Doctor Tom Lewis - Teddy Sheean VC

Acknowledgements

Special thanks, in alphabetical order, to:

Special thanks to Garry Ivory, a member of the Sheean extended family, and Guy Barnett MP both tireless workers for the cause of seeing more recognition given to Teddy Sheean for his bravery. I am grateful especially for their assistance in my Tasmanian tour accompanying the launch of this book in its earlier edition as Honour Denied Teddy Sheean, a Tasmanian Hero.

Acknowledgement is made with thanks to Dale Marsh OAM, whose painting of Teddy Sheean in action forms part of the cover art.

Some sections of this book have appeared in the same authors Lethality in Combat (Big Sky Publishing, 2010) and The Submarine Six (Avonmore Books, 2011). This book was previously published as Honour Denied Teddy Sheean, a Tasmanian Hero, in 2016, by Avonmore Books. The new revised edition was published following the awarding of a Victoria Cross to Teddy Sheean in 2020.

Afterword

Keith Payne VC AM is one of Australia most gallant 101. He was awarded his Victoria Cross by Queen Elizabeth II on board HMY Britannia in Brisbane on 13 April 1970, after being nominated for his actions as part of an Australian Army Training Team-Vietnam mission in May 1969 during the Vietnam War.

I feel that there were many cases in World War II in the Navy where a Victoria Cross should have been recommended and awarded.

But because it had to be processed through the Admiralty for approval, in many cases the ships companies have been overlooked.

Teddy Sheean performed a brave action worthy of a VC.

Its never too late for a gallantry award to be recommended and approved, especially now we have our own awards system.

Keith Payne VC AM

Appendix 1a

Notes:

From research undertaken by author John Bradford in 2012-13 for a project to compile data for a Memorial Wall at the Darwin Military Museum.

Appendix 1b

Notes:

From research undertaken by author John Bradford, in 2012-13 for a project to compile data for a Memorial Wall at the Darwin Military Museum

Not all titles and first names were visible in the records searched.

Appendix 2

1. The current evidentiary requirements for the Victoria Cross and the procedures for awarding it.

The requirements for the Victoria Cross are exceptionally stringent. All awards of the Victoria Cross are approved by Her Majesty The Queen. The Queen would decide an award on the basis that the recommendation was made by those who had seen or who had direct report from those who had seen the action. As such, any recommendation would have to be accompanied by conclusive proof in so far as the circumstances allowed and attestation of any facts. Three independent witness statements are considered the minimum necessary to support a Victoria Cross recommendation.