Davina Smith

April 25, 2026 — 7:20pm

If you asked Stanley Walsh where he got his Distinguished Conduct Medal – our nation’s second-highest military honour behind the Victoria Cross – he would have told you he found it in a cornflakes box.

The story is far more spine-tingling than that.

Less luck. Much more pluck.

Stan Walsh’s World War II medals, including his DCM on the far left.

In his defence, perhaps Walsh was a little blasé about the much-lauded military prize because DCMs were nothing new in his household.

Stan’s father, Richard, was also a recipient of the Distinguished Conduct Medal, making them the only father-and-son pair in Australian history to both receive the honour.

Stan Walsh in his army days.

Now, the descendants of the Walsh heroes are on a mission – to elevate Stan’s medal to a Victoria Cross while also trying to locate the original DCM awarded to Richard that went missing decades ago during the division of his estate.

Warrant Officer Stanley Walsh was a legendary Rat of…