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.
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.’
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.
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.
Contact: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au
“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