Studio portrait of 31457 Private (Pte) Kevin Leslie 'Joe the Ghost' Simms, of Bendigo, Vic, and ...

Studio portrait of 31457 Private (Pte) Kevin Leslie 'Joe the Ghost' Simms, of Bendigo, Vic, and of the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR). Pte Simms is one of four soldiers of a Bren gun team featured in the battle of Kapyong diorama in the Korean War gallery of the Australian War Memorial. Early on 24 April 1951, 5400049 Corporal Ray Norman Parry, 32194 Private (Pte) Eric James Roberts, 3400114 Pte Leo Harry Whidbourne and Pte Simms defended their position against repeated attacks by Chinese soldiers. On the night of 22 April 1951, Chinese forces had launched a major offensive against United Nations forces defending the South Korean capital, Seoul, and positions further east. Next morning the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade (including the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment) was ordered to the valley of the Kapyong River about 60 kilometres north-east of Seoul, where South Korean forces were being driven back. During a night of fierce fighting, and throughout the daylight hours of 24 April, the Australians and a Canadian battalion, supported by a New Zealand artillery regiment, stalled the Chinese advance before eventually withdrawing after dark. At a cost of 32 men killed, 59 wounded and three missing (taken prisoner), the Australians had helped hold up the Chinese 60th Division and inflicted heavy casualties. For their contribution to this action, 3 RAR was awarded a US Presidential Citation.