Parliamentary Secretary for Defence, Senator David Feeney, the Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal opened an inquiry into thirteen cases of unresolved recognition for past acts of gallantry. Among the group were eleven naval personnel, including Sheean. Known as the 'Valour Inquiry', the Tribunal was directed to determine if the individuals were unduly overlooked for recognition at the time of their actions and, if so, whether late awards were appropriate. The inquiry lasted two years and included 166 submissions from 125 individuals and organisations, before the Tribunal reported its findings in January 2013. In the case of Sheean, the Tribunal found that there was no manifest injustice with the award of the Mention in Despatches, and that there was no new evidence to support the consideration of Sheean for the Victoria Cross for Australia. If Sheean had lived, they reported, he might have been recommended for either the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal or the Distinguished Service Medal instead, but neither medal could be awarded posthumously in 1942. The Tribunal recommended that the RAN perpetuate the use of Sheean as the name of a major combatant vessel.

The Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal panel conducted an inquiry during 2019 to consider whether Sheean should be awarded the Victoria Cross. It recommended in July that year that he be awarded the medal. This recommendation was rejected by Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds in May 2020 on the grounds that the panel had not presented any new evidence to support its recommendation. Reynolds' decision was endorsed by Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Mark Sullivan, the head of the Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal subsequently wrote to Reynolds to complain that she had misrepresented the panel's findings and misled the Senate. Sullivan stated in his letter that the panel had found new evidence to support its recommendation despite not being required to do so. In response to Sullivan's letter, Tasmanian Veterans Affairs Minister Guy Barnett and federal Senator Jacqui Lambie called for the decision to not award the medal to be reconsidered. Federal Leader of the Opposition Anthony Albanese also wrote that Sheean should be awarded the Victoria Cross. The Chief of the Defence Force General Angus Campbell strongly advised the government to not award Sheean the medal.

In June 2020, Morrison commissioned another expert panel to examine whether Sheean should be awarded the Victoria Cross. On 10 August 2020, Morrison accepted the findings of the panel and recommended the Queen posthumously award Sheean the Victoria Cross for Australia. The Queen approved the award on 12 August. An investiture ceremony was held on 1 December 2020 at Government House in Canberra. Governor-General General David Hurley presented the award to Sheean's nephew, Garry Ivory. Sheean's medal was the first VC awarded to a Royal Australian Navy crew member.