John Lawrence Simpson (SN 75/Lt) was born in Horsham but moved to Ballarat at an early age and was educated at Pleasant Street State School and Grenville College. He was amongst the first to enlist in Ballarat, on August 18th 1914, in the original 8th Battalion. He sailed with the first contingent aboard the Benalla on October 19th 1914. He fought right through the Gallipoli campaign as a Private, Corporal then Sergeant. After the Gallipoli evacuation he gained a commission and served in France with the 60th Battalion. He was wounded at Fromelles on July 19th, 1916, and again 10 days later at Fleurbaix. Suffering a severe arm injury, he was invalided back to Australia but, upon recovery, he returned to France in July 1917. He was Mentioned in Despatches by Brigadier-General Harold ‘Pompey’ Elliott for "conduct and devotion to duty during a counter attack at Villers-Bretonneux on the night of April 24th 1918. The patrol which was under machine gun fire from two enemy posts had two wounded and one killed. This officer however managed to carry both wounded in to the post then bombed the enemy…….. At nightfall he rejoined his own lines, bringing his wounded with him He was 14 hours in this post under continuous machine gun fire." Two days later, on April 26th, he was killed by a high explosive shell. He was 25 years of age. He is buried at Crucifix Corner Cemetery in France and remembered on the honour board of the Pleasant Street State School.