John Simpson Kirkpatrick Remembered

The Man with the Donkey 

John Simpson Kirkpatrick was born at 10 South Eldon Street, Tyne Dock; a working class part of South Shields, situated at the mouth of the River Tyne.  In 1917 a statuette of 'The Man with the Donkey' was presented to the town's Library in Ocean Road by the Tyne Dock Masons.  The bronze statuette was executed by a well know artist, Mr. Alfred Bertram Pegram.  The presentation took place in the Reference Library, which was crowded by the general public and the Chief Librarian gave a eulogy of "Kirkpatrick's heroic deeds at Gallipoli".

    The statuette of The Man with the Donkey

St. Mary's War Memorial

In 1922 the vicar of St. Mary’s Church, (C of E), Tyne Dock, unveiled a memorial cross to the memory of the members of the parish  who made the supreme sacrifice in the Great War.    On the four panels of the stone base are inscribed the names of the 182 men of the parish who fell in the war.  As a boy John Simpson Kirkpatrick attended St. Mary's Church and its Sunday School and his name is amongst the roll of honour.  The church was demolished in 1984 and replaced by St. Mary's Court Sheltered Housing. Thankfully, the memorial cross is still standing in its original position.

St. Mary's War Memorial Cross, Tyne Dock

 

A close-up of the panel bearing his name.

 

The statue of John Simpson Kirkpatrick

In 1988, Australia’s bicentenary year, a statue of John Simpson Kirkpatrick 'The Man with the Donkey' was erected in Ocean Road; a short distance from the town’s museum (and former library).  It was designed by South Shields artist Bob Olley and was paid for (in part) by public subscription.  The 2.5m tall, bronze coloured statue was unveiled by the Mayor, Councillor Albert Tate. 

The Man with the Donkey

The Kirkpatrick Bar 

The statue is situated in front of an impressive Victorian building, originally the Marine School of South Shields built for the training of seafarers.  In 1990 it became a public house and was named The Kirkpatrick in his honour.  In view of the fact that John (known as Jack) was a merchant seaman prior to the outbreak of WW1, many local people consider it to be a fitting memorial to the town’s most famous son. 

The statue and  the Kirkpatrick Bar

The Kirkpatrick Trail

In 2010, a historic walk entitled 'The Kirkpatrick Trail' was organised by members of South Shields Local History Group. The guided walk begins at the Market Place, where the boy Kirkpatrick played at Murphy's travelling fair.  It procedes down King Street and Ocean Road (past the statue and the museum) to the beach where he worked as a Donkey Boy, aged 10 years old. 

The start of the Kirkpatrick Trail at the Market Place

The Man and the Donkey

In February 2011, a stage play by writer Valerie Laws premiered at the Customs House, South Shields.  The part of John Simpson Kirlpatrick was played by local actor Jamie Brown. The play was a success and returned to the Customs House in May 2015.

                                 The Man and the Donkey on Tyne Tees Television

Centenary Events

On 19th May 2015, a number of public events took place in South Shields to mark the centenary of John Simpson Kirkpack's death in 1915.

                                           Australian dignatary visits South Shields

John Simpson Kirkpatrick Book

On 6th July 2015, a book launch took place at South Shields Central Library to commemorate the birth of John Simpson Kirkpatrick, 123 years ago, in 1892.

                                            Gallipoli Hero John Simpson Kirkpatrick


References:
Shields Gazette, Tyne Wear Museum Service, Tyne Tees Television, South Tyneside Libraries, John Simpson Kirkpatrick: The Untold Story of the Gallipoli Hero's Early Life by Jim Mulholand.