Descendants of Australian Father-Son DCM Recipients Seek VC Upgrade for Stanley Walsh and Recovery of Missing Medal
Introduction
The family of Warrant Officer Stanley Walsh, a recipient of the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) for actions during World War II, has initiated a formal process to have his award upgraded to the Victoria Cross. Simultaneously, they are attempting to locate the original DCM awarded to his father, Richard Walsh, which was lost during the division of his estate. The Walshes are believed to be the only father-son pair in Australian history to have both received the DCM.
Main Body
Stanley Walsh, a member of the Rats of Tobruk, performed his act of gallantry on 1 September 1942 near Tel el Eisa, Egypt. While under heavy shellfire and behind enemy lines, he observed a wounded Australian runner from another company who was trapped and in imminent danger. Walsh moved to the soldier, dressed his wounds, and carried him approximately half a kilometre to safety despite ongoing rocket and machine-gun fire. For this action, he was awarded the DCM, the nation's second-highest military honour. Decades later, Walsh encountered the man he had saved in Brisbane, an event that underscored the significance of his deed. Military historian John Telfer, who assisted in preparing the upgrade application, described Walsh as embodying the qualities of courage, perseverance, resourcefulness, and mateship. Walsh's father, Richard Walsh, received his own DCM for service in the Boer War. The family asserts that this constitutes a unique historical record: the only instance of a father and son both being awarded the DCM in Australian military history. The current effort, led by Walsh's granddaughters Alana Hurse and Larissa Mack in collaboration with Telfer, involves a formal submission to the Department of Defence and the Australian government requesting consideration of a Victoria Cross upgrade for Stanley Walsh, who died in 1998. The family has stated that they are prepared for a possible rejection, as they consider his actions worthy regardless of the official outcome. Stanley Walsh was known for his modesty regarding his military service. After the war, he served as mayor of Warwick, Queensland, but rarely discussed his wartime experiences. His son, John Walsh, recalled that his father kept his medals, including the DCM, loose in a tin at home and would pin them on with a safety pin for Anzac Day. John later arranged for the medals to be mounted on a bar. Walsh also possessed a collection of wartime photographs taken with a camera believed to have originally belonged to a German soldier; these images include depictions of enemy weapons and training camps. The original DCM awarded to Richard Walsh has been missing since the division of his estate. The medal is described as bearing Richard's name engraved on the edge and likely attached to its dark crimson and navy-blue ribbon. The family has issued a public appeal for information regarding its location, asking anyone with knowledge to contact the media program A Current Affair.
Conclusion
The Walsh family's dual initiative—seeking a posthumous Victoria Cross upgrade for Stanley Walsh and attempting to recover Richard Walsh's lost DCM—represents an effort to secure formal recognition of extraordinary bravery and to preserve a unique piece of Australian military heritage. The outcome of the upgrade application remains pending, and the search for the missing medal continues.