A baton or a truncheon has been one of the standard issue police accoutrements across a variety of police forces over nearly 200 years. Rules and Regulations for the Guidance of the Queensland Police Force, from 1869 indicates the baton is the weapon to which the constable should have recourse, but ‘the use of this should be avoided as much as possible, as good temper, with determination, will generally effect more than the use of violent measures.’[1] In 1876, it is listed as a standard issue equipment.
Manual of Police Regulations for the Guidance of the Constabulary of Queensland, 1876, p. 4.
The Queensland Police Museum (QPM), initially established in 27 November 1893 for the purpose of educating the police, now collects objects and photographs related to the history of the Queensland Police. The personnel files from the early 1900s, reflect the importance of the space for education of the newly sworn constables by specifying if a man completed the entry requirements and visited the Police Museum. Today, the Museum is a public space and has an extensive collection which traces Queensland Police history and contains 54 batons in its holdings. These date from the late 1800s to mid-20th century, and include standard issue, self-made and decorative versions. A few of them were used in historically significant events such as the 1886 Belfast riots and Brisbane 1912 General Strike.
Police Batons, Queensland Police Museum Collection
The baton once belonging to ‘J Graham’ of the Royal Irish Constabulary was donated to the QPM in 2005 by a family of police officer who was given the ‘spare’ baton in 1941. Royston Frederick Jones was newly recruited, and the department had exhausted their stocks of regulation batons.
‘J Graham’ Belfast Police Baton (RIC), 1886, QPM Collection
Belfast has a long history of processions and gatherings turning violent, suddenly and quickly. In fact, the 1864 riots led to disbandment of the city police force, commonly known as ‘the Bulkies’ for partisanship and inability to contain rioting. The Irish Constabulary took over the jurisdiction in 1865, resulting in police presence increase from 165 men to 450.[2] Despite this significant increase, Belfast police regularly turned to the military for support. In 1886, the city was overwhelmed by three waves of violent rioting, in June, July and August. Each wave had a sectarian trigger: in June it was three men arguing at the docks over Home Rule bill and Irish political independence; in July the Protestant Orange parade set off the second wave; and in August, Catholics attacked a Sunday school excursion while Protestants attacked a Catholic outing. Mid-August was usually charged due to the traditional Lady’s Day Catholic celebrations.
‘No other riot in nineteenth-century Belfast had a higher death toll.’[3]
The journalist Frankfort Moore, writing in 1914 about events he witnessed in the late nineteenth century, described the Belfast riots of 1886 as being ‘closely akin to actual warfare’.[4]
‘Waiting for the Islandmen, Belfast Riots 1886.’ National Museums Norther Ireland, BELUM.Y6918
The riots cost 32 lives and nearly £1M in damages. There were 371 policemen injured as well as countless numbers of civilians. In the mid-1880s, the regular Belfast police contingent stood around 570, an additional 400 men were brought in from the southern counties. Overall, about a third of these men were armed with batons and the rest with rifles. Although we know around 300-350 policemen carried batons during these riots, we have not been able to identify ‘J Graham’, whose baton the QPM now holds, and what role he played in the riots. How did the baton end up at the Police Academy in Oxley in the 1940s? This and other provenance questions remain unanswered.
Queensland Police Baton (silky oak) dating between 1890-1930. This baton was used in Brisbane 1912 General Strike. QP78, QPM Collection
[1] Rules and Regulations for the Guidance of the Queensland Police Force, 1869, p. 47.
[2] Mark Radford (2007), ‘Cobbles and Confetti: Public Order Policing in Late Victorian Belfast’, Irish Studies Review, Vol 15, No 2, p. 199.
[3] Ibid., 206.
[4] ‘Closely Akin to Actual Warfare’, History Ireland Issue 4 (Winter 1999) Vol 7
The article was researched and written by Dr Anastasia Dukova. The Queensland Police Museum is currently closed due to COVID19, with staff working remotely by email and phone. When reopened, hours of operation will be 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month. QPM is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.
Contact by email: museum@police.qld.gov.au
‘FROM the VAULT – ‘Police Accoutrements: Baton, or Truncheon’ 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