At about 8.45am on 9 October 1967 a postman delivered a small parcel to 29 Earl Street, Petrie Terrace. Mrs Tracey Phillips aged 22, wife of Bill Phillips, tattoo artist, took the package from the mailbox to her bedroom and opened it in the presence of her husband and young son. Inside the parcel she found a wooden box with an inlaid lid. When she lifted the lid of the box it exploded causing serious injury to her chest, face and hands. Mrs Phillips had both her hands amputated and was blinded in one eye as a result of the explosion. Her husband and son were also injured.
Mr and Mrs Phillips bedroom after the explosion.
Image courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.
The explosion also caused considerable damage to the bedroom furniture. Small fragments of wood and pieces of explosives imbedded themselves into the walls, furniture and into the bodies of both Mr and Mrs Phillips. A report by Constable 1/c Neil Raward from the Technical Section read;
Proceeded to 29 Earl St., the front bedroom of the house was covered in dust which apparently came from the ceiling after the explosion, the boards in the walls and ceiling had been damaged and nails supporting them had been pushed through due to explosive effect. The boards were pitted with small pieces of timber which were apparently part of the box in which the bomb was contained. The bed clothing and mattress on the bed had been shredded by the blast. Took possession of these articles. The windows in the bedroom and hall were shattered and the tattoo room next to the bedroom had been littered with debris. On arriving there was a distinct odour of exploded gelignite. The doors of the cupboards beside the bed had fallen across the bed.
A detailed examination of the debris in the rooms was made. Fragments of a 9 volt Exide Transistor battery were found, as was a portion of an electric detonator and yellow insulated lead wires. Recovered numerous fragments of soft timber which were embedded in the walls and ceiling and also which were on the floor. Some of this timber was inlayed. Blood and hair was adhering to the walls behind and beside the bed. Received bottle containing piece of metal from Detective Sergeant Sid Atkinson, which was removed from face of PHILLIPS. Also received pieces of timber and glass which were removed from PHILLIPS and his wife.
Detectives arrive at the Petrie Terrace property to examine the crime scene. The sign reads ‘Bill Phillips Tattooist, Engraving & Ear-piercing’.
Image courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.
Police investigators spent a considerable amount of time researching the type of box and explosive used but despite a long and thorough investigation, this crime still remains unsolved after 50 years.
Precis of Action Taken or to be Taken (yellow), including names of the victim and investigating officer, the Telex message received from Chief of Police, Melbourne, in the Police Communications Centre, Brisbane (pink), and the typed report from the Technical Section (white).
Documents courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.
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This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available at the time of writing. The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Contact: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au
“FROM the VAULT- Petrie Terrace Parcel Bomb 1967” 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