During World War II, the Queensland Police were heavily involved in the war effort. They assisted with the recruitment of personnel and the provision of security for military installations, while also carrying out investigations and intelligence gathering. Overall, the Queensland Police were an important part of the war effort in Queensland and made a significant contribution to the Allied victory.
During this presentation Brisbane war historian Peter Dunn, will outline how the Queensland Police were involved in the protection of civilians and the defence of the state against possible enemy attack. Peter will also discuss other police war time duties such as protection of vulnerable and vulnerable sites and the provision of security for important infrastructure, such as railway lines and bridges.
Peter is the Webmaster of the popular “Australia @ War” web site at www.ozatwar.com which contains everything you would want to know about military activities in Australia during WWII. Peter’s research has made him realise that very few authors and historians have covered much detail about events that occurred on the home front during WWII. He has published 7 E-books on WWII in Australia.
The one-and-a-half hour presentation will begin at 11am on Sunday 26 March and will provide educational content suitable for all 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.
PLEASE NOTE: The Police Museum will open Sunday 26 March from 10am to 3pm and is located on the ground floor of Police Headquarters, 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.
A lesson for all hold-up victims… if a person claims to be armed, believe them!
On 26 January 1969, a young man walked into the Rocklea Branch of the Commonwealth Bank carrying a brown paper wrapped box, approximately 30 cm². He claimed that he had a bomb and demanded money from the bank tellers, then threatened to detonate the device unless his demands were met. The staff thought it was a hoax and treated him as a joke, somewhat to his embarrassment. He exited the bank in a huff, cradling the box in his arms. Nonetheless, the staff rang the police, and the Emergency Squad was sent to investigate. They found the offender walking along the edge of a major arterial road, approximately three kilometres from the bank.
The Officer in Charge followed the offender in an unmarked car, accompanied by his driver and two more detectives, at a distance, while several detectives fell in line, following the offender. To other road users, the procession may have appeared comical, as the parade was led by a man cradling a box. At that point, the detectives decided that the bank officers may have been correct, and that the box was a hoax… but it was only prudent to make further assessments.
Touch this and we’ll both go
Detective Inspector Bardwell, who formed the police ‘Emergency Squad’ the year earlier, had his driver move ahead of the suspect, where he alighted, then he proceeded to walk towards the offender. He then noticed two fine copper wires protruding from the top of the box… perhaps detonator wires. The offender looked straight at the Detective Inspector and said, ‘Touch this and we’ll both go.’
He knew instantly that they were dealing with an explosive device and that there was a risk of injury to surrounding people. Bardwell instructed his team to drop back, well behind the offender who continued his westward march.
The offender walked a little further, then without warning, dropped the box onto the roadway, and fled the scene. A small explosion caused the box to burst into flames. Whilst some of the squad members chased the offender, others ran toward the burning container before they were called to stop, then moved back to a safe distance with the Detective Inspector, who inspected the box using binoculars.
To his horror, there were sticks of gelignite in the burning box. He warned the police again of the danger whilst directing them to quickly douse the fire, as he had to salvage some of the contents of the box for evidence. They found a high-pressure hose in a nearby factory and one of them attempted to extinguish the flames from a safe distance. Into a dire situation came a moment of levity. The high-pressure hose over-powered the man as it wriggled like a snake. It required two more squad members to control it.
After the fire was extinguished, the team waited for about ten minutes for the contents of the box to cool before making a closer inspection. It was chilling. There were enough sticks of gelignite to annihilate the bank and its staff. It became evident that the offender had only a rudimentary knowledge of explosives. He thought that by initiating combustion using the propellant powder from the .303 cartridges, the gelignite would explode. He was wrong.
Warning – clueless bomber
The offender had wired up the propellant from cartridge cases with fine copper wire, then connected it to the batteries in such a way that when the two open-ended wires protruding through the top of the box were brought together, a circuit was completed. This caused the cordite to burst into flames rather than explode when he dropped the box and ran.
Found guilty for foolish, dangerous act
After being apprehended, the offender admitted that he could not remember if he’d brought the two bared ends of the wire together. The possibility of accidental contact when the box was dropped could not be ruled out. Whether deliberate or accidental, the propellant powder ignited. This foolish young man, was tried, found guilty and sentence to imprisonment for this dangerous act.
Queensland Police Museum acknowledges the unpublished work ‘No Stone Unturned’, a collection of works by former Detective Inspector Les Bardwell, who preferred to be known as a ‘field forensic scientist. He believed that it was important to have first-hand contact with the aftermath of crime and violence. His stories are a source of inspiration in the writing of this blog, and hopefully are authentic in reflecting the legacy of 35 years at the forefront of forensic science with Queensland Police Service. Leslie James Bardwell passed away on 23rd March 1995 aged 78 years.
This story was re-written by Museum Assistant Debra Austin using the information from ‘No Stone Unturned’
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.
“FROM the VAULT – The bank hoax that wasn’t 1969” 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
At 2.30 am sharp on Thursday 10 April 1969, the explosives expert, and Officer in Charge of the newly formed ‘Emergency Squad’ attached to Brisbane’s CIB, Detective Inspector Les Bardwell, was woken by his bedside telephone. The words ‘homemade bomb’ had him wide awake within seconds.
‘What a fantastic bomb,’ he acclaimed. The six-inch fuse had a fifteen second burning time – one end was attached to a matchhead to facilitate ignition, and the other end terminated in a detonator. The can itself contained half a stick of gelignite. As it came free, to the horror of all, the can was packed with two-inch jolt-head nails – a gross (144) in total, which had been meticulously cut in halves.
This was no ordinary bomb. It was a very powerful device that if exploded, would have devastating effects upon a room full of people. It also became evident to the Detective Inspector that the offender’s demeanour had relaxed, giving him confidence that the bomb was not booby trapped. He swiftly rendered it safe.
Chameleon in court
There was an interesting side issue to this case. When Detective Inspector Bardwell saw the offender standing in the dock, he was surprised by how changed the offender looked in court when he gave evidence for the prosecution against him.
Gone was the unkempt beard and the tangled shock of hair, the filthy clothes, and the grimy footwear. Instead, he was well presented in a navy-blue suit with collar and a tie. He was also clean shaven with a neat and tidy haircut. In fact, the man in the dock was so transformed, that it was not possible for him, as a witness for the prosecution, to state on oath, that he was the bomber from the New Farm flat. Detective Inspector Bardwell had no doubt that this transformation was partially responsible for the Magistrate’s sentence of a nominal period of detention of 3 months.
The police believed that this was an inadequate punishment for the construction and possession of an anti-personnel bomb – with the potential to generate an explosive force at high velocity, driving nearly 300 pieces of highly-lethal metal projectiles about a crowded room.
The consensus was that the bomb had been manufactured with a view to killing or injuring a group of southern criminals who were visiting Brisbane, in a typical gangland revenge.
The Queensland Police Museum acknowledges the unpublished work ‘No Stone Unturned’, a collection of works by former Detective Inspector Les Bardwell, who preferred to be known as a ‘field forensic scientist. He believed that it was important to have first-hand contact with the aftermath of crime and violence. His stories are a source of inspiration in the writing of this blog, and hopefully are authentic in reflecting the legacy of 35 years at the forefront of forensic science with Queensland Police Service. Leslie James Bardwell passed away on 23rd March 1995 aged 78 years.
This story was re-written by Museum Assistant Debra Austin using the information from ‘No Stone Unturned’.
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.
“FROM the VAULT – Gangland Revenge – 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
…‘She wrecked my life. I wanted revenge. I wanted to kill her.’
On 6 December 1971, the ‘Emergency Squad,’ from CIB’s Scientific Section, were called to an address in a northern suburb of Brisbane. An explosion had severely damaged a car and injured the occupant, who suffered head and possible internal injuries. Detectives arrived at the scene to find the wrecked car on the footpath, hard up against a front fence. It was obvious that the explosion was deliberate as the discernible odour of burnt gelignite wafted from the boot area of the car.
Further inspections identified collateral damage from flying debris up to 200 metres away, and a heavy deposit of fragmented components including glass, metal and fibre packing lay across the road. It was noted by detectives who carefully swept the area, that indentations in the bitumen pinpointed the exact location of the vehicle at the time of the explosion. They also recovered two pieces of detonator wire.
The investigators concluded that a detonator had been wired to several sticks of gelignite, then connected to the indicator stalk on the car. The victim had completed the action of reversing her car from the garage and onto the roadway, then as she turned and drove the short distance to the nearby intersection, she indicated as she approached, thereby setting off the device.
Apprehending a dangerous suspect
Her son-in-law was the logical suspect. He’d threatened her on numerous occasions and was suspected of having fired two .22 calibre bullets into her front bedroom on 14 July that year. The mother-in-law also reported to the local police that her son-in-law harassed her in his utility truck whilst she was driving.
There was considerable publicity given to the police search for the suspect as he was considered extremely dangerous and possibly armed with firearms and explosives. Detective Inspector Bardwell’s team was called to a sighting near Killarney. The Officer-in-Charge of the Killarney Police Station had arranged with a forestry worker to alert him using a portable police radio, if the suspect, believed to be the son-in-law, left his camp near the Queensland/NSW border. There was only one road in and out to the Killarney township.
The Emergency Squad selected a kerb roadside cutting with steep rock walls for the roadblock, placing one of the police vehicles across the roadway. The call came from the forestry worker informing them that the suspect was on his way. He duly arrived half an hour later and stopped his vehicle at the roadblock. Using a loudhailer, police asked him to alight from his vehicle with his arms up. His options were few – he was covered by police marksmen with high-powered rifles. Three detectives approached with their revolvers drawn then strip searched him. He was then escorted to the Killarney police station where he was interviewed, then charged.
The interview
‘If you really knew her, you’d put a bomb under her too.’
Portions of the record of interview between the suspect and the arresting officer make for interesting reading as follows:
Q. Where were you going when you were intercepted about three miles South of Killarney on the Queen Mary falls Rd?
A. I was heading for Brisbane.
Q. At about 1:00 o’clock yesterday afternoon, Mrs…., 48 years (of age), of.…. Street reversed her sedan registered number.… out of her garage onto …… Road and shortly afterwards an explosion occurred in the rear section of the car which resulted in pieces of the car being blown over a wide area and damage being caused to private houses and property in that vicinity. Mrs…., in her car continued down …… Road for about 100 yards and then the car crashed into a fence. Mrs…. lost consciousness and was removed to the Royal Brisbane Hospital by ambulance. It was found that she only had minor injuries and she was admitted overnight for observation. Is Mrs…. your mother-in-law?
A. Yes, she is. If you really knew her, you’d put a bomb under her too. She upset my marriage.
Q. Were you responsible for causing the explosion Mrs Smith car yesterday which resulted in her being injured?
A. Yes. I put six sticks of gelignite and a detonator in the boot of her car, and I connected a detonator to the stick of gelignite. I pushed the detonator into the stick of gelignite, and I connected one of the wires to the turn indicator light wire and the other one I earthed on the spring of boot.
Q. What was your reason for doing this?
A. I fitted it up this way so that it would explode when she put the indicator light on.
Q. Did you realise the consequences of your actions?
A. Yes. She wrecked my life and I wanted revenge. I wanted to kill her.
Q. Where did you obtain the gelignite?
A. From Banks in Grey Street, South Brisbane.
Q. How did you obtain the gelignite from Banks?
A. Last Saturday morning, I went in and told the bloke that I wanted six sticks of gelignite and two detonators, and he sold me some.
On the 26th of May 1972, R. Turner was found guilty by a jury and sentenced by Justice Williams to 10 years imprisonment with hard labour.
The Queensland Police Museum acknowledges the unpublished work ‘No Stone Unturned’, a collection of works by former Detective Inspector Les Bardwell, who preferred to be known as a ‘field forensic scientist. He believed that it was important to have first-hand contact with the aftermath of crime and violence. His stories are a source of inspiration in the writing of this blog, and hopefully are authentic in reflecting the legacy of 35 years at the forefront of forensic science with Queensland Police Service. Leslie James Bardwell passed away on 23rd March 1995 aged 78 years.
This story was re-written by Museum Assistant Debra Austin using the information from ‘No Stone Unturned’.
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.
“FROM the VAULT – The Confession 1971” 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
Have you ever wondered how police find someone who has been reported missing? Is it as quick and easy as television would have us believe? You’ll find your answers to these questions at the Queensland Police Museum’s Sunday guest speaker series on 30 April, when the work of the Missing Persons Unit will be on show.
Every year about 30,000 people – or one person every 18 minutes – go missing in Australia. There were more than 8,000 reports last year in Queensland alone. It has been estimated for every person reported missing, there are 12 others who are affected, leaving a third of a million people in Australia feeling the impact of someone becoming a missing person.
The presentation ‘Behind the Scenes in the Missing Persons Unit’ will be presented by Senior Constable Kathryn Collins. S/Constable Collins will explain the unit’s powers and its involvement in missing person cases. The presentation will also cover reporting procedures, the impact of privacy laws on investigations and the technological advances that can allow people to be found more easily.
The one-and-a-half hour presentation will begin at 11am on Sunday 30 April and will provide interesting and educational content suitable for a mature audience.
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 30 April from 10am to 3pm and is located on the ground floor of Police Headquarters, 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.
Photo courtesy City of Gold Coast Libraries Local Studies Collections, ca 1970.
On a cold night in July 1969, the Emergency Squad was called to a hostage situation in Holland Park. A man was holding a girl and threatening to kill her with a bayonet held at her throat.
The Officer in Charge of the police Emergency Squad, Inspector Les Bardwell, engaged the offender in conversation through the locked bedroom door. His patience and calm manner paid off when he was allowed to enter the bedroom to discuss the offender’s problem, but only if no other police tried to intervene.
Bardwell entered with arms outstretched, advising that he was unarmed. The offender immediately placed the bayonet at his victim’s throat. After a series of discreet questions, the offender revealed himself as a soldier who was unhappy with army life. Further questioning revealed that he was interested in animals, and it had been his ambition to work with animals after army life.
Bardwell had found his Achilles’ heel. It so happened that the Inspector was good friends with the owners of the lion park at Beenleigh and had recently visited the park as the guest.
He asked the offender, ‘What about if I could find you a job working with animals at the lion park?’
He said, ‘That would be great. I love animals and it would be great after army life.’
Fool me twice, shame on me.
The Inspector suggested that if he agreed to handing over the bayonet, he could arrange with his friends at the lion park to give him a job. The offender readily agreed.
After receiving the bayonet and pocketing it in his police greatcoat, Bardwell unlocked the door, allowing the awaiting members of Emergency Squad to spill into the room.
Smith and Wesson .38 Special revolver.
His trusty ‘good friend was there’
As the saying goes, ‘Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.’ The offender was doubly tricked that night by a clever and brave policeman… though the Inspector patted his greatcoat pocket as he exited the scene. Inspector Bardwell was no fool to enter a hostage scenario unarmed. He was reassured that his trusty ‘good friend was there.’
The .38 Special Smith and Wesson short-barrelled revolver rested in his pocket. Nearly one million Smith and Wesson .38 Special revolvers were distributed to allied forces on a lend-lease program during WW11. The British version was chambered to fire the standard .380 service round and remained in use to the 1950s.
The gun was primarily used by US Aircrews and military police in WW11. There was a great collaboration between Queensland Police Force and the US Military Police in Brisbane during the war years. Does anyone know the history of Les Bardwell’s ‘trusty’ revolver? Was this standard issue to Queensland Police during that period? Les Bardwell, a forensic scientist and weapons expert, collected numerous weapons. Refer to the Museum blog FROM THE VAULT – ‘Police Museum 125th Birthday.’
Les Bardwell examines a revolver, ca 1962.
Park closes
The Lion Park closed in 1988 when it no longer became financially viable. Sweltering in an unairconditioned car with windows up (for obvious reasons), whilst surrounded by lions and other beasts was not pleasant. This author remembers the experience well. A lion’s roar at close quarters is terrifying.
Photo by Len Drummond Circa mid 1980’s.
The Queensland Police Museum acknowledges the unpublished work ‘No Stone Unturned’, a collection of works by former Detective Inspector Les Bardwell, who preferred to be known as a ‘field forensic scientist. He believed that it was important to have first-hand contact with the aftermath of crime and violence. His stories are a source of inspiration in the writing of this blog, and hopefully are authentic in reflecting the legacy of 35 years at the forefront of forensic science with Queensland Police Service. Leslie James Bardwell passed away on 23rd March 1995 aged 78 years.
This story was re-written by Museum Assistant Debra Austin using the information from ‘No Stone Unturned’.
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.
“FROM the VAULT – Fool me once, shame on you” 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
From time-to-time television news captures our attention with images of heavily accoutred police storming high risk incidents. Today’s SERT, the elite tactically trained Queensland Police squad based in Brisbane and Cairns, has evolved from the ‘Emergency Squad’ established in 1968 by Commissioner of Police, Frank Bischof.
Prior to that time, Queensland imported tactically trained officers from New South Wales for critical incidents. Queensland police officers had no such training nor suitable equipment including tear gas, shotguns, or sniper rifles. After nearly a decade of condemnation by the Queensland Police Union and the press, in mid-1966, the Minister for Education and Police, Jack Pizzey, who went on to become Premier, instructed the Police Commissioner to form Queensland’s first Emergency Squad.
Les Bardwell, ca1978
On 24 October 1966, Detective Sub-Inspector Les Bardwell, the Officer in Charge of the Technical Section of Brisbane’s CIB, a forensic scientist, and weapons expert, was given the ‘go ahead’ and appointed Officer in Charge of the new Emergency Squad. Commissioner Bischoff had worked with Bardwell over the years when the Commissioner himself was one of Queensland’s top investigators. He was well acquainted with Bardwell’s gamut of skills, including theoretical and practical use of firearms, ballistics, and explosives. Bardwell was also a champion marksman.
Outfitting the new Emergency Squad
Emergency Squad uniforms and accoutrements, 1976
Emergency Squad officers training on the rifle range, 1978.
Recruiting the new Emergency Squad
Detective Sub-Inspector Bardwell attended a two-week training course with the NSW Police Emergency Squad in 1966 with co-worker, Detective Senior Sergeant JJ Ryan. Representatives from Victoria Police also attended, as they were forming a similar squad. After training, Bardwell submitted a report and request for equipment, but the bulk of the items did not arrive until January 1968.
In the interim, he advertised for suitable candidates. They would continue working in their fulltime police roles whilst being available to be called upon for critical incidents as required. The squad was under direct control of the Inspector of Brisbane’s CIB, and could only be utilised under the direction of the Inspector.
Bardwell deemed the following qualities essential for selection to his squad:
‘Persons with courage, initiative, coolness under stress, good physical condition, no ‘pot belly’ drinkers considered, and a natural ability to use, with accuracy, handguns, shot guns and rifles.’
He was inundated with applications. Perhaps this was ‘the best (police) job in the world.’
Most of the successful candidates were detectives who were known to Bardwell. He’d worked with them on investigations and knew their potential. He also considered their personal knowledge of criminal activity to be an advantage. Amongst the varied high-risk incidents they attended, were calls for assistance with home-made explosive devices, jail riots and sieges. See blogs: The bank robbery hoax that wasn’t and Gangland Revenge Parts 1 and 2.
The Emergency Squad marching into the Exhibition Grounds during the Springbok Tour of 1971.
The Queensland Police Museum acknowledges the unpublished work ‘No Stone Unturned’, a collection of works by former Detective Inspector Les Bardwell, who preferred to be known as a ‘field forensic scientist. He believed that it was important to have first-hand contact with the aftermath of crime and violence. His stories are a source of inspiration in the writing of this blog, and hopefully are authentic in reflecting the legacy of 35 years at the forefront of forensic science with the Queensland Police. Leslie James Bardwell passed away on 23rd March 1995 aged 78 years.
This story was re-written by Museum Assistant Debra Austin using the information from ‘No Stone Unturned’.
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.
“FROM the VAULT – The Best Job in the World – 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
Transformation from part-time Emergency Squad to fulltime S.E.R.T.
Less than three months later, the new Tactical Response Group was dealt a grievous blow. In the early hours of 27 July 1987, one of their own, Senior Constable Peter Kidd, was killed in crossfire whilst storming a house in Virginia, a Brisbane suburb. Detective Constable Stephen Grant was also critically wounded. They were part of a nineteen-man tactical response group engaged to capture Queensland’s No. 1 most wanted criminal, Paul James Mullin, who died in the incident. Mullin’s partner and children were unharmed. Senior Constable Peter Kidd is featured in blog Star of Courage.
Transition to SERT
SERT. (Photo by Glen Hampson, Courier-Mail)
Sub-unit PRST is formed
In July 1994, another sub-unit was formed, ‘The Public Safety Response Team’ (PSRT), was established to support regional policing strategies involving critical level violence, public disorder, and civil disobedience. By the mid-1990s, SERT, EORT and PSRT units had established their own identities and transformed to the units that we recognise today.
The PSRT in training (Photo by Steve Pohlner)
SERT selection… would you survive?
The public’s perception of today’s SERT is that of a highly skilled, tactically trained paramilitary police unit. This perspicacious impression is undoubtedly influenced by viewing Hollywood’s glut of adrenaline-powered crime dramas. Does the image fit the reality of officers working in SERT? Definitely.
Selection criteria for the Emergency Squad in 1968 was straightforward: ‘Persons with courage, initiative, coolness under stress, good physical condition…’ qualities which are highly desired in SERT officers today, though the sophistication of the recruitment process bears little resemblance. Candidates attend lead up training, followed by stringent vetting, psychological testing, and are then subjected to a marathon 14-day pre-selection process. This ensures that only the ‘best of the best’ are invited to a final 14-week training course.
A journalist was given the opportunity to observe the usually highly sensitive, pre-selection process. For days she watched sleep-deprived, bruised, and battered police officers, fail one after another, after being pushed to the limit of their physical, mental, and emotional endurance by SERT instructors. Only a handful succeeded, those who showed a dogged determination and level of resilience to which few could aspire. She finally decided on a by-line for her article: Would you survive?
A SERT candidate escapes from a shed after being exposed to CS gas (without a mask). (Photo by Liam Kidston)
Emergency Squad of 1968
Detective Sergeant Sid Atkinson
Detective Sub-Inspector Les Bardwell OIC
Detective Norm Bryant
Detective Darcy Buckle
Detective John Clarke
Detective Rod Clarke
Detective Don Clayton
Detective Lionel Clayton
Detective Senior Sergeant CFS Corner
Constable Brian Craitim
Detective Sergeant DE Dux
Constable John Elliott
Detective Neil Freier
Constable Noel Gollschewski (Interpreter)
Detective Senior Sergeant N S Gulbransen
Detective Owen Heness (Instructor)
Detective Keith Herbert
Detective Mal Hewitt
Detective Senior Sergeant Hourigan
Detective Fred Humphries
Sub-Inspector J V McCarthy
Detective Sergeant Frank McCosker
Detective Col Morgan
Detective Paul Pichugov (Interpreter)
Detective Neil Raward (Instructor)
Constable Graham Reid
Detective Senior Sergeant JJ Ryan
Constable Gordon Storer (Photographer)
Detective Senior Sergeant W T Taylor
Detective Sergeant Dick Veivers
Detective Gordon Watson
Sub-Inspector F J White
Detective Laurie Witham
The Emergency Squad of 1968 is the cornerstone on which current SERT, EORT, and PSRT squads stand. We thank all members of these specialist units, past and present, especially the heroic officers who attended the critical incident on the Western Downs on 12.12.2022. We thank them for their dedication, valour and service to their fellow officers, and the community.
The Queensland Police Museum acknowledges the unpublished work ‘No Stone Unturned’, a collection of works by former Detective Inspector Les Bardwell, who preferred to be known as a ‘field forensic scientist’. He believed that it was important to have first-hand contact with the aftermath of crime and violence. His stories are a source of inspiration in the writing of this blog, and hopefully are authentic in reflecting the legacy of 35 years at the forefront of forensic science with the Queensland Police. Leslie James Bardwell passed away on 23rd March 1995 aged 78 years.
This story was re-written by Museum Assistant Debra Austin using the information from ‘No Stone Unturned’.
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.
“FROM the VAULT – The Best Job in the World – 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
Intersection of Queen and Edward Streets, Brisbane, March 1940 (JOL Negative 82490)
During the beginning of his tenure as Police Commissioner in 1958, Frank Bischof requested information regarding the history of the Police Force, with special regard to the development of the Traffic Branch. This request proved to be most providential.
Prior to the establishment of the Traffic Branch Station on 25 June 1934, the Traffic Office was attached to Roma Street Station. Searches for information by Bischof’s staff prior to this date, yielded few results. The Commissioner confirmed this when he wrote:
‘I have been unable to locate records of the staff and their duties at the Traffic Branch… or (find) photographs which would be valuable to the Police Department for record purposes.’
Undeterred, the Commissioner found another source of information. In a series of conversations over the summer of 1959, he interviewed retired Inspector of Police and former Superintendent of Traffic, Edward James Blackmore, who worked at the Traffic Office from its inception in 1906, until 1930.
The information gathered by Commissioner Bischof was published in Circular Memorandum dated 10 February 1959 and forms the basis of research for this blog, together with information from the few surviving reports from the earlier era. Had the Commissioner not initiated that request well over 60 years ago, then the early history of the Traffic Office would undoubtedly be lost.
Census of Brisbane in 1900
A census of the population taken on 23 March 1900, showed a population of 121,262 persons, living within a 10-mile radius of the Brisbane General Post Office. Brisbane was little more than a large country town where people cycled, rode horses, or drove a horse and sulky for private transportation. The electrification of the Brisbane Tram Network in 1897 ensured a reliable and efficient means of public transport, especially for the Police who used the service in the course of their duties.
The ‘Brisbane Sulky’, introduced in 1900 with a newly designed ‘drop centre’ for ease of access, was hugely popular with the public. Although the mechanisation of transport was imminent, the horse & sulky remained a fixture on Brisbane streets well into the 1930’s. (Image courtesy of the Cobb & Co Museum)
The Traffic Act of 1905
Police Commissioner Parry-Okedon
Prior to 1905, traffic was controlled by the Transit Commission under the Comptroller of Traffic, Thomas Finbarr O’Carroll, who was assisted by Frederick Ballinger, both public servants. Queensland’s second Commissioner of Police, Parry-Okeden, set about bringing Queensland traffic police powers in line with the other states.
The Commissioner’s efforts were realised when the Brisbane Traffic Act of 1905 became law in 1906. The Traffic Office was then placed under police administration with Sub-Inspector Taylor as Superintendent of Traffic, but he did not remain long in the job, and was succeeded by Jerimiah Kelly. His staff consisted of Thomas O’Carroll, who remained on as a public servant and was responsible for the issuing of licences and registration of vehicles; Constable Ballinger who transferred to the Police Force; Constable Tom Mohr who was clerk to the Superintendent, and the newly transferred constable, James Blackmore.
The new ‘Traffic Office’
The Traffic Office was originally the ‘drunk’s cell,’ divided into three rooms for the Traffic staff in the old Police Court on Elizabeth Street (possibly on GPO Laneway – then known as ‘Arcade Lane’), opposite St Stephen’s Cathedral. In 1909, staffing increased to six constables with the transfer of Constable Albert Shersby. The office moved to the laneway of the Railway Building at the junction of Adelaide and George Streets, but in 1911, it was moved back to Elizabeth Street, in its former location in the Police Court building.
Ten years later, the Traffic Office moved to the top floor of the Taxation Building where the Main Roads Department was then located. Main Roads would eventually take over the responsibility of the registration of vehicles in 1921, under authority of the Main Roads Act of 1920. In March 1922, Blackmore, then a Sergeant, was first appointed as Acting Superintendent of Traffic.
James Blackmore was promoted to Sub-Inspector of the Traffic Office in May 1928, then, after 24 years of service with the Traffic Branch, he was transferred to Townsville Police District in October 1930. In April 1932 Blackmore was promoted to the rank of full Inspector and wore a crown upon his epaulettes. This was the third highest rank in the Queensland Police Force at the time, after Commissioner and Chief Inspector, respectively.
Implementation of Traffic Act of 1905
Police Commissioner William Cahill, reported the success of the implementation of The Traffic Act 1905 in the QP Annual Report of 1906.
Next week Part 2 – Trailblazers of Technology
Information imparted to Commissioner Bischoff by Retired Inspector Blackmore in the summer of 1959, was integral to the writing of this blog, together with information sourced 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, 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.
“FROM the VAULT – History of the Traffic Branch 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
Jennifer Harrison has an interest in the worldwide input of the ‘Coming of the Strangers’ to nineteenth century Queensland. In today’s seminar she will trace the lives and criminal origins of some of the convicts who were transported to the Moreton Bay Penal Settlement.
Jack Sim Over its near 200 year history Brisbane has had many dreadful and shocking crimes which have become part of the city’s story. In this talk Crime Tours Australia, author and publisher Jack Sim will focus on several of these which impacted on society. These cases have become part of the collective memory of the River City and various legends and untruths have also grown up around them, which will also be explored.
Lisa Jones enjoys speaking about the history of the Queensland Police and is particularly fascinated with stories about interesting crimes and sometimes unusual criminal methods. She has been Curator of the Queensland Police Museum, for the last 25 years
1230-1300 Registration & Bookshop 1300-1305 Welcome and Introduction 1305-1340 Jennifer Harrison – “Moreton Bay penal settlement – a nursery of vice: recoverable culprits or desperate demons?” 1340-1345 Questions 1345-1420 Lisa Jones – “An Ingenious Disguise” 1420-1425 Questions 1425-1500 Afternoon Tea 1500-1535 Jack Sim – “Bloody Brisbane” 1535-1540 Questions
BOOK SHOP – The Brisbane History Group will be selling their books on the day. If you wish to purchase please bring some cash with you.
GETTING TO THE VENUE – Parking spots around QPS Headquarters are difficult to find. You can try May or Makerston Streets or North Quay for paid parking spots. Public transport is the best option as Roma Street railway station and bus station are directly across the road. Public transport is the best option as Roma Street railway station and bus station are directly across the road. Please check the train timetables for track work that might shut down the lines.
This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum on behalf of the Brisbane History Group.
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.
“Sunday Lecture – Brisbane Crime & Criminals” 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
James Trackson and his wife in their steam powered locomobile, Brisbane, ca. 1903. (JOL Negative 10160)
James Trackson, a local industrialist, entrepreneur, and electrical engineer, who also served as an honorary police magistrate, was a pioneer of motoring in Queensland. He is photographed (above) outside the Police Court Building on Elizabeth Street in 1903 in a steam-powered locomobile which was imported from the United States.
Yorkshire steam wagons in front of Trackson Brothers Engineering Company, Brisbane, ca. 1909. (JOL Negative 9377)
Although the opening of car sales showrooms in 1907 led to a steady increase in the number of cars on Brisbane streets, Police Commissioner Cahill, and subsequent police commissioners, proved resistant to the lure of an appealing brochure. The first eight police cars were purchased in 1934, finally signalling a change of culture.
Five of the eight Ford V8 touring cars bought by Queensland Police Force, ca 1934. (QPM Collection)
Motor vehicle accidents
James Trackson never had a traffic accident. By the second decade road statistics increased alarmingly. In 1912 there were 583 traffic accidents, 85 of these involved motor cars which resulted in 5 fatalities. Between June 1915 and December 1916, fatalities with motor cars grew exponentially to 24.
Trackson crowed… ‘I attribute my immunity from accidents to the fact that I have driven as if every other driver was deaf and blind, making liberal allowances for the fools. Mr J.S. Badger, who, you remember, was head of our tramways here for many years, gave me that advice, and very good advice it was, too.’ (JOL Negative 60639)
During these early years Traffic Police were kept busy controlling the ever-increasing volume of vehicular traffic at intersections, stopping the overloading of trams, and directing pedestrian traffic, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights when entertainments such as His Majesty’s Opera House drew hundreds to performances of opera, ballet, and theatre.
‘Keep them to the right’
Commissioner Cahill wrote in 1906, ‘The comfort and convenience of the public cannot be assured until pedestrians observe the fundamental rule of ‘Keeping to the Right’.’
Her Majesty’s Theatre, ca 1898. (Renamed as His Majesty’s Theatre in 1901) (JOL Negative 17958)
Artist’s audacious advice
Early 20th century patrons of the arts flocked city streets on Friday and Saturday nights seeking entertainment, as they do today. Traffic Police were on hand to ensure that pedestrians safely used footpaths and followed new regulations to ‘keep to the right.’ The police were also vigilant in maintaining the smooth flow of horse-drawn and motorised vehicular traffic.
Amongst the stars who performed in Brisbane were ballerina, Anna Pavlova, and soprano Dame Nellie Melba who performed a homeland ‘sentimental tour’ in 1909, covering 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometres) which included many remote towns.
Melba’s friend, British contralto Clara Butt, thought it best to warn her about the audiences… ‘Sing ‘em muck, it’s all they can understand.’ Did she know that Dame Nellie Melba was Australian!
Next week Part 3 – Walking the beat with Constable Blackmore
Information imparted to Commissioner Bischoff by Retired Inspector Blackmore in the summer of 1959, was integral to the writing of this blog, together with information sourced 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, 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.
“FROM the VAULT – The History of the ‘Traffic Office’ 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
Senior Sergeant Edward Blackmore, 1928 (Taken from the Telegraph 12 April 1928)
Edward James Blackmore was sworn in as Constable 674 on 25 November 1898 at the age of 20 years and 5 months. Edward married Annie Paine on 12 July 1906, around the time he was transferred to the Traffic Office. Besides being awarded the Police Medal for Merit in 1908, he was granted a reward for raiding 2-up games in 1918. Inspector Edward Blackmore was superannuated on 27 November 1936 at Toowoomba Police District and lived to the grand age of 95 years. He lies in the Toowong Cemetery.
As well as being a highly decorated police officer, Edward was a crack shot who competed on behalf of the Queensland Police Force at many championships.
The narrator of the early history of the Traffic Office to Police Commissioner Frank Bischof, in the summer of 1959, was retired Inspector of Police and former Superintendent of Traffic, Edward Blackmore, who worked at the Traffic Office from its inception in 1906 until 1930.
As a young constable, Blackmore had more than his fair share of drama whilst walking the beat on Brisbane streets. Shortly after midnight on 12 December 1903, whilst patrolling with Constable John Donnelly, an attempt was made on his life.
Near the corner of Margaret and Williams Street, the plain clothes officers recognised a habitual offender and housebreaker, Charles Farrell, who brushed past them at a clip. Blackmore said, ‘that’s old Holmes.’ The man ignored them and continued at a faster pace.
Donnelly then said to the man, ‘Hold Holmes, we belong to the police and want to speak to you.’ * (*‘Holmes’ refers to the fictitious detective in the stories by author A. Conan Doyle. The term was used in the past as slang in an informal term of address, as used today with words ‘mate’, ‘fella’ or ‘man.’)
Farrell turned into George Street and ran off, crossing to the opposite side of the road near the Bellevue Hotel. His right hand clutched his right coat pocket. The officers were a few paces behind when Constable Donnelly called out, ‘We belong to the Police. What are you running for?’
Farrell countered, ‘Keep back.’
Blackmore later confirmed in an incident report, ‘I then saw him point his right hand towards me and saw a flash and heard a report like a revolver shot… the flash of fire was about 4 feet 6 inches (1.4 metres) from the ground and was travelling at that height towards me.’
Blackmore was standing 3 yards (2.74 m) from the offender, equidistant between Donnelly and a street vendor who was shocked to witness the incident. Farrell ran towards the Bellevue Hotel and then into Alice Street, where a small wicket gate led to a tall gate, locked from the inside. Donnelly quickly scaled the gate and opened it. The officers lost sight of Farrell and searched out the hotel’s manager, Mr Hardgrave. He took them to Farrell’s accommodation.
Mr Hardgrave knocked and said, ‘Charlie, open the door’.
Farrell replied, ‘All right.’
They found him lounging on his bed, still fully clothed in a three-piece suit. Donnelly then said, ‘We belong to the police, and I want to know why you shot at us… out in the street.’
He replied, ‘I don’t know.’
Donnelly then said, ‘Was that revolver loaded?’
He replied, ‘What a silly question to ask me. Why, do you want to see it?’
Constable Donnelly said, ‘Yes, we do.’
Farrell then put his hand into his right-hand coat pocket and pulled out a six-chambered revolver which he pointed directly at Constable Donnelly and said, ‘Perhaps you would like to feel it.’
Mr Hardgrave intervened and said to Farrell, ‘Put that revolver away Charlie. Don’t do anything foolish.’
The offender then put the revolver back in the same pocket. Donnelly caught hold of him and took possession of a six-chambered revolver, which was later found to contain four loaded cartridges and one empty shell in the fifth. He was taken to the Watchhouse at Roma Street Station where the constables were advised by Sub-Inspector Sweetman to charge him with unlawfully attempting to kill one Edward James Blackmore. On a further search of Farrell’s person at the Watchhouse, a single-barrelled, loaded pistol was also found in his right-hand vest pocket.
The Brisbane Courier, Monday, 14 December 1903 p4 reported on the court case.
Defendant declared insane
More plucky courage displayed in 1909
Edward Blackmore’s courage was once again demonstrated when in similar circumstances to the heroes of FROM THE VAULT series – ‘Plucky Courage,’ he showed ‘great pluck’ by coming to the rescue of a runaway horse and cart on North Quay in 1909. He was awarded the police ‘Medal for Merit’ for this meritorious act of bravery.
The intersection of North Quay and the Victoria Bridge where Acting Sergeant Blackmore stopped a runaway horse and cart in 1909. (JOL Negative 170630)
Information imparted to Commissioner Bischoff by Retired Inspector Blackmore in the summer of 1959, was integral to the writing of this blog, together with information sourced 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.
“FROM the VAULT – History of the ‘Traffic Office’ Part 3” 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 following blog is based on one of the more interesting cases investigated by the Brisbane CIB in the early 1950s. It was the only case in Queensland’s legal history at that time (apart from capital offences) where a person was tried three times.
The writer lays before you the story of a sting operation. The evidence of electoral forgery was conclusive, the prosecution case was sound. But would justice be served?
The trap is set
On Saturday, Labour Day long weekend of 1950, the Labor Party under the premiership of Ned Hanlon, went to the polls with a narrow margin. One of the strongly contested marginal seats was Bulimba.
Liberal Party executives had a suspicion that in past elections there had been vote tampering, especially in marginal seats… so they lay a trap.
The plan was simple. They arranged for twenty-two party members who lived in the Bulimba Electorate to lodge an application for an absentee vote. This involved completing a declaration form to the effect that they would be absent from the electoral area at the official time of voting. The form included their home address and where they would be at the time of the election.
The voter was supplied with an envelope that was numbered according to their number on the electoral roll. There was also a blank voting card on which to record their vote in order of preference. After completion, the voter sealed the handwritten ballot in an envelope, then placed it in the ballot box at the Electoral Office.
Forged ballots detected
When the votes were counted in the 1950 Queensland State Election, the Labor Party candidate in Bulimba won by a small majority. The final figures polled by candidates were published, as were the number of absentee votes at each polling booth.
In Bulimba, 23 absentee votes were recorded and published. They were all for the Labor Party, despite the 22 purposefully cast votes by members of the Liberal Party.
An objection was lodged with Election Tribunal and as a result the Government set up the Bulimba Election Tribunal. Justice Mansfield was appointed to investigate and ultimately had no reservations when he declared to the Attorney General: ‘This is straight out forgery!’
Note: The writer wishes to cast no aspersions on the Labor Party in this debacle, nor its leader, the Honourable Ned Hanlon, who won the Queensland State Election on 29 April 1950 with a clear majority.
Robert Gardner MLA cleared of wrongdoing The seat of Bulimba has strongly supported the Labor Party since 1873. Although ALP candidate Robert Gardner was elected in Bulimba in the 1950 election, the election was ruled void, but Gardner himself was cleared of any involvement in the fraud. The scandal and ensuing investigations into the vote tampering continued for many months. Finally, a by-election was held on 14 April 1951 with ballot boxes under police guard. Robert Gardner won the by-election by a narrow margin.
Forensics confirm forgeries
On December 13, 1950, Detective Constable Les Bardwell, a forensic scientist with the Brisbane CIB, attended the Bulimba Election Tribunal as a witness. He received 23 sealed envelopes together with specimen handwriting from the 22 electors who’s ballot papers were purported to be forged.
Using a microscope, Bardwell discovered that nineteen of the sealed envelopes had previously been opened and resealed. After steaming open all envelopes, he then compared the specimen writing taken from the 22 Liberal Party members (at the Election Tribunal) with the writing on their respective ballot papers. He formed the opinion that they were all forgeries.
Bardwell’s opinion was subsequently verified when the writing on the ballot papers was viewed by each of the twenty-two Liberal Party members. All denied having written the names of Gardiner (ALP), Marriott (Independent), and Hamilton (Liberal), in that order, on the ballot papers bearing their electoral roll number.
The Investigation begins
The police investigation formerly commenced on January 4, 1951, after the Elections Tribunal Acting Chief Justice, Justice Mansfield, declared that the election of the Labor Candidate, Robert Gardner, was void.
Inspector Bischof and Detective Constable Hamilton led the police investigation. By a process of elimination, the officers focused on the Principle Electoral Officer of Queensland, Bernard Joseph Maguire.
Forensic Scientist, Les Bardwell, photographed onbecoming a Detective on 15.12.1949. Photo by Stuart Cumming
Police forensic scientist, Detective Bardwell, compared the handwriting of approximately one hundred persons who could have had access to the ballot papers. All the specimens of writings consisted of approximately sixty words. Maguire’s specimen was included with these. Bardwell formed the opinion that Maguire’s specimen writing, which was written in his presence under dictation, was inconsistent. Maguire also showed an unusual amount of hesitation whilst writing.
A more detailed examination of Maguire’s specimen writing later gave the forensic scientist cause to believe that it was executed with a view to (1) disguising the writer’s normal characteristics and (2) attempting to confuse any person conducting a handwriting examination and comparison. A 2:30 pm on the 19th of February 1951, Detective Bardwell went to the Electoral Office with Bischof and Hamilton.
The investigators said to Maguire, ‘Detective Bardwell has expressed dissatisfaction with the specimens of handwriting submitted by you on the first of this month, and he is desirous of obtaining, if possible, some printing done by you, say before the 1950 General Elections. Is there any of your printing on any of your files?’
Maguire said, ‘I don’t think there is. I seldom print anything. I write most of my communications in the rough and they are then typed for my signature.’
Before his appointment to Chief Electoral Officer, Maguire was a draftsman employed by the Survey Office of the Queensland Government. With such a background, Bardwell reasoned that he would have above average block printing ability. Several of the forged ballots were written in block printing.
Bardwell continued searching Maguire’s office and eventually located his Electoral Claim Card which was filled out in block printing. He also located further printing on several file covers which Maguire admitted had been written by him. Before taking possession of these documents, Bardwell asked Maguire to initial them. Returning with these documents to his laboratory, he conducted a detailed comparison of Maguire’s printing and the allegedly forged ballot papers.
Bardwell soon formed the opinion that Maguire was responsible for four of the forged ballots. The remaining eighteen were written in such an obviously disguised form, that the author did not disclose any of his normal individual characteristics. He was unable to arrive at any firm conclusion, although the relevant legitimate voters had confirmed that their ballot paper had been forged.
Second opinion from handwriting expert
This investigation created state-wide and Australia-wide interest and speculation. Inspector Bischof, in his wisdom, suggested to the Commissioner that Detective Inspector Rodgers, the Officer in Charge of the New South Wales Police Document Examination Section, should also be called upon to examine the relevant documents. Rodgers was the most experienced and senior handwriting expert in Australia at the time.
When Rodgers arrived in Brisbane, Bardwell gave him all the documentation and allocated him a private room at the CIB. He also provided him with various pieces of equipment to examine the documents without any outside interference and in complete privacy. In conclusion, Rodgers agreed with Bardwell. Four of the samples were forged.
Samples of Maguire’s block printing on his Electoral Claim Card and sample of block printing taken under dictation by police appear below. James Maguire was charged withhaving between the dates of March 26 and May 5, 1950, forged a document purporting to be a ballot paper marked as the absent vote of an elector, name withheld, for Bulimba electorate at the Queensland General Election on April 29, 1950.
Specimen: Electoral Claim Card for Bernard Joseph Maguire. Note: neat even block writing.
Next Issue: The Maguire Trial – Part 2 – Jury Selection in the 1950s
Queensland Police Museum acknowledges ‘No Stone Unturned’, a collection of works by former Detective Inspector Les Bardwell, who preferred to be known as a field forensic scientist. Les believed that it was important to have first-hand contact with the aftermath of crime and violence. This story was written by Museum Assistant Debra Austin.
The Police Museum is open 9 am to 4 pm Monday to Thursday and 10 am to 3 pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb – Nov) and is located on the Ground Flood of Police Headquarters, 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.
“FROM the VAULT – The Maguire Trial 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
On 31 December 1974, just before midnight, Michael John Kelly, a disgruntled former hotel employee started a fire. The Coolangatta Hotel was old and constructed of timber, brick and fibre board. On the ground level there was an entertainment area, reception and kitchen. All of the guest rooms were on the upper level and were accessible from an internal staircase and also from the external fire escape. The fire was set in the entertainment area, directly under most of the upper floor guest rooms. When the fire took hold the plastic tables and chairs melted and gave off toxic fumes and black flecks of plastic.
In this seminar retired police officers Ian Rogers QGM and David Lacon QGM, both young constables at Coolangatta Police Station in 1975, will describe the scene and their tremendous efforts to assist with the rescue of the 36 hotel residents. Both Ian and David received the Queen’s Gallantry Medal for their brave efforts on that night. This rescue mission took its toll on both of these brave officers and they have stayed good friends across their lives.
The one-and-a-half hour presentation will begin at 11am on Sunday 30 June and will provide interesting and educational content suitable for any audience.
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 30 June from 10am to 3pm and is located on the ground floor of Police Headquarters, 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.
“Sunday Lecture – The Coolangatta Hotel Fire 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 the previous blog, ‘The Maguire Trial – Part 1,’ a sting operation effected by a political party unveiled vote tampering in the Queensland State Election of 1950.
The subsequent trials of Bernard Maguire ended in deadlock. He was neither guilty nor found innocent, although the Prosecutor declared ‘nolle prosequi.’ It was the only case at the time (except capitol cases) where a person was tried three times. No public service inquiry was held into the administration of the State Electoral Office, and State Cabinet lifted the suspension on Bernard Maguire’s pay and leave. He was under consideration by Cabinet to return to his role as Queensland State Electoral Officer when fate intervened.
Jury selection in 1950s
This blog is not about the guilt or innocence of Bernard Maguire but an attempt to understand the workings of a jury in a time when only men served.
Retired Inspector Les Bardwell served as a witness for the Prosecution at all three of Maguire’s trials. As the forensic scientist attached to Brisbane’s CIB, his testimony was integral to the prosecution’s case. Police were severely hampered because they were not allowed to reference their notes during a trial. Bardwell typed and memorised 170 pages of evidence that he called upon during days of non-stop questioning by barristers, Dan Casey and Tom Barry. He refers them as ‘two of the most formidable criminal barristers of the day,’ in his essay titled ‘Queensland Electoral Forgery,’ but later uses a police colloquialism when he said, that they (the barristers) never ‘knocked a chip off me.’
The essay also describes the selection of jury panels in the 1950s. Let’s imagine the ‘twelve angry men’ from the film, living in a post-war era that led to a cold war, coming together from all walks of life, in a highly publicised trial that had at its centre, the contentious subject of politics. Surely sparks flew… and would justice be served?
A jury list consisting of up to 48 names, depending on the charge, was displayed in the vicinity of the Court. It was open to public scrutiny and was normally viewed by interested persons. The names, addresses, occupations, and ages of the individuals on the jury list were displayed to the public.
As was the practice of the day, the names on the jury list were placed on individual cards and then dropped into a barrel that was mounted on a horizontal axis. The barrel was cranked several times by an Officer of the Court, then a random card was extracted from the side door of the barrel. The name on the selected card was then read out aloud so that the potential juror could hear their name being called.
Most jurors wore a ‘bewildered countenance’, Bardwell said. They entered the court corridor to meet the awaiting Bailiff who stood by the entrance to the jury seats. Suddenly they were given one of two commands, either a ‘challenge’ or ‘stand by,’ or they were accepted by both the Prosecution and the Defence and allowed to proceed to the Bailiff who had a bible in his outstretched hand for the juror to take the oath:
‘You shall well and truly try and true to deliverance make between our sovereign lady The Queen and the prisoner at the bar whom you shall have in charge and a true verdict give according to the evidence,’ and he then says to the Juror, ‘So say help me God.’ The juror repeated ‘So help me God,’ while holding the Bible in his right hand.
If ‘challenged’ or ‘stood by,’ the potential juror in most cases concluded that they didn’t ‘measure up.’ Although instructed to leave the courtroom, the candidate still had to remain within the hearing of the Court.
The Defence Counsel had unlimited ‘challenges’ in the first round to all jurors until all forty-eight names were exhausted. Likewise, the Crown Prosecution had unlimited ‘standbys’. On the second round, both the Defence Counsel and the Crown Prosecution had a limited number of challenges and standbys. On the third round, if the jury had not reached the required twelve jurists, the jurors were selected as their name was called from the barrel. The reason for various ‘challenges’ and ‘standbys’ was an endeavour by the protagonists to select jurors who would be sympathetic to their respective causes.
When all members of the jury that had been selected and were seated, the Judge addressed them with this instruction, ‘Gentlemen, select your Foreman.’ Having attended literally hundreds of jury selections, Bardwell found it highly amusing to see the look of the bewilderment on the faces of the jury. These people who had never met before, would turn to each other and by some unknown means, select the foreman who was usually as the bewildered as the rest of the jury panel.
In the Maguire Trial era, just as there were no female barristers, there were no female jurists… but there’s always an exception.
Next week: The Maguire Trial Part 3 – Jury reform
Queensland Police Museum acknowledges ‘No Stone Unturned’, a collection of works by former Detective Inspector Les Bardwell, who preferred to be known as a field forensic scientist. Les believed that it was important to have first-hand contact with the aftermath of crime and violence. This story was written by Museum Assistant Debra Austin.
The Police Museum is open 9 am to 4 pm Monday to Thursday and 10 am to 3 pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb – Nov) and is located on the Ground Flood of Police Headquarters, 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.
“FROM the VAULT – The Maguire Trial 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
An appreciation of the value of a police diving squad was first realized in 1964 when the Danish dredge, the Captain Nielsen, capsized in Moreton Bay and an off duty water police diver helped to save 12 lives. In the past members of the Queensland Water Police dived in their spare time. They donned a tank and a mask and lent their expertise for official police work.
Sergeant Kieran Sparks of the QPS Diving Unit will present “Under Water Investigations: The QPS Diving Unit”, to discuss the history of the Diving Unit and outline the common and not so common tasks, undertaken by the police divers of today.
Sergeant Sparks will outline how the Diving Unit usually undertakes searches and other work in limited or zero visibility conditions and whilst avoiding potentially dangerous hazards. He will illustrate the lecture with examples of the latest under water search equipment.
The one-and-a-half hour presentation will begin at 11am on Sunday, 30 July and will provide educational and up-to-date content suitable for any audience.
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, 30 July from 10am to 3pm, and is located on the ground floor of Police Headquarters, 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.
Suffragist Annie Golding (centre) with other feminists who campaigned for jury rights for all Australian women in 1902. (Photo: Freeman Studio Collection)
In the previous blogs, ‘The Maguire Trial – Part 1,’ a sting operation in 1950 effected by a political party, unveiled the forgery of ballot papers in the Queensland State Election. To better understand the selection process and subsequently chosen all-male juries for the Maguire trials to younger readers, we delve into history.
Suffragists campaigned for jury rights for all Australian women since 1902. Queensland was the first state to grant women the right to serve as jurors in 1923, but the system required that women volunteer with the local Sheriff. By 1929, only thirteen women had registered, though none ever served as a juror.
Were these women prejudiced by attitudes of the time? Were they exposed to peremptory challenges when they entered the courtroom, a practice that continues to this day? Or could the reason be as simple as those courtrooms of the Victorian era and early 20th century, were built in a time when no one conceived that woman could possibly be interested in legal adjudication, and therefore were built with no appropriate facilities. Simply put, there were no female toilets.
But these obstacles would not thwart Mrs Nellie Bishop in 1941.
Reforming Queensland’s jury system
On 14 September 1995, the Jury Bill 1995 was introduced to the Queensland Legislative Assembly by the then Labor Government and was passed on November 9, 1995. The Act repealed and replaced the Jury Act 1929 in its entirety and amended the District Courts Act 1967. The Queensland’s Oaths Act 1867 was also significantly amended by providing that the oath to be taken by jurors includes a requirement that they keep their deliberations secret.
Provisions for juries in criminal trials which were contained in Queensland’s old Criminal Code were repealed by the new Criminal Code of 1995 and the redrafted provisions were placed in the Jury Act 1995. As they were complementary, the new Jury Act and the Criminal Code Act came into force on the same date.
Questionable impartiality
Detective Bardwell was given reason to question the impartiality of jurors on the first trial of Bernard Maguire. Normally equipment loaned to the Court was handed over by a court official to the Crown Prosecutor, who would return the items to Forensics when the trial ended. In this case it was magnifying glasses loaned to jurors to help with their deliberations.
On the day following the end of trial, the foreman of the jury personally returned the items to the Forensics Department at the CIB on George Street. Naturally Bardwell was curious about the numbers ‘for’ and ‘against’ acquittal and decided to ask. To his surprise the foreman told him the following.
The jury returned to the jury room at the first court adjournment (at morning tea) and before any evidence had been given at the trial, two members on the jury panel announced to the remaining ten members, ‘You can please yourselves but as far as we’re concerned Maguire is not guilty.’
An impartial juror
Who is an impartial juror?
‘Impartial jurors are those who are willing and able to consider the evidence presented at trial without preconceived opinions about the defendant’s guilt or innocence, to apply the governing law as instructed by the trial judge, and to deliberate in good faith to render a legally and factually justifiable verdict.’
It’s obvious from the example above, that at least two jurors on the three trials of Bernard Maguire came to Court unwilling to listen to the evidence. This negates the juror’s oath.
Queensland Police Museum acknowledges ‘No Stone Unturned’, a collection of works by former Detective Inspector Les Bardwell, who preferred to be known as a field forensic scientist. Les believed that it was important to have first-hand contact with the aftermath of crime and violence. This story was written by Museum Assistant Debra Austin.
The Police Museum is open 9 am to 4 pm Monday to Thursday and 10 am to 3 pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb – Nov) and is located on the Ground Flood of Police Headquarters, 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.
“FROM the VAULT – The Maguire Trial Part 3” 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
8.22 calibre Lithgow Slazenger single shot bolt action rifle Circa 1955 – 1960. A basic, affordable rifle, light and easy to ‘handle, and often a teenager’s ‘first rifle.’ Photo Courtesy of Australian War Memorial REL3249
The Crime
On or about 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday March 4, 1959, Detective Ivan Clarke was called by Dalby Police to investigate a shooting incident. An indigenous man had shot another indigenous man in a laneway off Condamine Street, Dalby.
The shooter had suspected that his wife was having an affair with the man who resided at the local camp. She’d had enough of her husband’s accusations and left him… to live at the camp too.
The irate husband borrowed a rifle from a friend stating that he needed to shoot a horse with a broken leg and was given one round of ammunition with the rifle. He fired off that round on the way home to see if the rifle was functioning, knowing all the while that there was a box of ammunition in his bedroom.
Armed, he went to the camp. A third party tried to dissuade him, but after laying down his accusations, he shot the victim in the stomach from approximately three metres, then fled the scene on horseback.
The perplexing case of one bullet, two holes
Police were notified and the victim was conveyed to the Dalby Hospital where the attending doctor informed Detective Clark that there were two bullet entrance holes in his stomach. The bullets were lodged so close to the spine that it was deemed inadvisable to remove them. Both the offender who was later captured, and the witness to the incident, were vehement in their testimony that only one shot had been fired and would not deviate from their statements.
Clark wrote up his report and was later paraded before his Inspector who berated him for not being able to adequately interrogate the offender and the witness. Their statements conflicted with the medical evidence that two shots must have been fired.
Expert opinion sought
Clark travelled to Brisbane where he sought an expert opinion from a forensic scientist known to him – Detective Les Bardwell, who was the Officer in Charge of the Technical Division with the CIB. After hearing the story and doing a preliminary examination of the rifle, Bardwell asked Clark to come back to see him in an hour… he thought that he could prove what had happened.
Les Bardwell (third from left) and founding members of Brisbane Pistol Shooting Association. Photo by Stuart Cumming
Bardwell, who was a founding member of the Brisbane Pistol Shooting Association (photographed above), a sports shooter, champion marksman, gun expert and collector, had an idea as he brushed the barrel of the rifle with his fingertips. There was a slight bulge approximately 20 cm from the muzzle. He construed that there could only be one possibility for one shot to cause two bullet holes and went ahead to test his theory.
Testing a theory
There was a gun range in the basement of the CIB’s laboratory. Bardwell selected a .22 calibre single shot Slazenger rifle and pushed a .22 calibre bullet through the chamber with a push rod to a position approximately 20 cm from the muzzle end of the barrel. He then placed the rifle in a bench rest as a precaution against any possibility of an explosion. From a range of 3 metres, to match the crime scene, he fired at the target by remote control. This produced two holes approximately 5 cm apart.
Clark returned to the laboratory well under the requested hour and Bardwell, accordingly, repeated the test firing. The detective was astounded by the results but could not understand why… he was not aware that Bardwell had already pushed another .22 calibre bullet up through the barrel. Detective Bardwell then explained the scientific explanation of events which had occurred to him when he first detected the bulge in the barrel.
Late police officer Inspector Leslie Bardwell inspects a police rifle in the 1950s.
In conclusion
The bulging of the barrel was caused by a faulty round of ammunition with insufficient propellant charge for the bullet to clear the barrel. It was followed by a second round with standard propellant charge. The second bullet caused a build-up of pressure between the nose of the second bullet and the base of the obstructing bullet in the barrel. This caused the slight bulge in the barrel which could be detected by a finger touch.
Bardwell had no doubt that when the offender had test fired the rifle in the air, the round of ammunition had been faulty, and the bullet failed to exit from the barrel. When he fired at the victim, both bullets left the barrel.
On 28 May 1959, the offender was sent to prison for five years with hard labour.
Names of the victim and offender have been omitted from this account with respect. Many of Australia’s indigenous people have a strong tradition of not speaking the name of the dead as the spirit may be disturbed or called back to this world.
This story was inspired by Les Bardwell’s story ‘That’s Incredible,’ from his anthology of works titled ‘No Stone Unturned.’ It was researched and rewritten by Museum Assistant Debra Austin using the best archival 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.
“FROM the VAULT – Million-in-one Shot” 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
Example of .22 calibre rifle Photo Courtesy of Australian War Memorial REL3249
Les Bardwell in retirement, Sunshine Coast (Photo by Stuart Cumming)
Flash of insight from past case
Many years later, a Darwin barrister rang Les Bardwell, now a prominent forensic science consultant, concerning an unusual shooting. A person had been shot, but there were three shallow wounds surrounding the fatal entrance wound. The local pathologist who had performed the post-mortem examination believed that these three minor wounds had been caused by muzzle blast, indicating a near-range discharge.
The .22 calibre rifle that had caused the fatal shot was in the possession of the Court. Bardwell was therefore shown photographs of the wounds sustained by the victim. He felt that it was an essential element of the investigation to establish the distance between the muzzle of the rifle and the victim.
After mulling over the case for the better part of a day, Bardwell must have experienced a flash of insight, an ‘aha’ moment, because his mind recalled an investigation from over twenty years previously when Detective Ivan Clark from Toowoomba approached him regarding a ‘million-in-one shot.’ A bullet had lodged in a .22 calibre rifle barrel, then the next shot from the rifle produced two holes, seemingly from one projectile.
Was this another ‘million-in-one shot?’
To prove this theory Bardwell said that he would have to inspect the exhibit rifle for confirmation. He flew to Darwin and subjected the rifle to the same tests that he’d conducted in the previous case. Firstly, he ran his fingers up the full length of the barrel and discovered a similar tell-tale bulge in the barrel of the rifle. He was satisfied that there had been an obstruction in the barrel that had impeded the bullet at the time of discharge.
Bardwell submitted his theory that the obstruction in the barrel was most likely portions of the hard nest of an insect such as a mud wasp. Such obstruction would have been responsible for the shallow wounds surrounding the fatal bullet entrance wound.
Absence of powder marks surrounding the fatal bullet entrance further supported his theory. With over 53 years’ experience – 36 years in police forensic science and then another 18 years in private practise, this was the first time that Les Bardwell had encountered such a phenomenon involving a mud wasp nest. Luckily, his previous experience with the bullet lodged in the barrel of the rifle in 1971 had set him off in the right direction to solve this incident.
Shortly after this case, the ‘field forensic scientist,’ as he preferred to be called, retired for good.
Mud Dauber Wasp nests can be found anywhere, but sometimes with deadly consequences.
This story was inspired by Les Bardwell’s story ‘Multiple Wound Mystery,’ from his anthology of works titled ‘No Stone Unturned.’ It was researched and rewritten by Museum Assistant Debra Austin using the best archival 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.
“FROM the VAULT – Million-in-one Shot – Part 2, A Flash of Insight” 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 1971, police waited for the coroner’s verdict on the controversial death of a Swedish national (name omitted). Did he die by his own hand, was he somehow assisted, or was he murdered?
Having sustained seven gunshot wounds to the heart, with two further bullets piercing the pericardium, the victim’s death by suicide seemed highly improbable, if not impossible to the officers who investigated the incident. The coroner ultimately decided in favour of findings by the government pathologist who performed the post-mortem.
He ruled the death as suicide.
The writer of this blog tables the following evidence collected by the chief forensic scientist, Detective Les Bardwell, and his team of investigators from Brisbane’s CIB. Their findings, together with opinions sought from renowned world experts, are offered for your deliberation.
Over fifty years later, do you agree with the coroner’s verdict. Was it suicide?
The evidence
Note: Imperial measurements have been maintained in the telling of this story.
On the morning of June 7, 1971, detectives from the Brisbane CIB were notified that the body of a male lay in a paddock at Chermside. They found the body of the victim lying on his stomach adjacent to the base of a tree. A .22 calibre Anschutz auto-loading rifle lay approximately 2 feet away from the right-hand side of the body. There was a piece of synthetic cord around the deceased’s right thigh.
After photographing the scene, the rifle was examined to determine if it was cocked and loaded. A live round was removed from the chamber of the rifle. It was then dusted for fingerprints by an expert. None were found on the rifle although a thumb print was found on a recovered empty beer bottle nearby. The rifle had a highly polished wooden stock and barrel, as per example below, which were conducive to the recovery of latent fingerprints.
Sample of craftsmanship used in the manufacture of the Anschutz .22 calibre rifle ca1970.
Police uncover the following findings:
Two .22 cartridge cases were located inside a tree stump.
Three discharged cartridge cases were found at the root of a tree at ground level.
A sixth near the body.
A seventh between the deceased and the base of the tree.
An eighth and a ninth cartridge were found in grass under the body.
A .22 calibre bullet was also embedded in the trunk of a live tree. The velocity of the bullet must have been nearly spent as it did not penetrate the tree and it was not distorted.
No persons in the vicinity heard any gun shots.
No suicide note was found on the body or in a small bag found adjacent to the body.
At the time there was no registration of shoulder arms in Queensland but inquiries from city and suburban gunsmiths failed to disclose any information of any value.
Examination of the body
All fired bullets removed from the body and the one found in the tree, as well as the nine discharged cartridges were examined under a comparison microscope. They were identified as having been fired from the rifle found near the body.
The length of synthetic cord around the deceased’s right thigh could not be accounted for by any of the persons involved with the investigations. A similar length of cord of the same make was found in the bag adjacent to the body.
Mechanical features of the rifle
The rifle, which was of high grade and beautifully finished, was manufactured by Anschutz of Germany. The .22 calibre auto-loading action rifle has a box cartridge magazine with a ten round capacity fitted on the underside of the breech. To load and cock the weapon when there are rounds of ammunition in the magazine, it is necessary to pull the cocking piece to the rear to allow a round of ammunition to be picked up from the magazine to enter the chamber of the rifle. This movement also cocks the rifle. The pressure on the trigger required to discharge the rifle was approximately four and a half pounds.
As the trigger is pulled, the firing pin impinges on the primer causing it to discharge. The projectile leaves the barrel and recoil causes the bolt of the rifle and its rearward movement to extract the discharged cartridge case from the chamber with the return forward movement, inserting a fresh round of ammunition from the top of the magazine while cocking the rifle ready for the next shot. The rifle is an autoloader and not an automatic so that in order to fire successive shots it is necessary to allow the trigger to return to the fire position, a distance of at least a quarter of an inch, and again to exert a trigger pressure of four and a half pounds.
It was suggested that the rifle may have fired as a fully automatic, as a result of a malfunction which can occasionally happen with a defective auto-loading rifle, however this can be ruled out for the following reasons:
In a fully automatic function, recoil forces the weapon to react in an upward arc of fire. The compact pattern of the seven shots which pierced the heart would rule out a malfunction in an automatic mode.
Detective Bardwell fired over 2000 rounds of ammunition from the rifle at the CIB’s test range on George Street. On no occasion did it malfunction.
At the time of the Coronial Inquest, 600 rounds had been fired.
Inspector Leslie Bardwell fires shots in the shooting test range on the top floor of the former Criminal Investigation Branch building in Makerston St, Brisbane, in the 1960s.
With two conflicting opinions being expressed – suicide or murder, Bardwell contacted several experts at his disposal, outlining the circumstances of the case. Here are their replies:
Hong Kong:
‘I have not been associated with any case of suicide which could have accounted for the injuries involved in this particular case.’
Metropolitan Police Forensic Science Laboratory:
‘I have no personal experience of a suicide where more than one bullet has passed through the heart although I have encountered suicides or attempted suicides where two missiles have entered the body. I make no personal comment but would add that the pathologist I have discussed it with do not think it would be possible.’
Home office Science Laboratory:
‘Although I have encountered suicidal shootings involving two or more shots, I do not recollect any where more than one bullet penetrated the heart. I consider it highly improbable that the nine bullet wounds would be self-inflicted.’
Prefecture de Police, Paris:
‘It probably concerns an Anschutz carbine semi-automatic equipped with a charge of 10 cartridges. The numerous attempts of allowing to leave out an incident of a mechanical nature as that of a malfunctional one separately carrying out, by a single pressure on the trigger a continuous fire (like that of a machine gun). This incident is very rare and even more rare in firearms of good quality. We don’t know of a case (and in our opinion it doesn’t appear possible), that a man drew to successfully shoot (that is to say that while pressing the trigger for each shot), nine bullets of which seven went into the heart, while shooting them from a .22 calibre rifle.’
West German Wiesbaden:
‘I advise you that a suicide case of the described kind with a .22 calibre Anschutz auto-loading rifle, with 9 bullet holes, has never come to the notice of this office. Since the functioning of the rifle has been tested by the enquiring Police Department and also numerous shots have been fired by the latter for test reasons, a suicide, in particular with a long arm (rifle), seems to be unimaginable.’
Conclusions:
All five State ballistic officers replied that they had no previous record of a shooting where more than one shot through the heart was involved. The consensus was that the wounds could not have been self-inflicted.
What is your opinion?
The Queensland legal fraternity coined a new word when discussing this case… ‘murdercide.’
What is your opinion?
This story was inspired by Les Bardwell’s story ‘Murder or Suicide,’ from his anthology of works titled ‘No Stone Unturned.’ It was researched and rewritten by Museum Assistant Debra Austin using the best archival 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.
“FROM the VAULT – Murdercide in 1971” 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
