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Originally Posted by Citroënbender
No VC for Teddy Sheean; not impressed by the pollies in charge.
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Agreed, and it's not the first time the award has been knocked back, the push for recognition of his bravery has been going on for years, the only recognition was a Posthumous Mention In Despatches, he hasn't received any Medal at all.........he was only 18 at the time.
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.....Armidale undertook evasive action, manoeuvring frantically to avoid the aerial attack. However, at 15:15, the vessel was struck by two air-launched torpedoes, one hitting her port side and the other colliding with the engineering spaces, before a bomb exploded aft. Armidale listed sharply to port at this stage, and the order was given to abandon ship. As the crew leapt into the sea, they were strafed by the attacking aircraft. Sheean, after assisting to free a life-raft, was hit by two bullets from one of the aircraft, wounding him in the chest and back. Scrambling across the deck, he strapped himself into the aft Oerlikon 20 mm cannon and began shooting at the fighters in an effort to protect some of the sailors already in the sea. Subject to the fire from Sheean's Oerlikon, the Japanese aircraft were kept at bay and were unable to effectively strafe those in the water.
With Armidale rapidly sinking, Sheean continued to fire and managed to shoot down one of the Japanese bombers. He damaged a further two aircraft before Armidale's stern was engulfed by the sea. Despite this, 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.
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Dale Marsh's painting of Teddy Sheean hangs in the Australian War Memorial
