John McDonald was born in 1836 in Nairn, Scotland. Within a year of joining the Queensland Police Force in 1861, McDonald was transferred to the Water Police. As was customary for recruits with a previous military record, McDonald quickly progressed to the rank of Inspector. Prior to migrating to Queensland, McDonald served 10 years in the British Army with the notable 93rd Sutherland Highlanders brigade, which played a key role in the battle of Balaclava (September, 1854) during the Crimean War (October 1853-February 1856).
In mid-September 1854 the allied British and French forces with a small Turkish contingent, landed on the Western Crimean coast 30 miles (50 km) north of Sevastopol with the aim of capturing the neighbouring Russian Black Sea naval base. At the time Lieutenant General the Earl of Raglan was in command of the British Army with Sir Colin Campbell in charge of the 93rd Highlanders. General Saint-Arnaud commanded the French Army, while Prince Menshikov commanded the Russian Army with General Liprandi leading the Balaklava assault.
‘The Thin Red Line by Robert Gibb (1881) displayed in the Scottish National War Museum, Edinburgh Castle.
As the Russian forces began their approach, the Highlanders formed a line across the Russian imperial cavalry’s path of advance. The 93rd fired one volley at extreme range and the Russian cavalry withdrew. The Times war corresponded, William H. Russell, reported that he could see nothing between the charging Russians and the British regiment’s base of operations at Balaklava but the ‘thin red streak tipped with a line of steel’ of the 93rd (The Times 14 November, 1854 p. 7).
John McDonald was awarded a Crimea medal with bars ‘Alma’, ‘Balaklava’, ‘Inkermann’ and ‘Sebastopol’ and a Turkish Crimea medal for his service.
McDonald continued his heroic endeavours in the service of the Queensland Police. On 8 April 1863, the ‘Queen of Colonies’, a fine Aberdeen built clipper of 1346 tonne belonging to the Black Ball Line, arrived in Moreton Bay. She left London on Christmas Eve day 1862, with 450 passengers and emigrants on board. During the passage there were 10 deaths, as Mrs Barnsfield died while just within sight of the land it was decided to bury her on Moreton Island. Captain Robert Cairncross sent a 14 men party ashore. Having performed the burial ceremony the party embarked on their journey back to the ship. A heavy squall from the west soon after swept down the coast and struck the boat. After 18 hours the men eventually ran their craft ashore on a sandy beach close by Great Caloundra Heads. They survived on limpets and shellfish, which covered the rocks at the base of Caloundra Heads. Several days later, in a desperate attempt to escape, the men tried to launch the boat into the water but while trying to get through the breakers the boat capsized. To add to their grief Mr. Barnsfield, who has been conspicuous in his exertions to launch the boat, was seized and devoured by two sharks.
The original Pandanus tree trunk on which the name of the ship was carved by the survivors, Newstead House, Brisbane.
It was another fortnight before the men who camped under a few bushes on Big Caloundra Head near a fresh water lake were finally rescued by Inspector John McDonald and his search party. McDonald was later presented with a £100 Government reward and a valuable tea and coffee service worth 100 guineas, by the agent and officers of the Black Ball Line.
In 1867 McDonald was promoted to Prison Superintendent of St Helena Prison Establishment, he retired from the Force in 1882, after 21 years of commendable service.
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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 Volunteer and Crime and Policing Historian Dr Anastasia Dukova.
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 – John McDonald’s Thin Red Line” 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.
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