Simpson, James William Albert (Lieutenant Colonel : d.1917)

Accession Number PR06024
Collection type Private Record
Record type Collection
Measurement 2 wallets : 2 cm
Object type Letter, Certificate, Document
Maker Simpson, James William Albert
Various
Place made France
Date made c.1914-1918
Access Open
Conflict First World War, 1914-1918
Copyright

Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain

Public Domain Mark This item is in the Public Domain

Copying Provisions Copyright expired. Copying permitted subject to physical condition. Permission for reproduction not required.
Description

Collection relating to Lieutenant Colonel James William Albert Simpson, 36 Battalion AIF. Collection contains letters and a diary written home to his wife; various certificates of commission; official correspondence; and letters of condolence to Mrs Grace Simpson following the death of her husband. Lt Col Simpson was killed in action in France on 21 January 1917; he was hit by incoming shell fire, along with four of his comrades, whilst in a communications trench near Armentieres. He had been awarded the Military Cross two years earlier in 1915 in an action near Gaba Tepe. He was commended for leading his men under heavy fire through unreconnoitred scrub to consolidate their position. He was described as an "extremely popular officer" who was "beloved by his men" and "showed great kindness to everyone in his regiment."