Neil Douglas Raward wrote of his career as a Police Forensic Scientist in a short story released in November 2010.  Application to join the Queensland Police Force as a cadet was made in 1959, and the November entrance exam and medical examination determined Neil’s eligibility, requiring him to commence work on December 21.  Neil recalls ‘My vision of having Christmas and New Year with my family and friends was somewhat shattered, how could the Police Force make me start my job as a cadet four days before Christmas…’

After initially being posted to the Criminal Records Section as a filing clerk, Neil was approached about transferring to the Technical and Firearms Section where his 36 year Forensic Scientist career began.  An ability to analyse handwriting, ballistics and ultra violet ray results necessitated formal scientific qualifications, and with studies in chemistry, physics and mathematics completed in school, obtaining a Diploma in Industrial Chemistry was not too arduous.  Neil joined ‘budding chemists’ employed in factory laboratories bottling milk, producing beer, small goods and fertilizer.

Collection items from the Police Museum are displayed at the Royal Queensland Show, c1955.
Image No. PM3750 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

The need to be across all fields of forensic science during the early years was evident, with minimal staff analysing blood splatter, seminal fluids, dangerous drugs and toxic substances; ‘Some of the forensic skills acquired included work in crime scene examinations including fires, sexual assaults, murders, break and enters, ballistics, identification of stolen vehicles, tool marks, fibres, hairs, paint and glass comparisons, chemical and inflammable liquid identification, explosive residue identification and forensic photography.’

Scientific staff were originally responsible for creating the police display at the Royal Queensland Show (the Ekka), ‘The displays highlighted the work of the section by providing case histories and forensic comparison…rare types of firearms were also exhibited and one year there featured the armour worn by Ned Kelly when he was captured.’  Much time and effort to prepare the display was required, and as Scientific staff were also required to complete their forensic duties they dreaded the Exhibition each year.

The scene at the Whiskey Au Go Go night club, Fortitude Valley, on the morning of March 8, 1973. Earlier that day the premises was fire-bombed and 15 young patrons perished.
Image No. PM1902 courtesy of the Courier Mail.

Neil worked on many infamous crimes examining the evidence and assisting the investigation teams secure convictions.  Forensic analysis included examining deceased persons, and the articles used to weigh bodies down in water, examining fire accelerants, including petrol used in the bombing of nightclub Whiskey Au Go Go in Fortitude Valley, examining ballistic evidence including firearms and bullet shells, bite marks and blood evidence, and the advancement of DNA technology.

Senior Scientific Officer (Grade 1) Neil Douglas Raward at work, 1979.
Image PR Neg SL44 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

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This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available.  The article was written by Museum Assistance Georgia Grier, from reflections of Neil Douglas Raward.  The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Contact: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT- Reflections of a Forensic Scientist” by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

SEND IN THE DOGS
By Acting Senior Sergeant Sean Baxendell
 28 August 2016
11:00am – 12:30pm

 Police Headquarters
200 Roma Street
Brisbane  QLD  4000

FREE ENTRY

Did you know a dog’s natural hunting instinct can be modified by police so the dog can be used to locate people, drugs, bombs and even dead bodies?  Police dogs are used and are effective in police work for their superior senses of both smell and hearing.

Find out how police dogs are used for tracking, searching and the apprehension of offenders, at this week’s Queensland Police Museum Sunday Lecture.

The presentation titled ‘Send in the Dogs’, by Acting Senior Sergeant Sean Baxendell, State Coordinator of the State Dog squad Training & Development Centre, who will speak about the work police dogs undertake and the methods used to train them to carry out general and other duties.

This one and a half hour presentation will start at 11am on Sunday, August 28 and will be both informative and educational, and is suitable for any audience.

The Museum opens its doors to the public on the last Sunday of each month
from 10am to 3pm between February and November in addition to the standard
Monday to Thursday 9am to 4pm opening hours.

PLEASE NOTE: The Police Museum will open Sunday, August 28
from 10am to 3pm, and is located on the ground floor of
Police Headquarters, 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.

Commissioner Patrick Glynn salutes assembled officers at a medal ceremony held at Petrie Barracks, 1956.
Image No. PM2328h courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

In 1951 Queensland Cabinet approved the first Deputy Commissioner position for police.  Chief Inspector Patrick Glynn was appointed to the position.  Glynn had originally served in the Royal Irish Constabulary before joining Queensland’s Police Force in 1922.  Consistently promoted for good work performance, and a keen ideas man, Patrick Glynn provided the following ideas as a young Detective in 1935;

Provide competent typists to type out particulars on modus operandi forms at the dictation of the respective members of the staff concerned.  There are few, if any, competent typists on the staff of this office (apart from Cadets), consequently the average Detective would be able to dictate much quicker than he can type.  These remarks would also apply to the typing of reports, unless those of a confidential nature.

I do not regard the present building occupied by the Detective Staff as suitable for the purpose.  Whilst there are several rooms provided for suspects, interviews etc., there is no privacy in any of them, in that they are only partitioned off, one from another.  This gives rise to this position: A Detective may be typing out an important statement from a highly respectable citizen, say, a respectable and sensitive female in one of the rooms.  A suspect is placed in one of the other rooms and he forthwith gives voluble expression to his feelings in language more forcible than polite…..

With service in the Crime Investigation Branch, and eventual promotion to the rank of Sub Inspector in 1939, Patrick Glynn oversaw the creation of a Detective College.  Many Favourable Records were received and commendations from the Department of Justice for ‘ability, efficiency and impartiality’ and after more than thirty years’ service, Patrick Glynn was appointed Commissioner of Police in 1955.

Police Commissioner Patrick Glynn, on appointment in 1955.
Image No. PM2301 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

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This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available at the time of writing.  The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Contact: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT- CoP Patrick Glynn” by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

Sub-Inspector Armit.
Source: John Oxley Collection, SLQ

Guillaume Edington Armit, later William Edington de Marguerittes (de Margrat) Armit, was born in Liege, Kingdom of Belgium on 10 May 1848, to John Lees Armit Esq of Kildare St, Dublin, formerly an army agent, and Elizabeth Yeldham. William’s father’s first wife, Noemie Augustine Eugenie de Teissier, was a granddaughter of Jean-Antoine Teissier de Marguerittes, Baron de Marguerittes, guillotined in 1794, during the French Revolution. This explains the later addition to Armit’s name. Armit had four half-siblings from his father’s first marriage and five full siblings from the second. William went on to have a large family of his own.

Guillaume Edington Armit Birth Certificate. Source: Décès 1847, Naissances, Mariages 1848, Civil Registration, Liege, Belgium.

Armit arrived to New South Wales from London in 1866 on the La Hogue. In September 1871, he married Mariann/ Mary Anne Barton.  Armit was appointed Sub-Inspector on 5 June 1872, and first stationed at Murray River. Throughout the decade of his service with the Native Police, Armit found himself transferred nearly yearly, from Waterview to Georgetown to Bynoe, and finally to Carl Creek. Armit’s service was far from straightforward, before his permanent dismissal in 1882, he was dismissed in 1880 only to be re-appointed two months later.

A list of the crew and passengers arrived on the ship La Hoge of London, from the port of London to Sydney, NSW, 5 November 1866. Source: State Records Authority of New South Wales: Shipping Master’s Office; Passengers Arriving 1855 – 1922; NRS13278, [X114-115] reel 417

The La Hogue. Source: State Library of Victoria

Constable McCann accused Armit of drunkenness during his stay at Thursday Island. However, a number of Constables stationed with Armit at Thursday Island at the time, along with the Police Magistrate, provided witness statements to the contrary. In Henry M Chester’s, PM, words, Armit did drink to excess on one occasion when ‘he was leading a life of enforced idleness at a public house when off duty.’ In his statement, Armit indicated he was concerned in an enquiry at Georgetown in 1876, when Constable McCann was suspected of abstracting a sum of money from the Inspector’s safe, implying the charge against him was malicious in nature.

In his own words, Armit saw himself ’a victim of malversion and favouritism of others’ in the Queensland Native Police. He was charged by Sub-Inspectors Poingdestre and Thompson with embezzlement of a portion of trackers’ ration at Carl Creek. Poingdestre took over Carl Creek at the recommendation of Thomson in 1881.  Armit in turn felt he was tried by a man ‘who was himself culpable’, indicating in his statement the Sub-Inspector Poingdestre lived with his ‘gin and a half-caste boy’ at the station and regularly pocketing excesses of the rations expenses.

Armit correspondence. 18 April 1883, Normanton. Source: QSA A/38710 1883/3052

Staff correspondence shows he was a man of independent means, however, due to the necessity to move frequently and furnish new lodgings, Armit found himself in debt more than once. Armit and his wife went on to have nine children. Financial difficulties plagued his years in the Force, and beyond. In 1884, Cairns Post printed, William E M Armit, was adjudged insolvent. This, however, did not hamper his future public career or pursuits in exploration and herbology.

References:
Armit, John Lees, Esq. Royal Dublin Society Historic Member Details.
Armit, William Edington de Marguerittes (de Margrat). QSA Staff File A/38710.
Armit, William Edington de Marguerittes (de Margrat). QP Staff File, QPS Museum and Archives.
Barton, Mariann. Australia, Marriage Index, 1788-1950.
Burke’s Landed Gentry Irish Family Records
Cairns Post, 6 Mar 1884, p. 3.
Civil Registration, 1624-1914, Liege, Belgium. Belgium National Archives.
La France Litteraire, ou Dictionnaire Bibliographique, Vol. 8. Paris, 1838.
Rietstap, J B. Armorial General; Teissiers, Barons de Marguerittes, Suisse, Londres, Lang. Barons Francais, 1819, p. 891.

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This information has been provided by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available.  The article was written by Museum Volunteer and Crime and Policing Historian Dr Anastasia Dukova.

The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Contact: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT – William E.D.M. Armit, the Qld Native Police Officer (Part 1)” by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

WEDM Armit. Source: State Library of NSW

In 1883, Captain Armit, FLS (Fellow of the Linnaean Society), a special correspondent of The Argus and The Australian, led an expedition to New Guiney, his collection was later presented to the Melbourne Museum. (Evening News) Following the expedition, Armit wrote a sketch titled “A Bora” which was printed in The Australasian, and re-printed in The Argus in 1883. The sketch, signed by a Native Queensland Police Officer (though Armit was dismissed a year earlier), contained observations of a “Bora”, ‘a yearly gathering of one or more tribes for the purpose of initiating their young men, and conferring upon them the rights of manhood’:

A certain tract of country—generally one which abounds in game and water—is strictly preserved for 12 months, so as to insure an abundant supply of food during the week devoted to the performance of the mystic ceremony. Besides the main business of initiation, the tribes…avail themselves of this opportunity to settle any political and social questions which may be necessary for the tribal welfare of one or more of the con-federates. Marriages are arranged, crimes punished, and friendships cemented by the exchange of gifts, trade is also indulged in, and as a rule the meeting is generally marked by one or more pitched battles, especially if one of the tribes is numerically stronger than the others.

‘A Bora by a Native Queensland Police Officer’, The Argus, 30 Jun 1883, p. 13

In 1886, Armit was appointed a member of committee of state schools in Cooktown. (The Telegraph) In 1893, he moved to New Guinea, taking several jobs in public service. Armit features prominently in the dispatches reporting inspections of the coastal tribes of New Guinea. William’s brother, Lt Robert Henry Armit, was also an avid naturalist and collector. The British Museum holds a collection of ethnographic objects, largely spears and arrows, from Queensland, New Guinea and the Torres Strait Islands donated by Robert Armit in 1870.

It is safe to say Armit, blossomed following his leave from the Native Police, an avid naturalist and herbologist, an explorer, author and a cartographer. He mapped out the district lying eastward of Port Moresby and wrote extensively on plants of Queensland. According to Etymological Dictionary of Grasses armitii was named in honour of Armit. A bird, poephila armitiana, a yellow-headed Gouldian finch, was also named after him in 1877 by Edward Pierson Ramsay, an Australian zoologist who specialised in ornithology. Armit died in New Guinea at the age of 53.

Gouldian Finches. Source: AustralianFinches.com

References:
Armit, William Edington de Marguerittes (de Margrat). QSA Staff File A/38710.
Armit, William Edington de Marguerittes (de Margrat). QP Staff File, QPS Museum and Archives.
Annual Reports of British New Guinea, 1984-5.
Clifford, H T and P D Bostock. Etymological Dictionary of Grasses. Springer, 2007, p. 33.
Evening News, 27 Dec 1883, p. 2
Lt Robert Henry Armit. The British Museum.
Sketch maps by Mr. W.E. Armit, F.L.S., F.R.G.S. of district lying to eastward of Port Moresby. Surveyor General’s Office, 1898.
The Telegraph, 11 Jan 1886, p. 2
Whittell, H M. The literature of Australian birds: A history and a bibliography of Australian ornithology. Paterson Brokenshaw Pty, 1954, p. 17.

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This information has been provided by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available.  The article was written by Museum Volunteer and Crime and Policing Historian Dr Anastasia Dukova.

The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Contact: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT – William E.D.M. Armit, the Naturalist and Explorer (Part 2)” by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

Eulo Police Station Quarters and Lock-Up, c1883.

Police documents record the first Police Officer stationed at Eulo in 1876 as Constable Thomas Pettitt.  No records could be found of a station building however, and it is possible rented premises were used.  Documentation dated 12^th January 1883, from the Under Secretary Edward Deighton, requested tenders for the construction of a police station in the town with a preliminary tender deposit of £15 required, in either bank notes or a bank draft.  The completion of new quarters at Eulo was reported by electric telegraph dated 29^th November 1883.  A request accompanied it for an additional amount of £150 to erect kitchens and purchase furniture, and this response followed; “Police can put up kitchens themselves and old furniture must do.”

The cells being prepared for their removal from the Police Station property, 2016.
Image courtesy of Heike Richter, Eulo.

Termites eventually destroyed the original buildings, so new facilities and cells were erected in May 1923 at a total cost of £1438.  The barracks included 3 bedrooms, a living room, kitchen with pantry, office and bathroom.  There was also a single Constable’s bedroom providing separation from the main building.  One of the rooms was utilised for Court purposes, and there was a dray shed on the block, with one serviceable dray.

Trucked to their new site, the cells are being prepared for placement at Lizard Lounge, 2016.
Image courtesy of Heike Richter, Eulo.

The old Police buildings were sold by tender.  The successful purchaser was Mr Fred Heineman of Maroona Station, he paid £95 and during September of 1923 he removed the old buildings and relocated the materials.  The cell block with verandah remained.  It was originally built to keep prisoners secure but was decommissioned in 2004 as it could not be upgraded in line with modern day standards.

The cells in place, and a working bee is held to landscape and plant the site, 2016.
Image courtesy of Heike Richter, Eulo.

In 2014 the cells was gifted to the Eulo community by the Queensland Police Service and relocated to their present location with costs funded by a Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal grant and the Eulo Development Association Inc.  Community members have also contributed with the preservation and beautification project and the historic Eulo police cells are now open to the public and provide a glimpse of past policing in the town.  They are located at the eastern end of Eulo on the Adventure Way at Lizard Lounge.

Almost ready, the newly erected sign provides the history of the cells, 2016.
Image courtesy of Heike Richter, Eulo.

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This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available at the time.  The article was written by Museum Assistant Georgia Grier, and photos supplied by Heike Richter.  The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Contact: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT- Eulo Police Cells” by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

This Thursday marks a nationwide day of remembrance for police officers killed in the line of duty.  The uniquely dangerous work of police will be acknowledged, and since 1861 141 Queensland police officers have died as a result of their duties.  This week’s FROM the VAULT provides the stories of how 10 police officers lost their lives on the job.  A full list of Queensland Police Officers commemorated for their service can be found here: www.police.qld.gov.au/aboutUs/commemoration

Constable Matthew Connolly, stationed at Gatton and returning there from Ipswich with urgently needed medication for a resident of the town, came upon the flooded Sandy Creek on the evening of August 29, 1861.  Parties on the other side of the rapidly flowing water tried to dissuade him from crossing. Constable Connolly persisted and was immediately swept away with his horse; tragically both drowned.

Constable Abraham Wood was bitten by a snake whilst returning from gold escort duty at Glendhu, west of Cardwell, on August 28, 1872.  He died from the effects of the venom later that same day.

Gravestone of Constable Abraham Wood, Cardwell Cemetery. It reads “To the memory of Abraham Wood who died from the bite of a snake at Glendu April 28 1872 Aged 31 years” (remainder of writing is illegible and incorrect month is chiselled – death occurred in August).
Image No. 2088a courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

On January 24, 1883, Cadet Sub Inspector Mark Beresford, while leading a patrol to capture offenders responsible for spearing a stockman at Chatsworth Station, was speared and clubbed to death in the McKinlay Range near Cloncurry.  The 36 year old police officer had served in the NSW Mounted Police before joining the Queensland Police Force in 1881.

During a sweltering summer in 1888, Constable Thomas J Callaghan was making his way on foot from Windorah to Whitula.  It appears from tracks made that he has become disorientated and died due to extreme heat and lack of water, on November 30.

When Constable Robert Orme failed to return to Clermont Police Station after investigating the discovering of a deceased man at the side of a road, a search party was organised to find him.  The party located a grave, most likely dug by Orme to bury the corpse, and then tracks leaving the road and heading into scrubland as a shortcut to the station.  The Constable’s horse was also located, suffering severe wounds to the neck, and shortly after the lifeless body of Constable Orme with severe cuts to his face.  It appeared the horse had tripped and reared, striking a tree branch with force to cause the injuries to itself and the police officer, pronounced deceased on Christmas Eve, 1905.

With 29 other police officers on leave from their duties during World War 1, Constable John Warfield was killed in action during military service on March 28, 1918.  Sergeant Warfield, aged 24, A.I.F. number 4267, 47^th Australian Infantry Battalion died in France.  He has no known grave; a commemorative plaque is placed in his honour at Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Somme, France.

Whilst attempting to escort a drunken prisoner to the lockup at Bowen, Constable Robert Kyle fell over when the prisoner tried to escape.  Constable Kyle hit the ground hard, striking his head on a concrete curb.  He was transported by ambulance to the Government medical officer, but died a few days later, on April 9, 1933.

Constable Robert Kyle with his wife Clarice and daughter Mary-Ann, c1931.
Image No. PM0284 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

At the age of 23, Constable Brian Gabriel was on motorcycle patrol duty in Cairns when he was involved in a traffic crash with a utility at the intersection of Spence and Abbott Streets.  Constable Gabriel did not survive the severe injuries sustained and died on the same day, November 24, 1956.

A hearse with police guard of honour carrying the coffin of Constable Brian Gabriel, Cairns Traffic, who died 24 November 1956.
Image No. PM0530 donated by Inspector 1/C, D. French.

Senior Constable Colin Brown was mortally wounded on April 9, 1969, when a gunman fired his rifle at the police man from the window of a cottage at a Dayboro dairy farm.  The thirty eight year old Constable was transported to the Royal Brisbane Hospital but failed to respond to emergency treatment and died the same day, on his daughter’s birthday.

Portrait of Senior Constable Colin W. Brown, c1960.
Image PM 1706a courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

Constable Mark Goodwin was returning to the police station after a night shift in search of eight dangerous escapees, when his patrol car hit a tree on the Centenary Highway at Jindalee.  The twenty nine year old officer was sworn in four years prior, with honours.

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This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available, including the 2013 publication “IN THE LINE OF DUTY” by Allan L. Peters.  The article was compiled by Police Museum Assistant Georgia Grier.  The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Contact: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT- National Police Remembrance Day 2016” by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

Well respected Commissioner Thomas William Harold commenced his police service as a Probationary in the Queensland Police Form on 1^st May 1924, and was sworn in as a Constable on 16^th June 1924.  His first posting was at Roma Street Police Station to perform clerical duties.  Constable Harold had come with experience, originally serving in his home country of New Zealand as a police officer between 1921 and 1923.  On the 21^st January 1930 he was appointed a Detective at the Crime Investigation Branch (CIB), Brisbane.

Meritorious police work performed in Townsville, a few years later in 1933, resulted in Detective Constable Harold bringing to justice a master criminal in the area.  He was also responsible for the conviction of an offender responsible for stealing over £1000 in gold from Mount Coolon Gold Mines, and in appreciation of his services he was paid a reward by Lloyds of London.

Commissioner of Police, Thomas William Harold, 1957.
Image No. PM2300 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

The promotion to Detective lead the cluey young police officer to positions with several state-wide CI Branches and a requirement to perform special duties. Whilst at Townsville in 1934 he was detailed for duty in Melbourne in connection with the visit to Australia of His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester, and he accompanied the Royal Party during their tour of New South Wales and Queensland.  Promoted through the ranks over the next decade, the now Inspector Harold secured an opportunity to study the latest police methods at Scotland Yard in 1949.  This provided further links to the United Kingdom, and included attendance at the National Safety Congress in London.  Inspector Harold also attended the United Nations Convention on Road Transport and Traffic in Geneva.

Commissioner Harold had provided the shortest service in the top position, just 8 months, due to ongoing illness.  Reporter Ron Richards of the ‘Sunday Truth’ newspaper wrote a brilliant piece, published on November 26, 1961, upon the resignation of Commissioner Harold regarding an 11 year old Queensland victim of crime in April 1941.  Due to dogged pursuit by Harold and his police partner Detective Sergeant 2/c William Cronau, a suspect was apprehended 1000 miles away and shortly after charged with rape;

‘The new cook on the big sheep property at Ningin [sic] in Western New South Wales, brushed the flour from his hands, then looked up aghast as the two detectives from Brisbane walked in through the fly-screened doors. “How did you find me so quickly? I only got here yesterday,” the cook muttered disgustedly.  “Cripes, you blokes must be good.”
These two “blokes” WERE good.  One was Tom Harold, recognised throughout Australia as one of the nation’s top sleuths in the best Scotland Yard traditions… Mr Harold trailed the man involved down to Sydney, then by painstaking checking of Labor Exchange files they found that a man with the same initials had been sent as cook to the Ningin property.’ 

Newspaper clip from The Warwick Daily News, Monday 28th April 1941, courtesy of Trove via the National Library of Australia.

Thomas Harold’s funeral was well attended, and the highly regarded police officer provided one final service by willing his body to the Queensland University science laboratory for medical research.

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This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available.  The article was written by Museum Assistant Georgia Grier.  The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Contact: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT – CoP Thomas William Harold” by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

It has been 60 years since the vicious murder of 25 year old Gwendolene Dorothy Thorpe.  The initial report from the Central Communications Room, Crime Investigation Branch, Brisbane read; ‘a woman had been murdered at Chester Street, Valley, near Doggett Street.  Her teeth have been bashed in’.

Sergeant 2/c J.H.Neylan commenced his report dated February 26, 1956; ‘Sub-Inspector Hird and Sub-Inspector Mahony, were advised at 8.10am. Detective Linthwaite and Detective Rigney despatched and Detective Sergeant McIver and P.C. Const. Butler despatched.  At 8.20am Detective  Linthwaite telephoned from L.4068 adjacent to the scene and stated that the murdered woman was Gwendolene Thorpe, nee Lubke, 27 years and who resided with her mother [in] Doggett Street, Valley.  She was lying alongside a large piece of concrete and it looked as if her head had been bashed on this piece of concrete.’

The Brisbane Communications Centre, fielding calls from their location in the CIB building, Makerston Street, Brisbane in 1963. Image PM3673 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

Police set about to find an offender.  Witness Alan Rose, a shopkeeper, had seen the victim with a well dress man in Chester Street on many occasions.  The defence solicitor C.J. Pattison suggested they used the nearby laneway as a rendezvous; ‘I would not say that. It was at the rear of her home’ (A. Rose, Court hearing, April 1956).  Two taxi drivers gave evidence of recent fares involving Ms Thorpe; Leonard Hurst stated that at 12:00am on February 24 he had collected a couple from Kangaroo Point and deposited them on George Street, Brisbane.

Sergeant Neylan’s report continued, ‘The body is lying in a laneway at the rear of her home [in] Doggett Street.  Her shoes are off and her panties have been removed and are lying alongside the body.  A purse and an empty beer bottle are on a table alongside the body.  She is badly injured around the head and has bruises around the shoulder and neck.  She is a barmaid employed at the Gresham Hotel, Adelaide Street, City and as far as her mother knows she has no boy friends.  She was to have commenced work at 7pm and to have worked until 10pm.’

A handcuffed Montague Davies, 34, leaving the Supreme Court after having been sentenced to life imprisonment for murder. Image courtesy of the The Courier Mail, Friday May 18, 1956.

Puzzle pieces began to fall into place.  Gwendolene Thorpe had been in a casual relationship with a painter named Montague Davies.  Davies initially suggested police tried to make him drunk to extract a confession.  Later, he admitted he was both smitten with and emotionally suffocated by Ms Thorpe, spending all his spare time with her, the two drinking together, and had lost his job due to ongoing intoxication by alcohol, and with Gwendolene.  Davies lamented, ‘I thought of the mess she had made of my life since I had been with her. I had to get rid of her.’  After another boozy evening, during which Ms Thorpe had fallen asleep, Montague Davies dropped a large piece of concrete onto Gwendolene’s skull, fracturing every bone.

Three months after the murder, 34 year old Montague Davies was charged with murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labour.       

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This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available.  The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Contact: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT- The Murder of Gwendolene Thorpe” by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

Archaeology of the Queensland Native Mounted Police 1864 – 1900
by Professor Bryce Barker

Boralga NMP camp, August 2016. Pictured is Les Harrigan, Heather Burke and Ryan Taddeucci.

30 October 2016
11:00am – 12:30pm

 Police Headquarters
200 Roma Street
Brisbane  QLD  4000

FREE ENTRY

The Native Mounted Police were a crucial force for race relations and the main colonising instrument across all new mining and pastoral districts in 19th century Queensland. We know little of their domestic, workforce or disciplinary organisation, the hierarchical relationships between Aboriginal troopers and European officers, the roles played by Indigenous women and the interconnections between the NMP, local Aboriginal groups and non-Aboriginal transients and settlers.

This Sunday Lecture will be presented by Archaeologist Bryce Barker from the University of Southern Queensland, who, as part of the project, has most recently been out in the field excavating NMP Camp sites and talking to local Indigenous peoples. Professor Barker will outline how through archaeological research the project aims to integrate and analyse the full range of information and documentation of hitherto unrecorded aspects of the frontier experience.

This one and a half hour presentation will start at 11am on Sunday, October 30, is suitable for all audiences and will be both informative and educational.

Separately, and after the lecture, a STAR WEAVING WORKSHOP will be held from 1pm to 2pm in the same location for any interested parties.  On 24th March 2016 a partnership was launched between the One Million Stars to End Violence project, and the Commonwealth Games Gold Coast 2018 Arts and Culture Program.  The aim is for ONE MILLION STARS to be displayed in a special installation at the Games.  Consider staying to find out more about the project and make a star or two.
#OneMillionStars

The Museum opens its doors to the public on the last Sunday of each month from 10am to 3pm from February to November in addition to the standard Monday to Thursday 9am to 4pm opening hours. Monthly Sunday openings feature guest speakers from across the historical and crime-solving spectrums.

PLEASE NOTE: The Police Museum will open Sunday, October 30
from 10am to 3pm, and is located on the ground floor of
Police Headquarters, 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.

Police patrol horse race meets to oversee the safety of patrons and ensure laws are being upheld, but one fine August day in 1984 laws were about to be broken at Queensland’s Eagle Farm Racecourse.  In an elaborate switch, a horse named “Fine Cotton” was secretly replaced by faster performer “Bold Personality”, an illegal undertaking worldwide.  The switch was orchestrated to make extra money; Fine Cotton was an average race horse, but the substitute was much quicker so very long odds were bound to pay off when the ring-in easily pulled away from the pack to race it out against one serious contender before winning by a nose.

Fine Cotton with John Gillespie. Image from The Courier Mail, 22nd July 1989.

The dubious paint job used to disguise Bold Personality, plus his sprint performance, instantly tipped off the crowds and the switch was quickly revealed.  Police and racing stewards questioned the tight lipped trainer whilst the sweating horse was immediately placed in a stall under police guard.  Many punters lost their money, including a few highly ranked police officers according to the gaoled trainer.

Bold Personality under guard after the race. Image from The Courier Mail, 22nd July 1989.

The Mounted Police Unit was situated in Oxley at the time, staffed by 19 police officers (a mix of full and part time members) under the charge of a Senior Sergeant.  The complex boasted 26 stables for 24 troop horses and the Stock Squad also used the compound to run their mounts.  The Queensland Police Annual Report of 1985 stated ‘During the year, seven head of cattle and eight horses, exhibits in various court cases, were cared for at the Mounted Unit complex.  Among the horses was “Bold Personality”, the infamous ring-in for “Fine Cotton” at Eagle Farm Racecourse’.

Bold Personality, whilst being held as an exhibit at the Mounted Police Unit, Oxley, with Senior Constable Ian Johnston. Image PM0588 courtesy the Queensland Police Museum.

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This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available.  The article was written by Museum Assistant Georgia Grier.  The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Contact: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT- Fine Cotton” by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

On December 14, 1925, after Constable Francis Erich Bischof completed formal police training, he was sworn into the Queensland Police Force.  In 1933 with General Duty service history at police stations on Roma Street, in Ipswich and Fortitude Valley, Constable Bischof joined the Brisbane Crime Investigation Branch (CIB).  Promoted to Sergeant 2/c in 1939, Senior Sergeant in 1943, then Inspector in 1949, Bischof would remain with the CIB until his appointment as Police Commissioner on January 30, 1958.

Commissioner Bischof (at centre, wearing blue cap) at a rainy Passing Out Parade for Probationaries upon their being sworn in as Constables, 1958. Image PM2222c courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

The methods of New Scotland Yard, policing in the United Kingdom, had been studied extensively by Bischof whilst an Inspector, with similar security techniques used during several royal visits to Queensland, including by Her Majesty, the Queen Mother and Her Royal Highness, Princess Alexandra, in 1958 and 1959 respectively.  After further visitation by royalty Commissioner Bischof was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service, ‘in recognition of his outstanding service and devotion to duty in the Queensland Police Force’ (Qld Police Department).

Commissioner Bischof batting at a charity cricket match, between the police team and the Tattersalls Back Benchers, held at the Brisbane Cricket Ground 1961. Image PM2103 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

Accolades aside, there were differing opinions on the conduct of Commissioner Bischof; allegations of corruption, choosing favourites and being overtly tough with others, “including from policemen, reporters, even the criminals, that have been delivered a bawling out as only Frank Bischof can give”, (The Sunday Mail, 9^th February 1969).  And as a witness in the National Hotel Royal Commission, Justice Harry Gibbs explained of Mr Bischof “His absolute frankness in the witness box impressed me”.

Commissioner Bischof discussing the upcoming Queensland Police Ball to be held at Brisbane City Hall in August 1963, with three debutantes from the Main Roads Department. Image PM1731a courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

Commissioner Bischof retired on medical grounds after 43 years’ service as a policeman, with 10 of those years in the top job.  A few of his many achievements during that time included the creation of the Juvenile Aid Bureau, establishment of the Crime Prevention and Public Relations Bureaus, and becoming the foundation Chairman for the Queensland Police Citizens Youth Welfare Association.  Perhaps this interesting sentiment, spoken by Mr Bischof to his cohort, sums up an extraordinary career “If you’re new on the front page you don’t have much to worry about. It’s when they start putting your wrongdoings on the back page that we’ll all start to panic”.

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This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available at the time of writing.  The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Contact: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT- CoP Francis Erich Bischof” by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

Like any idyllic tropical setting, Bwgcolman, also known as Great Palm Island is occasionally battered by severe storms, and on May 13, 1939, gale force winds hammered the island group and caused big seas in Challenger Bay.  A vessel ‘Melody’ was on the bay that afternoon.  The vessel was owned by the Anglican Mission and carried 10 people, including a native policeman named Barki Sailor.  In 1938 it was reported that the 16,000 acre island community was ‘policed by a native constabulary of 25 men and two sergeants’, (The Telegraph, Brisbane, 21 May 1938).

Local church on Palm Island, Queensland, c1932. Image courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

The year before this storm, a journalist known as ‘Pilgrim’ wrote a one page article for The Telegraph Brisbane, partly produced here (the entire article is available in Trove (http://trove.nla.gov.au/);

A little to the northward of Townsville and about five hours sail from that city, lie the beautiful Palm Islands.  The group is comprised of about 20 islands and rocks lying off Halifax Bay, between Magnetic and Hinchinbrook Islands.  Great Palm, the largest of the group, is 8.5 miles long and from 1 to 4.5 miles wide, its densely wooded slopes rising abruptly to majestic Mount Bentley.  Here on this tropic isle, whose shores are washed with turquoise seas and beaches shaded by the gently swaying plumes of stately coconut palms, the Government has established an aboriginal settlement…

 The launch-master has charge of the waterfront generally, boat-building and repairs.  He also makes the bi-weekly run to Townsville in the 40ft launch Irex.  All punts and dinghies or other boats are built under his supervision by native workmen.  One is certainly surprised to see that most of their well-built boats are of maple.

Huts on a palm tree lined beach, Palm Island, Queensland, c1932. Image courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

Many references were made of the excellent workmanship shown by the local tribes when building, thatching, and sewing, saddlery and cropping for the authorities, showing high regard for their positions.  When island inhabitants, a combination of original locals and recent arrivals, were caught in a storm, the launch they clung to was overcome by the rough conditions and capsized, throwing all passengers into the water.  The young son of Barki was among them.  Driving rain and reef swells hampered all attempts by Mr Sailor to locate and save his child, and he tragically drowned in the bay.  The missionary men scrambling to stay afloat and swim to the closest shore, but Barki knew that would be futile because the nearest island was uninhabited with no provisions for warmth or medicine, so he swam towards the island of Great Palm where rescue boats and assistance could be secured.  The swim took three hours, and after more time spent walking several kilometres to raise help, Barki could finally report the incident and several motorised launches proceeded to the location to rescue any survivors.

The loss of his own young son and three men was tragic, but highlights the outstanding commitment Mr Sailor made to the survivors.  Recognition was given to Barki Sailor by presentation of the Royal Humane Society Certificate of Merit for his dangerous swim and land trek to alert help.

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This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available.  The article was written by Museum Assistant Georgia Grier.  The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Contact: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT- Palm Island’s Barki Sailor” by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

Police scour Brisbane
for clues of Ether Man

27 November 2016
11:00am – 12:30pm

 Police Headquarters
200 Roma Street
Brisbane  QLD  4000

FREE ENTRY

The signature of a predator, the dedication of police officers and the lucky break leading to the capture of the Ether Man will all be revealed in November’s Police Museum Sunday Lecture.

Between April and September 1966 five women were attacked by a man who used either Ether or Chloroform to subdue his victims before he raped them. The attacks occurred in Brisbane’s north and south. The Curator of the Queensland Police Museum, Lisa Jones will outline the police investigation and the lengths to which officers went to catch the attacker.

The investigation was taken up with earnest by police who tried to find the man and his source of ether before the next woman was attacked. The attacks shocked Brisbane and the police were flooded with calls about possible sightings of the attacker and from people who thought they smelt ether on street corners and in taxis.

Sunday Truth newspaper, July 3, 1966.

This lecture is not suitable for young children.

The one and a half hour presentation will start at 11am on Sunday, November 27 and will be both informative and educational for adult audiences.

The Museum opens its doors to the public on the last Sunday of each month from 10am to 3pm from February to November in addition to the standard Monday to Thursday 9am to 4pm opening hours. Monthly Sunday openings feature guest speakers from across the historical and crime-solving spectrums.

The Police Museum will open on Sunday, November 27 from 10am to 3pm, and is located on the ground floor of Police Headquarters, 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.

In 1863 the Publicans Act was introduced which reduced the licensing of public houses to publicans and packet licenses.

Publicans’ Act of 1863: … Section 8 enacts that no Spirituous or fermented liquors shall be sold without a license, under a penalty of £30 for the first offence, and £30 to £50 for every subsequent offence. Exceptions are made in favour of venders of spirituous perfumes, chemists and druggists, and wholesale spirit dealers, provided not less than two gallons are disposed of at one time, importers who may sell in bond, and persons selling liquors in buildings exclusively occupied as a club. Section 4 provides for the issue of two kinds of license, vie., Publicans’ and Packet licenses. (As reported in the Maryborough Chronicle, 19 November 1863)

In 1885 the Licensing Act was introduced which defined the liquor use as 14 years or older for takeaway liquor and persons 18 years or older for drinking on premises, and outlined Sunday closing stipulations.

Licensing Act of 1885, Section 75: Liquor to be sold only within the following hours: — On the six business days of the week, from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.; on Good Friday and Christmas Day, between 6 and 9 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m., and 8 to 10 p.m: and on the two latter days only for the sale of liquor not to be drunk or consumed on the premises. (2.) No licensed victualler or wine-seller to keep his house open for the sale of liquor on Sunday. (3) Any licensee offending; penalty, £5. And any person found drinking on licensed premises or leaving the same with liquor at prohibited hours; penalty, £2. (4.) This section not to apply to lodgers, travellers, or disabled persons.

James Arthur Bennett first applied to join the Queensland Police in 1901 when he was living in Pittsworth. In November, he was interviewed by Acting Sergeant Knox and in December the Acting Sergeant reported “…I have known the applicant for the last few years, he comes to this district to work at harvesting. He is a steady, hardworking young fellow, very good tempered, quiet in manner and intelligent and in my opinion is suitable for the police force…” At this meeting Bennett gave his age as 18 years, his height as 6 feet 1 inch tall and his chest was measured as 37 inches. His chest measurement was 2 inches less than the 38 inches required for entry into the Police Force and he had to press his case that the original measurement was in error. He passed his police entry examinations in August 1902 and then was out of the Colony until August 1904, on 10 November 1904 he was appointed as a police candidate on trial. Bennett was finally sworn in as Constable 469 on 7 March 1905 aged 22 years and 8 months. Two days later he was posted to the Roma Street Police Station.

In 1894 20 year old New Zealand born Alfred Bee, worked as a merchant seaman on the Lizzie Lee for three years. The Captain of the ship wrote that “… Bee proved himself to be a useful, trustworthy and handy man thoroughly steady, honest and industrious…”  He joined the Metropolitan Police in 1897 and spent the next four years as a bobby on the streets of London. In 1902 Bee worked as a member of the Sea Merchant Service and in 1905 arrived in Sydney aboard the Sophoeles. From his Sydney base, 29 year and 8 month old Bee applied to the Queensland Police Force. He was listed as 5 feet 9 inches tall, with a chest measurement of 38 + ½ inches. Bee was accepted and sworn in as Constable 274 on 8 June 1905 aged 30. Six weeks later he was also posted to Roma Street Police Station.

A portrait of Constable Alfred Bee of the Metropolitan Police in London where he served between 1897 and 1902. Image PM3243 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

In July 1905, fairly soon after Bee’s arrival at Roma Street Police Station these two officers, amongst others, were tasked with enforcing the Liquor laws, specifically Sunday closing times. A fairly thankless task if the response by the public, the defense lawyers and the printed media is any indication. Since there is very little in the personnel files of these two officers concerning the licensing work, newspaper clippings give us a view of what was happening on the street in Brisbane. At this time Inspector Nethercote was in charge of licensing and was in court prosecuting while Bennett and Bee gave evidence.  On 5 July Constable Bennett and Bee were defending their accusation against Mary Doyle of the Ulster Motel who was charged with keeping her premises open for the sale of liquor on Sunday. The case went to Police Court in front of Police Magistrate Robert A. Ranking. The Telegraph reported that during the cross-examination by Mr. O’Shea for the defense, he expressed the opinion that Constable Bennett had “shown himself to be an inveterate liar” for which the Police Magistrate admonished O’Shea severely. The case was subsequently dismissed.

Inspector Nethercote spent a considerable amount of his time prosecuting cases under the Licensing Act of 1885, principally against those who illegally sold alcohol on a Sunday. Image PM1641 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

Later Police Magistrate Ranking made a statement about Bennett “… he has recently given evidence before me upon several occasions and knowing him to be of very short service, I have more than once been struck by the aptitude displayed by him in the knowledge of his duties and by the intelligence and comparative boldness with which he has submitted to cross-examination almost vindictive in its rigour…”

On 13 July Bennett and Constable Neilsen were back in court under Magistrate Ranking, this time against Theodore Lenneberg, licensee of the New Crown Hotel in George Street on the same sale of liquor on a Sunday charge. Mr. T.J. O’Shea was granted leave to cross-examine Bennett, whereupon he pressed strong doubts as to the witness’s veracity. An interesting conversation between O’Shea and Ranking then ensued:

Mr. Ranking, P.M.: “Do you think that everybody in the Government service is a liar?”

Mr. O’Shea: “No, your worship, but I think this man is”

Mr. Ranking P.M.: “It is not right for you to say that Mr. O’Shea”

Mr. O’Shea: “He has made contradictory statements this morning”

Mr. Ranking P.M.: “A man may make contradictory statements in cross-examination, and not be a liar.”

Sadly Constables Bennett and Neilson did not win this case either.

The Truth newspaper completely went to town on Constable’s case against William Burke, licensee of the Exchange Hotel, charged with wilfully delaying admittance to a member of the police force on 23 July 1905. Truth, 27 August 1905, page 5.

Bennett and Bee were in court every week trying to win against Mr. T.J. O’Shea and other defense lawyers, and finally managed it on 19 July 1905 against James A. Hourston licensee of the Oriental Hotel (Albert Street)…

…TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK.

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This story was written by Curator Lisa Jones from the best resources available and information supplied by the Queensland Police Museum.  Thanks go to Jon Kehrer for bringing the story to our attention.  The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Contact: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT: Bennett & Bee Part 1 – the sting of licensing laws” by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

Last week left the story hanging, with Constables Bennett and Bee finally enjoying a long awaited win against Mr T.J. O’Shea on 19 July 1905 acting for James A. Hourston, licensee of the Oriental Hotel in Albert Street, Brisbane, on the sale of liquor on a Sunday.  The magistrate convicted Mr. Hourston and fined him £5 payable within three days. Mr. O’ Shea then gave formal notice of appeal. Unfortunately for the police they lost licensing cases the majority of times and had to pay costs. The difficulty in winning a licensing case seemed to stem from stipulations in the 1885 Licensing Act which while stating that no liquor could be sold on a Sunday, the Act did not apply to lodgers, travellers, or disabled persons. These excuses were often the ones that swayed the Police Magistrate towards a dismissal of such cases.

On Wednesday 25 October, Constables Bennett and Jessop were in court giving evidence against Patrick Talty licensee of the Royal Hotel, on a charge of keeping his premises open for the sale liquor on Sunday 1 October. It was a very involved case with poor Bennett again being verbally pushed and prodded by Mr. O’Shea, particularly in reference to his evidence about the existence of a bell at the rear of the Royal Hotel which signaled to those inside that someone wanted entry to drink. After many adjournments of the case Patrick Talty was eventually found guilty on 25 November and fined £5, including £2 2s. in costs. Two weeks prior to the end of the case Talty brought a charge of perjury against Constable Bennett for lying about the presence of a bell at the hotel. The Bennett perjury court case went before a bench of eight magistrates including Police Magistrate Ranking.  On 2 December 1905 the Bench, by a majority of four, discharged the Constable and no charge was brought. Talty subsequently tried to have his conviction overturned and took the case to the full Supreme Court where his testimony was found to be erroneous and the case was thrown out.

On 30 December 1905 both Constables James Bennett and Alfred Bee were awarded £10 and £7 respectively (from the Police Reward Fund) by the Home Secretary Mr. Airey, for the loyal and fearless manner in which they carried out their duties in connection with the enforcement of Sunday closing clauses in the Licensing Acts. This event was also covered in the newspapers and not in a very nice way.

The awards to Constables James Bennett and Alfred Bee of £10 and £7 respectively from the Police Reward Fund on 30 December 1905, did not go down well with the printed media. Truth, 31 December 1905, page 2.

Between July 1905 and May 1906, Bennett, Bee and a number of other police officers, brought the licensees of no less than 18 hotels including the Albert, Brisbane Club, Burke, Commercial, Exchange, Exhibition, Grosvenor, King’s, Lennon’s, National, New Crown, Newmarket, Oriental, Pineapple, Royal, Ulster, Union and the York, to court charged with illegal Sunday trading.

The Warwick Examiner reported developments in the service of alcohol in response to tougher Sunday trading laws;

The more rigid administration of the law with respect to Sunday trading has produced a new development in the retail liquor business in the metropolis. The licensed victuallers are now supplying their customers with half-gallon bottles of special designs, in which beer purchased on Saturday night may be kept over Sunday, and surreptitious visits to hotels during prohibited hours are thereby rendered unnecessary. Over 4000 of these special bottles have been sold to Brisbane hotel-keepers during the past two months and some have gone to Ipswich. This new feature has enriched the slang vocabulary, a clear barrel-shaped bottle having been christened “Bennett,” while a dark-colored flask-shaped utensil is known to fame as “Bee.” Thus the names of two policemen who have been most actively engaged in the suppression of Sunday trading will be handed down to posterity very much in the same way as have been the names of Lord Spencer and Lord Sandwich, of whom it was said the former invented half a coat, and the latter half a dinner. (Warwick Examiner and Times, 2 May 1906, page 2) 

On 21 June 1906 James Bennett applied to resign from the Queensland Police sighting his desire to leave the colony. Why he chose to leave is not explained in his personnel file or in the newspapers, but perhaps his rather tumultuous career in the pursuit of illegal liquor dispensing just wore the poor man out.

Constable Bee continued on with career and between the time that Bennett resigned and October 1907 when he was transferred to Mount Morgan, his name appears in the newspapers another 34 times in most instances on the licensing front, but he also was in court giving evidence to back up his charges against a conductor for running an overcrowded tram where for once, the Truth newspaper said nice things about him.

The Truth newspaper with nice things to say about Constable Alfred Bee, 2 September 1906, page 4.

Although in October 1906, the Truth were still at Bee’s heals when he went for publicans and licensees over infringements so the Liquor Act.

The Truth takes a poetic stance on Constable Bee, 10 October 1906, page 5.

Bee branched out geographically when he and Constable Buckley attempted to prosecute Mrs. Hannah O’Loughlin, licensee of the Osborne Hotel at Sandgate, for selling alcohol on a Sunday. In an unusual twist Mrs. O’Laughlin admitted to the charge.

Alfred Bee’s enjoyed 29 years of service, he certainly seemed to have very broad shoulders. From Mount Morgan he moved to Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville, Cloncurry, Cairns before returning to Brisbane ending up in South Brisbane. He retired in August 1934 at the age of 60.

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This story was written by Curator Lisa Jones from the best resources available and information supplied by the Queensland Police Museum. Our thanks go to Jon Kehrer for bringing the story to our attention.  The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Contact: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT: Bennett & Bee Part 2 – broad shoulders and beer bottles” by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

In a case of clowning around, two stubbornly innocent Brisbane City Council Tramway Department employees were suspended from duty.  Tramcar Motorman William E.P. Stevenson, and the tram Conductress Thelma M. Howes, were both diligently performing their duties when they became embroiled in a practical joke performed by an off-duty, but uniformed, police officer.  Constable William Dangerfield was stationed at Woolloongabba Police Station in 1945 when his silly prank caused turmoil in peak hour traffic, and on the busy West End line.

Trams, cars, motorcycles and bicycles shared the roads in 1936, at the intersection of Adelaide and Queen Streets, Petrie Bight. Image number PM2937a courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

South Coast District Inspector Florence M. O’Driscoll reported the incident to Police Commissioner Cecil Carroll;

            “…Thelma Howes was dismissed from her employment following a hold-up in the Tramway service at West End on the afternoon of the 18^th April, 1945, owing to a dispute which arose between Howes and the Motorman of the tram regarding the replacement of the overhead pole of the tramcar.  The pole in question having become disconnected from the overhead wire.

             The Constable reports that after ceasing duty at 3pm on the date in question he boarded a West End bound tramcar en route to his home and proceeded to Dornoch Terrace.  He there alighted from the outbound tramcar and saw another tramcar on the inbound line.  He states that the Motorman of the inbound car is known to him by sight and that he also knew the Conductress, having interviewed her in connection with a traffic accident previously.  He reports that as he walked past the rear of the waiting inbound tramcar, he tugged the rope attached to the overhead pole and this evidently disconnected the pole from the overhead wire.           

            Apparently, a dispute arose between the Motorman and the Conductress regarding the replacement of the pole and a hold-up in the tram service resulted culminating in the dismissal of the Conductress…”

For 30 minutes the stand-off between the Motorman and the Conductress continued.  Neither would replace the lowered pole, trams began to bank up behind the inbound service, vehicles could not cross, passengers sat patiently on the tram.  Tramway Inspector Francis Morris noticed an increase in people waiting for trams along the inbound route, located the deadlock on the West End line, and ordered the replacement of the overhead pole which was actioned by a Motorman from a nearby tram.

Employees Howes and Stevenson were summoned to the main office of the Tramway Department the following morning.  Both denied it was their duty to replace the overhead pole; Conductress Howes stated she was wrongly accused by the Motorman for removing the pole and would therefore not replace it, Motorman Stevenson believed he was not required to raise and lower the overhead pole at that stage in the journey, that it was the job of the Conductress.

Statements were taken, including from Constable Dangerfield.  An investigation was made into the matter by the Police Department’s Senior Sergeant Francis Fahey who described the actions of the constable as “childish and irresponsible”, and subsequent refusal by the Motorman and Conductress to replace the trolley pole as having “strange and unreasonable attitudes”.  The policeman was subpoenaed before the court, to testify as a witness and explain his involvement with the lowering of the tram pole.

Inaugural presentation of a mobile bicycle brake testing lane by the Road Safety Lecturing Squad, at Kedron Park State High School, May 31, 1961.  Senior Constable Bill Dangerfield stands third from the right holding the bicycle handle.  Image number PM1082 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

Frank admissions by Constable William Dangerfield, his recognition of Rule 77 of the ‘Queensland Policeman’s Manual’ Preliminary Inquiries, a written apology and statements provided by all other parties involved culminated in the officer being charged with misconduct and transferred to Charleville.  Thelma Howe’s position as Conductress was reinstated.  The Motorman did not appeal his suspension, deciding the whole messy incident did him a favour and he obtained employment elsewhere.

The last strange twist in this story, Constable Dangerfield went on to become a Road Safety Lecturer in 1957, and continued with the Brisbane Traffic Branch until his retirement in 1979.  Read more about the efforts to education the public on safe road use in a previous #FROMtheVAULT article ‘Look Left & Right: Road Safety Lecturing in the 1950’s and 1960’s’.       

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This article was written by Museum Assistant Georgia Grier from the best resources available within the Queensland Police Museum.  The Police Museum is open from 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Contact: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT – Tram Car Turmoil” by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

The Queensland Police Museum will be closed for Christmas and the New Year, between Monday 26^th December and Monday 2^nd January.

Policing will continue of course, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and in accordance with the QPS vision of working with the community to stop crime and make Queensland safer.  In support of the community, many police go above and beyond their regular duties.  At Christmas in 1980 the team from the Crime Prevention Unit attended the Mater Children’s Hospital, with Inspector James Wilson dressing as Santa to amuse the patients, and nursing staff…

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas, and a safe New Year,
and we will reopen on Tuesday 3^rd January 2017.

Police are urging Queenslanders to drink responsibly and ring in 2017 on a safe note as the Christmas Road Safety Campaign continues.

On day eight of Festive Break, officers conducted over 6700 RBTs (Random Breath Tests) and charged 42 drink drivers leading into the New Year’s long weekend .

In Charters Towers a 50-year-old local man allegedly returned a Breath Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of 0.261% and was further charged for driving unlicensed, uninsured and unregistered.

A 52-year-old Inala woman was also issued with a Notice To Appear after allegedly returning a BAC of 0.253% on Collingwood Drive at Redbank, more than four times the legal limit.

Officers also conducted 202 RDTs (Roadside Drug Tests) with 33 drivers returning a positive test.

A number of speeding motorcycles were nabbed on day eight of Festive Break including the following high-range speeding offences:

• 179km/h in a 110km/h zone on the Bruce Highway at Landsborough;
• 152km/h in a 100km/h zone on the Warrego Highway at Brassall;
• 166km/h in a 100km/h zone on the Pacific Motorway at Eight Mile Plains;
• 173km/h in a 100km/h zone on the Logan Motorway at Loganholme.

During the Festive Break, extra police will be out in force across Queensland targeting high-risk road user behaviour including the Fatal Five: speeding, drink and drug driving, distracted driving, fatigue and failing to wear a seatbelt.

The Festive Break phase of the Christmas Road Safety Campaign will continue until January 3, 2017.

Festive Break – Day 8 Statistics

For the 24 hour period to 11.59pm, 30 December 2016.

Police are urging Queenslanders to drink responsibly and ring in 2017 on a safe note as the Christmas Road Safety Campaign continues.

On day eight of Festive Break, officers conducted over 6700 RBTs (Random Breath Tests) and charged 42 drink drivers leading into the New Year’s long weekend .

In Charters Towers a 50-year-old local man allegedly returned a Breath Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of 0.261% and was further charged for driving unlicensed, uninsured and unregistered.

A 52-year-old Inala woman was also issued with a Notice To Appear after allegedly returning a BAC of 0.253% on Collingwood Drive at Redbank, more than four times the legal limit.

Officers also conducted 202 RDTs (Roadside Drug Tests) with 33 drivers returning a positive test.

A number of speeding motorcycles were nabbed on day eight of Festive Break including the following high-range speeding offences:

• 179km/h in a 110km/h zone on the Bruce Highway at Landsborough;
• 152km/h in a 100km/h zone on the Warrego Highway at Brassall;
• 166km/h in a 100km/h zone on the Pacific Motorway at Eight Mile Plains;
• 173km/h in a 100km/h zone on the Logan Motorway at Loganholme.

During the Festive Break, extra police will be out in force across Queensland targeting high-risk road user behaviour including the Fatal Five: speeding, drink and drug driving, distracted driving, fatigue and failing to wear a seatbelt.

The Festive Break phase of the Christmas Road Safety Campaign will continue until January 3, 2017.

Festive Break – Day 8 Statistics

For the 24 hour period to 11.59pm, 30 December 2016.