Military historian Dr Tom Lewis' fervent belief that Tasmanian war hero, Ordinary Seaman Edward “Teddy” Sheean, should be awarded a prestigious retrospective Victoria Cross underpins his latest literary offering.
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Honour Denied - Teddy Sheean, a Tasmanian Hero... and other brave warriors of the Royal Australian Navy illustrates North-West local Ordinary Seaman Sheean's life, death and the conjecture over a perceived lack of recognition that ensued.
Ordinary Seaman Sheean was born on December 28, 1923 at Lower Barrington, the youngest of 14 children.
He was killed in combat at the age of 18 in 1942, whilst his ship sank at sea.
The HMAS Armidale was bombed by Japanese aeroplanes, and Ordinary Seaman Sheean perished.
Many of his colleagues deemed his demise a heroic one, as he went back to fight, rather than abandon ship - a decision which is believed to have saved many lives.
Dr Lewis believes Ordinary Seaman Sheean represents an entire section of the defence force who've been deprived of deserved decorations.
An official inquiry was conducted into whether Ordinary Seaman Sheean deserved a Victoria Cross.
The Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal handed down its findings in 2013, and found he did not.
"It seemed to me that Sheean is just one of many, probably the standout," Dr Lewis said.
"And I thought, well, somebody should write about this - so I did."
He said although Ordinary Seaman Sheean had a submarine named in his honour, he still firmly believed he should receive a Victoria Cross.
Dr Lewis first became intrigued with Ordinary Seaman Sheean after he wrote a book on shipwrecks from World War Two and Cyclone Tracy.
"That sort of gradually started to let me know about various other stories, because Sheean's ship, HMAS Armidale, sunk north of Darwin,” Dr Lewis said.
“It sort of seeps into your consciousness,” he said.
Dr Lewis unearthed surprising and little-known insights into Ordinary Seaman Sheean's life.
He was particularly taken aback when he discovered the war hero had allegedly been secretly engaged.
"The lady he was engaged to, sadly, wore the engagement ring he gave her around her neck once he wasn't coming back," Dr Lewis said.
What I'm saying is that the navy was hard done by ... Sheean's not alone
- Doctor Tom Lewis, OAM
Interviews with Ordinary Seaman Sheean's navy colleagues painted him as a quirky, funny, loyal man with many unique traits.
A shipmate "described quite a few of Teddy's eccentricities" to Dr Lewis.
"Teddy was the sort who let hammocks down, but he'd never let you down personally," Dr Lewis said.
"This guy's obviously very eccentric, but everyone I interviewed who knew Teddy said he was the sort who would never let you down."
Ordinary Seaman Sheean would pretend to walk dead crayfish on the beach to amuse others.
His Tasmanian heritage formed an important, distinctive part of his identity.
"I found some things I thought were quite surprising, one of the interesting things actually was uncovering his life in the North," Dr Lewis, who is also Tasmanian, said.
Ordinary Seaman Sheean and his family dealt with "tough times" including a polio epidemic.
He finished school early, and embarked on simple carpentry work.
"You had a very, very tough existence...you just look at it and you think, 'wow, these guys had it tough'," Dr Lewis said.
Dr Lewis returned to his home state to research the book, undertaking several research trips to Northern Tasmania to investigate and examine all aspects of Ordinary Seaman Sheean's life.
He said his latest book is the thirteenth he has had published.
Dr Lewis had only written one book that was not concerned with the military, which instead dealt with the collapse of the Tasman Bridge.
He believes that Ordinary Seaman Sheean’s situation epitomises a "systemic unfairness".
"What I'm saying is that the navy was hard done by...Sheean's not alone," Dr Lewis said.
Ordinary Seaman Sheean’s nephew, Garry Ivory, has tirelessly campaigned alongside others to have his uncle’s heroism rewarded.
He said the book symbolised a promising continuation of campaign momentum.
“I’m very, very proud...it gets [the story] out there again,” Mr Ivory said.
Mr Ivory assisted Dr Lewis in gathering information for the book, and said its title reflected the injustice of the lack of decoration his uncle received.