Sergeant Matt Locke (pictured) received the Medal for Gallantry alongside SAS comrade Ben Roberts-Smith in 2006
Ben Roberts-Smith gave his Medal for Gallantry – Australia’s third-highest award for bravery in combat – to the young son of a Special Air Service comrade who was killed in Afghanistan.
Mr Roberts-Smith and Matt Locke were both awarded the MG for their heroism during two days of fierce fighting on a mountain range south of Chora in Uruzgan province in June 2006.
Sergeant Locke, who was deployed four times to Afghanistan, was killed by Taliban small arms fire while leading a patrol through the Chora Valley in October the following year. He was 33.
The slain soldier, who was among Mr Roberts-Smith’s best mates and one of his SAS mentors, left behind a widow, Leigh, and 12-year-old son Keegan.
Ms Locke-Thomas said that Mr Roberts-Smith gave his MG to Keegan so the bravery medals the two men had earned together could be united forever.
Three years later Mr Roberts-Smith would be awarded the Victoria Cross for conspicuous gallantry in Afghanistan.
Ms Locke-Thomas revealed the story of the MG after being asked to comment on Mr Roberts-Smith’s ex-wife Emma wanting to sell his medals in the wake of their marriage breakdown.
Emma Roberts told friends and family she deserved two thirds of the value of the medal group including the Victoria Cross, Australia’s highest award for gallantry.
Ben Roberts-Smith gave his Medal for Gallantry – Australia’s third-highest award for bravery in combat – to the 12-year-old son of his Special Air Service comrade Matt Locke after he was killed in Afghanistan. Sergeant Locke is pictured with his wife Leigh
Ben Roberts-Smith (centre) and Matt Locke (right) were both awarded the MG for their heroism during two days of fierce fighting south of Chora in Uruzgan province in June 2006. They are pictured after receiving their MGs from then Governor-General Michael Jeffery (left)
Sergeant Locke, who was deployed four times to Afghanistan, was killed by Taliban small arms fire while leading a six-man patrol through the Chora Valley in October the following year. He was 33. Fellow SAS members are pictured carrying his casket at a ramp ceremony in Perth
Mr Roberts-Smith is now engaged in a high-profile Federal Court defamation case against Nine newspapers, which in 2018 accused him of committing war crimes in Afghanistan.
Ms Locke-Thomas said she could not comprehend how Ms Roberts would try to sell her ex-husband’s medals, which are on display at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
‘I was aware of her intentions to get Ben to sell his medals,’ she told Daily Mail Australia. ‘I just couldn’t believe it when I first heard about it. It’s incomprehensible. That’s how I feel.
‘It’s his medals that he earned and I can’t see how that could happen because to me they belong in the hands of the person who earned them.’
Ms Locke-Thomas, who remarried, said Mr Roberts-Smith gave Keegan his MG about the time of her first husband’s November 2007 funeral in Perth.
‘Ben gave my son that MG because he said they both belong together,’ Ms Locke-Thomas said.
‘Back then I took it because I just thought, what a beautiful gesture. He would have done anything to take some of mine and Keegan’s pain away.
‘Sergeant Locke, from my observations, was a magnificent soldier,’ Major General Michael Jeffery said. ‘He was brave, he was an absolute professional, but he also had a wonderful sense of humour and was very compassionate and I know that he will be missed, not just by his patrol, but also by the whole regiment.’ Sergeant Locke is pictured in Afghanistan
The ex-wife of war hero Ben Roberts-Smith told friends she deserved two thirds of the value of his Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the Commonwealth. Emma Roberts wanted to the majority share of her husband’s medal group in the wake of the couple’s bitter break-up. The former couple is pictured
‘But after things settled down for myself and I got in a bit of a clearer head space I gave it back to Ben.
‘I thought about it and I said to Ben, “I know what you’re doing and you think it’s right in your heart”. But we knew it wasn’t because it’s something for him to pass on to his children.’
Ms Locke-Thomas returned the medal to Mr Roberts-Smith a couple of months after he gave it to Keegan, who is now 26 and has recently finished six years in the army.
Mr Roberts-Smith has told his defamation trial of the close relationship he maintains with Keegan.
‘I basically talk to Keegs every week, and he uses me as a sounding board,’ he said. ‘I talk to him about his career and what he’s going to do and how life’s going because he doesn’t have a dad.’
Daily Mail Australia reported last week that Ms Roberts told friends and family she wanted the majority share of her husband’s medals when they split.
The medal set has previously been valued at approximately $1million and Mr Roberts-Smith was willing to take his ex-wife’s to the High Court to keep it.
Multiple sources who were once close to either or both Mr Roberts-Smith and Ms Roberts were aware she reckoned she was entitled to more than half the medals’ worth.
The VC in particularly turned Mr Roberts-Smith into a celebrity solider who was feted at military gatherings and much in demand as a public speaker. Ms Roberts is pictured meeting the Queen with her husband in Perth in October 2011
Multiple sources who were once close to either or both Mr Roberts-Smith and Ms Roberts are aware that she reckoned she deserved over half the medals’ worth. She is pictured in Brisbane in June
It is understood Ms Roberts told friends she believed she was entitled to the majority share of the medals’ value due to her contribution to the marriage.
Ms Roberts declined to comment when contacted by Daily Mail Australia, as did Mr Roberts-Smith.
An appraiser who has looked at recent sales of Victoria Crosses believed the Roberts-Smith medal collection could be worth up to $2million.
Mr Roberts-Smith, 42, and 45-year-old Ms Roberts – who dropped the Smith from her surname after their split – were together about 20 years.
The former couple has twin daughters who were born months after the action for which Mr Roberts-Smith was awarded his VC.
Mr Roberts-Smith earned his VC while serving with the Special Air Service in Afghanistan in June 2010..
He also holds a Commendation for Distinguished Service for his performance as a patrol commander with the Special Operations Task Group in the same conflict.
Just 101 Australians have been awarded the Victoria Cross in the past 121 years. Mr Roberts-Smith’s VC and MG make him the country’s most decorated living soldier.
The VC in particular turned Mr Roberts-Smith into a celebrity solider who was feted at military gatherings and much in demand as a public speaker.
Ms Roberts met the Queen and dignitaries including Prime Minister Scott Morrison while accompanying her husband to functions around the country.
Mr Roberts-Smith is suing Nine newspapers in the Federal Court over allegations he was involved in six murders in Afghanistan – claims he has consistently and vehemently denied.
Ms Roberts is set to give evidence against her ex-husband in his defamation trial, having originally indicated she would support him.
Mr Roberts-Smith was awarded his VC for his actions at the Battle of Tizak in northern Kandahar province’s Shah Wali Kot district on June 11, 2010.
He had exposed his position to draw fire away from members of his patrol who were pinned down then stormed two enemy machine gun positions.
Ben Roberts-Smith’s Victoria Cross made him the most famous soldier in Australia but also allegedly led to jealousy among some of his colleagues. The Queen is pictured shaking hands with him during an audience at Buckingham Palace in May 2018
Ben Roberts-Smith’s Victoria Cross and Medal for Gallantry make him the most decorated living Australian solider. His medals, on display in the Australian War Memorial, are pictured
The corporal became just the second Australian to be awarded the Victoria Cross since the Vietnam War, following fellow SAS soldier Mark Donaldson in 2008.
Mr Roberts-Smith’s citation reads: ‘For the most conspicuous gallantry in action in circumstances of extreme peril as a patrol second-in-command with a Special Operations Task Group on Operation Slipper’.
His barrister Bruce McClintock SC gave Justice Anthony Besanko a short history lesson on the medal early in the defamation trial.
‘It is a cliché or it’s a truism to say it is the highest award for gallantry in Australia… in the British Commonwealth, since it was instituted by Queen Victoria during the Crimean War,’ he said.
‘But on that day at Tizak my client killed many insurgents, as did other Australian soldiers also kill significant numbers of the enemy.
‘The total number of the enemy dead, which the Commonwealth will not permit me to say in open court, was extremely high.’
Ben Roberts-Smith (centre) is pictured with fellow Victoria Cross recipients Mark Donaldson (left), who received his medal for action in Afghanistan, and Keith Payne, who is the only surviving Vietnam War recipient
Mr McClintock described the Battle of Tizak as ‘the largest Australian engagement since Vietnam’.
‘It’s generally regarded as the high-water mark of Australia’s presence in Afghanistan during the war,’ Mr McClintock told the court.
Mr Roberts-Smith has told his trial he was proud of being awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions but it had also made some colleagues jealous of him.
‘It put a target on my back,’ Mr Roberts-Smith told the court.
He has told friends he is so disgruntled by his treatment by Defence since war crimes allegations were raised against him he will never wear the medals again.
Mr Roberts-Smith has stood down for the duration of his trial as general manager of the Seven Network in Queensland, which is part of Seven West Media, owned by billionaire Kerry Stokes.
Mr Stokes’ private investment company Australian Capital Equity has extended a $1.9million line of credit to Mr Roberts-Smith as he sues newspapers including The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
Mr Roberts-Smith has provided his medals including the Victoria Cross as security.
Roberts-Smith is pictured receiving the medal from then governor-general Dame Quentin Bryce in 2011. Dame Quentin was never withdrawn her support for the former soldier but will not be giving character evidence on his behalf for ‘personal reasons’
In the event Mr Roberts-Smith cannot repay the money Mr Stokes has said he will donate the medal set to the Australian War Memorial, of which he is chairman.
‘The funding of his legal action is a private matter, however he has put his medals up as collateral on a loan and will relinquish them if required,’ Mr Stokes has said.
‘If this eventuates, I will donate his medals with Ben’s approval to the Australian War Memorial, as I have done so with other VCs and medals in the past.’
Historian, publisher and valuer Tom Thompson said based on past sales of VCs and Mr Stokes’s previous purchases a ‘conservative estimate’ for Mr Roberts-Smith’s medals would be $1.5million to $2million.
‘I don’t believe hearsay would tarnish the value of gallantry in action,’ Mr Thompson said.
Mr Roberts-Smith left Ms Roberts in January 2020 and the former couple sold their home on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast for more than $2million in December that year.
Mr Roberts-Smith and Ms Roberts settled their divorce in February this year and she gave a statement to Nine a fortnight later outlining the evidence she would give against him.
Mr Roberts-Smith this year stepped out for the first time with his new girlfriend Sarah Matulin – who quit her job at Channel Seven when their relationship became serious. Mr Roberts-Smith is Seven’s general manager in Queensland
The couple had rocky periods before they parted, with Mr Roberts-Smith admitting having an affair with a woman known as Person 17 from October 2017 until April the following year.
He has given evidence he separated from his wife in September 2017 but they eventually reconciled. Ms Roberts is expected to deny there was a separation or having knowledge of the affair until it was over.
Mr Roberts-Smith took several swipes at his ex-wife while giving evidence in the defamation trial in June.
‘It’s very sad that my my wife has involved herself in these proceedings, Your Honour,’ he told Justice Besanko.
‘And I take absolutely no joy in describing my wife in any way that is negative, but the reality is she is extremely bitter.
‘She has done things along the way that have been detrimental to my family, and particularly to me, because she thinks it will hurt me.’
Mr Roberts-Smith is suing Ms Roberts in a separate action, accusing her of hacking into an email account he used for legal correspondence before the start of his defamation trial.
His lawyers allege Mrs Roberts accessed confidential emails about his defamation case and an inquiry by the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan.
They further claim Ms Roberts lied in affidavits sworn in response to accusations she hacked into his private email account.
Mr Roberts-Smith is in a relationship with 28-year-old Sarah Matulin, who worked at the Seven Network in Queensland until she quit in December to take up work with a PR company on the Gold Coast.
His defamation trial has been adjourned until November 1 due to Covid-19.
How Ben Roberts-Smith won his VC
Ben Roberts-Smith (pictured) joined the Army in 1996 and completed the Special Air Service selection course in 2003. He completed six tours of Afghanistan (2006-2012)
Barrister Bruce McClintock read this summary of Ben Roberts-Smith’s military service up to the battle in which he was awarded the Victoria Cross:
‘Corporal Benjamin Roberts-Smith enlisted in the Australian Regular Army in 1996. After completing the requisite courses, he was posted to the 3rd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment, where he saw active service in East Timor.
In January 2003, he successfully completed the Australian Special Air Service Regiment selection course. During his tenure with the regiment, he deployed on Operation Valiant, Slate, Slipper, Catalyst, and Slipper 2. Corporal Benjamin Roberts-Smith was awarded the Medal for Gallantry for his actions in Afghanistan in 2006.
On 11 June 2010, a troop of the Special Operations Task Group conducted a helicopter assault in Tizak, Kandahar Province, in order to capture or kill a senior Taliban commander. Immediately upon the helicopter insertion, the troop was engaged by machine gun and rocket-propelled grenade fire from multiple dominating positions. Two soldiers were wounded in action and the troop was pinned down by fire from three machine guns in an elevated, fortified position to the south of the village.
Under the cover of close air support, suppressive small arms and machine gun fire, Corporal Roberts-Smith and his patrol manoeuvred to within 70m of the enemy position in order to neutralise the enemy machine gun positions and regain the initiative. Upon commencement of the assault, the patrol drew very heavy, intense, effective and sustained fire from the enemy position. Corporal Roberts-Smith and his patrol members fought towards the enemy position until, at a range of 40m, the weight of fire prevented further movement forward.
At this point, he identified the opportunity to exploit some cover provided by a small structure. As he approached the structure, Corporal Roberts-Smith identified an insurgent grenadier in the throws of engaging his patrol. Corporal Roberts-Smith instinctively engaged the insurgent at point-blank range, resulting in the death of the insurgent.
With the members of his patrol still pinned down by the three machine gun positions, he exposed his own position in order to draw fire away from his patrol, which enabled them to bring fire against the enemy. His actions enabled his patrol commander to throw a grenade and silence one of the machine guns.
Seizing the advantage and demonstrating extreme devotion to duty and the most conspicuous gallantry, Corporal Roberts-Smith, with a total disregard for his own safety, stormed the enemy position, killing the two remaining machine gunners. His act of valour enabled his patrol to break into the enemy position and to lift the weight of fire from the remainder of the troop, who had been pinned down by the machine gun.
On seizing the fortified gun position, Corporal Roberts-Smith then took the initiative again and continued to assault enemy position in depth, during which he and another patrol member engaged and killed further enemy. His acts of selfless valour directly enabled his troop to go on and clear the village of Tizak of Taliban. This decisive engagement subsequently caused the remainder of the Taliban in the Shah Wali Kot district to retreat from the area.
Corporal Roberts-Smith’s most conspicuous gallantry in a circumstance of extreme peril was instrumental to the seizure of the initiative and the success of the troop against a numerically superior enemy force. His valour was an inspiration for the soldiers with whom he fought alongside and is in keeping with the finest traditions of the Australian Army and the Australian Defence Force.’