This is an incomplete list of the British colonial forces of Australia that took part in the Battle of the Eureka Stockade and others that were present during the 1851-1854 Eureka Rebellion. As the status indicates in most cases, it is hard to be certain about which soldiers and police troopers were actually involved in besieging the Eureka Stockade or were held at the government camp in reserve. The fighting at Ballarat in Victoria, Australia on 3 December 1854 was the culmination of the gold miner's anti-mining tax movement during the Victorian gold rush. There were at least 27 deaths and many injuries, the majority of casualties being rebels. The miners had various grievances, chiefly the cost of mining permits and the officious way the system was enforced. There was an armed uprising in Ballarat where tensions were brought to a head following the death of miner James Scobie. On 30 November 1854, the Eureka Flag was raised during a paramilitary display on Bakery Hill that resulted in the formation of rebel companies and the construction of a crude battlement on the Eureka lead.
An exhibit in the 1855 Victorian high treason trials being a plan of the Eureka Stockade
Following the oath swearing and Eureka Flag raising ceremony on Bakery Hill, about 1,000 rebels marched in double file to the Eureka lead, where the Eureka Stockade was constructed over the next few days. [1][2] It consisted of pit props held together as spikes by rope and overturned horse carts. Raffaello Carboni described it in his 1855 memoirs as being "higgledy piggledy".[3] It encompassed an area said to be one acre; however, that is difficult to reconcile with other estimates that have the dimensions of the stockade as being around 100 feet (30m) x 200 feet (61m).[4] Contemporaneous representations vary and render the stockade as either rectangular or semi-circular.[5] Testimony was heard at the high treason trials for the Eureka rebels that the stockade was four to seven feet high in places and was unable to be negotiated on horseback without being reduced.[6][note 1]
Lieutenant governor Charles Hotham feared that the goldfield's terrain would greatly favour the rebel snipers. Ballarat gold commissioner Robert Rede would instead order an early morning surprise attack on the rebel camp.[9] Carboni details the rebel dispositions along:
The shepherds' holes inside the lower part of the stockade had been turned into rifle-pits, and were now occupied by Californians of the I.C. Rangers' Brigade, some twenty or thirty in all, who had kept watch at the 'outposts' during the night.[10]
The location of the stockade has been described by Eureka veteran John Lynch as "appalling from a defensive point of view" as it was situated on "a gentle slope, which exposed a sizeable portion of its interior to fire from nearby high ground".[11][note 2]
In the early hours of 1 December 1854, the rebels were observed to be massing on Bakery Hill, but a government raiding party found the area vacated. The riot act was read to a mob that had gathered around Bath's Hotel, with mounted police breaking up the unlawful assembly. A three-man miner's delegation met with Rede to present a peace proposal; however, Rede was suspicious of the chartist undercurrent of the anti-mining tax movement and rejected the proposals as being the way forward.[15]
The rebels sent out scouts and established picket lines in order to have advance warning of Rede's movements and a request for reinforcements to the other mining settlements.[16] The "moral force" faction had withdrawn from the protest movement as the men of violence moved into the ascendancy. The rebels continued to fortify their position as 300-400 men arrived from Creswick's Creek, and Carboni recalls they were: "dirty and ragged, and proved the greatest nuisance. One of them, Michael Tuohy, behaved valiantly".[17] Once foraging parties were organised, there was a rebel garrison of around 200 men. Amid the Saturday night revelry, low munitions, and major desertions, Lalor ordered that any man attempting to leave the stockade be shot.[18]
Eureka Slaughter by Charles Doudiet (1854)A map of the stockade and the opposing forces
Rede planned to send the combined military police formation of 276 men under the command of Captain John Thomas to attack the Eureka Stockade when the rebel garrison was observed to be at a low watermark. The police and military had the element of surprise timing their assault on the stockade for dawn on Sunday, the Christian Sabbath day of rest. The soldiers and police marched off in silence at around 3:30 am Sunday morning after the troopers had drunk the traditional tot of rum.[19] The British commander used bugle calls to coordinate his forces. The 40th regiment was to provide covering fire from one end, with mounted police covering the flanks. Enemy contact began at approximately 150 yards as the two columns of regular infantry and the contingent of foot police moved into position.[20]
According to military historian Gregory Blake, the fighting in Ballarat on 3 December 1854 was not one-sided and full of indiscriminate murder by the colonial forces. In his memoirs, one of Lalor's captains, John Lynch, mentions "some sharp shooting".[21] For at least 10 minutes, the rebels offered stiff resistance, with ranged fire coming from the Eureka Stockade garrison such that Thomas's best formation, the 40th regiment, wavered and had to be rallied. Blake says this is "stark evidence of the effectiveness of the defender's fire".[22]
The rebels eventually ran short of ammunition, and the government forces resumed their advance. The Victorian police contingent led the way over the top as the forlorn hope in a bayonet charge.[20][23] Carboni says it was the pikemen who stood their ground that suffered the heaviest casualties,[23] with Lalor ordering the musketeers to take refuge in the mine holes and crying out, "Pikemen, advance! Now for God's sake do your duty".[24] There were twenty to thirty Californians at the stockade during the battle. After the rebel garrison had already begun to flee and all hope was lost, a number of them gamely joined in the final melee bearing their trademark Colt revolvers.[25]
The strength of the various units in the government camp was: 40th regiment (infantry): 87 men; 40th regiment (mounted): 30 men; 12th regiment (infantry): 65 men; mounted police: 70 men; and the foot police: 24 men.[26] By the beginning of December, the police contingent at Ballarat had been surpassed by the number of soldiers from the 12th and 40th regiments.[20][27]
The 12th regiment traces its lineage back to the Duke of Norfolk's Regiment of Foot in 1685. In 1686, it became the Earl of Lichfield's Regiment of Foot. There was a reorganisation in 1751 following the War of the Austrian Succession, where it became the 12th Foot. The regiment took part in the Battle of Minden, where an allied army of British, Hanoverian, Hessian, and Prussians under Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick defeated the French commander Marshal Contades. This engagement took place in what became known as the "year of victories" and is commemorated in the regiment's battle honour. The regimental arms commemorate the defence of Gibraltar in 1779-1783. In 1782, it became the 12th (East Suffolk) Regiment. During the British conquest of Mysore in southern India, they were in action at the Battle of Seringapatam. Shortly before the Eureka Rebellion, the regiment was deployed to South Africa in the Kaffir War of 1851-1852. Other units within the regiment had served in Ireland.[28]
During the Eureka Rebellion, there was a skirmish involving the 12th Regiment and a mob of rebellious miners. Foot police reinforcements had already reached the Ballarat government outpost on 19 October 1854. A further detachment of the 40th (2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot arrived a few days behind. On 28 November, the 12th Regiment arrived to reinforce the local government camp. As they moved near where the rebels ultimately made their last stand, there was a clash, where a drummer boy, John Egan and several other members of the convoy were attacked by a mob looking to loot the wagons.[29]
Tradition variously had it that Egan either was killed there and then or was the first casualty of the fighting on the day of the battle. However, his grave in Old Ballarat Cemetery was removed in 2001 after research carried out by Dorothy Wickham showed that Egan had survived and died in Sydney in 1860.[30]
Adair was shot through the hand in the battle. Listed as "severely wounded" in the report of Colonel Edward Macarthur published in the Sydney Morning Herald, 19 December 1854 edition.
Alderton was a sergeant in the 12th regiment at the Eureka Stockade. He was the informant for the death certificates of Privates Felix Boyle, Michael Roney, Joseph (or John) Wall, and William Webb.
Arden was an assistant surgeon with the 12th regiment at Ballarat in 1854. In March 1885, he testified in the compensation case of Benden S Hassell, who was shot in the leg during the skirmish between a mob of rebellious miners and the 12th regiment on 28 November 1854. Arden examined drummer boy John Egan, who was erroneously thought to have died in the incident.
Atkinson was a lieutenant with the 12th regiment at Ballarat in 1854. On the day of the battle, he was assigned to guard the government camp in case the rebels attacked. Atkinson arrived in Victoria aboard the Empress Eugenie on 3 November 1854. He does not appear on the army lists of 1854 or 1856 or at any time before 1881. Atkinson was probably attached to the 12th regiment from another, possibly colonial unit.
Boyle was a private with the 12th regiment at the Eureka Stockade. He was hit in the nose and mouth by a musket ball that also shattered his jaw. Due to complications from his injuries, Boyle died on 10 January 1855. He was buried the next day in the soldier's enclosure at the Ballarat old cemetery. Boyle drive in the cemetery is named after him.
Bradley was a private with the 12th regiment at Ballarat in 1854. He may have been the private Thomas Bradley (or Brodley) who testified against William Molloy at the committal hearings.
Bryan was a private with the 12th regiment at Ballarat in 1854. He was dispatched to Ballarat during the third muster. According to the regimental pay lists, Bryan spent a day in the military hospital after the battle.
Butwell was with the 12th regiment at the Eureka Stockade. He received a very serious compound fracture to his arm. Butwell was in Ballarat during the third muster. According to the regimental pay lists, he was hospitalised for 87 days.
Chamberlain was a private with the 12th regiment at Ballarat in 1854. He was present during the third muster. According to the regimental pay list, Chamberlain spent two days in the military hospital after the battle.
Christie was a private with the 12th regiment at Ballarat in 1854. He was present during the third muster. According to the regimental pay list, Christie spent two days in the military hospital after the battle.
His obituary published in the Launceston Examiner, 30 March 1915 edition, mentioned that he was at the Eureka Stockade. Cole had joined the same regiment as his father in Hobart as a 12-year-old drummer boy. He died at age 70 in West Devonport, and it was reported that the cortege was one of the biggest ever in the town's history. The coffin was draped with the Union Jack and an Orange banner, and there were flowers and wreaths from the Devonport council, the Loyal Devon Orange Lodge, Saint George's Society, and the Presbyterian Sunday school. The graveside service was performed by the Reverend. D. S. Jones, and in the cortege were Lieutenants Loane and Dransfield, representing the armed forces.
Cross was a private with the 12th regiment in 1854. His military papers held at the Battye Library in Perth indicate that he was in the region of Ballarat at the time of the armed uprising.
Crude was a private with the 12th regiment at Ballarat in 1854. According to the regimental pay lists, he spent nine days in the military hospital after the battle. Crude was later posted to Castlemaine.
Culpeck was a private with the 12th regiment at Ballarat in 1854. He was present in Ballarat during the third muster. May have been the same Thomas Culpeck who married Mary Purtill in 1857 in Tasmania.
Daley was a private with the 12th regiment at Ballarat in 1854. He arrived in Melbourne on the Camperdown on 18 October 1854. The regiment began the march to Ballarat three days later.
Davidson was a private with the 12th regiment at Ballarat in 1854. He was charged with a misdemeanour on 23 January 1855 and subsequently spent 29 days confined in the guard room.
Donohue was a private with the 12th regiment at Ballarat in 1854. On 1 February 1855, he was confined in the guard room for 46 days for a misdemeanour.
Doward was a private with the 12th regiment at Ballarat in 1854. He later served in New Zealand from 1860 until he received a discharge on 7 September 1864.
Egan was a drummer with the 12th regiment at Ballarat in 1854. He received a wound to his leg on 28 November 1854 in the skirmish between the 12th regiment and a mob of rebellious miners looking to loot the wagons. Tradition variously had it that Egan either was killed there and then or was the first casualty of the fighting on the day of the battle. However, his grave in Old Ballarat Cemetery was removed in 2001 after research carried out by Dorothy Wickham showed that Egan had survived and died in Sydney in 1860.
Fennelly was a private with the 12th regiment at Ballarat in 1854. He was present in Ballarat during the third muster. According to the regimental pay lists, Fennelly spent eight days in the military hospital after the battle.
Ferguson was a private with the 12th regiment at Ballarat in 1854. He was present in Ballarat during the third muster. According to the regimental pay lists, Fennelly spent six days in the military hospital after the battle.
Finness was a private with the 12th regiment at Ballarat in 1854. He was present in Ballarat during the third muster. According to the regimental pay lists, Finess spent seven days in the military hospital after the battle.
Forsyth was a private with the 12th regiment at Ballarat in 1854. On 24 January 1855, he was held in the guard room from 24 January to 15 February 1855 for a misdemeanour.
Gaffeney was a private with the 12th regiment at Ballarat in 1854. He was present in Ballarat during the third muster. According to the regimental pay lists, he spent twenty-two days in the military hospital after the battle.
Gardiner was a private with the 12th regiment at Ballarat in 1854. He was present in Ballarat during the third muster. According to the regimental pay lists, he spent thirty days in the military hospital after the battle.
Hall was a lieutenant with the 12th regiment at the Eureka Stockade. He probably sustained a gunshot wound in the advance on the stockade and died on 31 December 1854.
Hare was a private with the 12th regiment at Ballarat in 1854. He was confined in the guard room from 22 December 1854 to 4 March 1855 for a misdemeanour.
Hogan was a private with the 12th regiment at Ballarat in 1854. He was present in Ballarat during the third muster. According to the regimental pay lists, Hogan spent twenty-seven days in the military hospital after the battle.
Kempt was a private with the 12th regiment in 1854. He was probably in Melbourne at the time of the battle. Kempt was involved in sending a detachment of soldiers to Ballarat in November 1854.
Lackey was a private with the 12th regiment at Ballarat in 1854. He was present in Ballarat during the third muster. According to the regimental pay lists, Lackey spent six days in the military hospital after the battle.
The 40th regiment arrives in Ballarat from Melbourne
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The 40th regiment traces its lineage back to 1717 at which time it was the Phillip's Regiment of Foot. It became the 40th Foot in 1782, and then in 1751, it was renamed the 40th (2nd Somersetshire) Foot. Its first battle honour was the capture along with other units of Montevideo, now the capital of Uraguay. During the war in Peninsular War, the regiment saw action at Roleia, Vimera, Talavera, Badajoz, Salamanca, and Vittoria. During the invasion of Napoleonic France, further honours were won at the Pyrenees, Nivelle, Orthes, and Toulouse. Later, the regiment saw action at the Battle of Waterloo. During the First Afghan War, the regiment was at Candahar, Ghuznee, and Cabool in 1842, and then at Maharajapore, India.[135]
The 40th regiment arrived in Victoria from England in October 1852 at the request of Lieutenant Governor Charles LaTrobe.
After the Eureka Rebellion, some members of the 40th regiment were posted to New Zealand. In 1881, it was amalgamated with the 82nd (The Prince of Wales's Volunteers) to form The South Lancashire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's Volunteers). During the First World War, the regiment saw action on the Western Front and in Gallipoli and Mesopotamia before being posted to Afghanistan in 1919. During the Second World War, it took part in the Battle of France in 1940. The regiment was then sent to the Far East for the Burma campaign and then participated in the Normandy D-Day landings in 1944. In 1958, it combined with The East Lancashire Regiment to form The Lancashire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's Volunteers). It amalgamated with The Loyal Regiment to become The Queen's Lancashire Regiment in 1970.[135]
Warren was a captain with the 40th regiment who was at the Eureka Stockade. He was part of the military convoy that arrived in Ballarat on 28 November 1854. It is said that during the battle, White cornered a rebel miner within the stockade.
Hammond may have been at the Eureka Stockade serving with the 40th regiment. He is not listed as having ever been posted to Ballarat. However, Hammond is mentioned as having died on the return trip to Melbourne after the battle.
Hynes was a private who was at the Eureka Stockade. He was the first cousin of John and Thomas Hynes brothers, the former having died during the battle. There are records that after the colonial forces returned to the government camp and were confined, one of the soldiers, almost certainly Hynes, asked for leave to attend the funeral of a relative who was among the fallen miners.
The Eureka Flag fragments donated by the family of Constable John King to the Art Gallery of BallaratEureka Stockade Riot by J.B. Henderson (1854)
Following the separation of Victoria from New South Wales on 1 July 1851, there was a need for the Victorian authorities to raise a police force. Initially, there were seven jurisdictions and departments: Melbourne and County of Bourke, the city of Geelong, the goldfields settlements, the marine police, the mounted police, and the regional bench constabulary. The Victorian police, as it is known today, was officially formed on 8th January 1853. In the 1850s, the police were an armed paramilitary gendarmerie where troopers and police were garrisoned at central locations, and there was no interaction with the civilian population. In Ballarat where there was a police camp at Golden later moved to Camp Street in mid 1852. Many serving police officers resigned and headed for the goldfields, with the Melbourne and County of Bourke commands falling from 139 men to 78.[141] To cope with the expansion of the mining industry, the Victorian government raised police wages 3d from 5/9 to 6/- per day and resorted to recruiting at least 130 former convicts from Tasmania who were prone to brutal means.[141] They would get a fifty per cent commission from all fines imposed on unlicensed miners and sly grog sellers. Plainclothes officers enforced prohibition, and those involved in the illegal sale of alcohol were initially handed 50-pound fines. There was no profit for police from subsequent offences, that were instead punishable by months of hard labour. This led to the corrupt practice of police demanding blackmail of 5 pounds from repeat offenders.[142][143][144] By January 1853, there were 230 mounted police throughout Victoria. By 1855, the number had risen to 485, including nine mounted detectives.[145] Most police officers lived in tents, and prior to the construction of a wooden lock-up, the prisoners would be chained to a large gum tree with an image being made by James Meek. When John Sadleir arrived on 6 January 1853, the tree had been cut down, and the prisoners were still chained to the tree where it fell.
There were no known casualties among the Victorian police contingent, who spearheaded the attack on the stockade. George Webster, the chief assistant civil commissary and magistrate, testified in the 1855 Victorian High Treason trials that upon entering the stockade, the besieging forces "immediately made towards the flag, and the police pulled down the flag".[146] John King testified, "I took their flag, the southern cross, down – the same flag as now produced."[147] In his report dated 14 December 1854, Captain John Thomas mentioned "the fact of the Flag belonging to the Insurgents (which had been nailed to the flagstaff) being captured by Constable King of the Force".[148] King had volunteered for the honour while the battle was still raging.[149] W. Bourke, a miner residing about 250 yards from the stockade, recalled that: "The police negotiated the wall of the Stockade on the south-west, and I then saw a policeman climb the flag pole. When up about 12 or 14 feet the pole broke, and he came down with a run".[150]
Foot police
Name
Rank
Birth year
Birthplace
Status
Legacy and notes
Ref(s)
Thomas Atkins
CON
unknown
unknown
survivor
Atkins was with the foot police at the Eureka Stockade
His obituaries published in the Hobart Mercury (5 May 1898) and the Goulburn Evening Penny Post (5 May 1898) mention that he was a police orderly at the Eureka Stockade.
Costello was a constable at Ballarat during the rebellion. Along with William Scharlach and John Dougherty, he was present when James Bentley was first interviewed by the police. Costello also gave evidence at the subsequent inquest into the death of James Scobie. He was questioned about a private meeting between Bentley and magistrate John D'Ewes during the former's trial.
Evans was an inspector of police at Ballarat during the Eureka Rebellion. He was present at the public meeting on 17 October 1854. When called as a witness to the board of inquiry into the burning of Bentley's Hotel, Evans felt that the riot act should have been read. However, he was also worried that using force might only worsen the situation by using force and lead to loss of life. He testified that Henry Westoby helped to set fire to the Eureka Hotel and then again at the 1855 Victorian high treason trials.
Crowther was a police sergeant who was present when the Eureka Hotel was burned. He testified that he saw Andrew McIntyre enter the bowling alley belonging to John Emery and tear down wallpaper that was used by the arsonists to kindle the fire.
Evans was appointed police inspector of Ballarat In February 1854. He was there to take the wounded Henry Powell's statement at the Albion Hotel after the battle.
King was a sergeant with the foot police at the Eureka Stockade. He was involved in apprehending Jacob Sorenson, who was later among the thirteen rebel prisoners put on trial for high treason.
King was with the foot police at the Eureka Stockade. He volunteered to capture the Eureka Flag while the battle was still raging. The flag pole when King was about 12 or 14 feet in the air.[150] He became a farmer after the high treason trials and exhibited the specimen at shows before his widow donated it to the Art Gallery of Ballarat for preservation in 1895.
Kossak was a police sub-inspector at the Eureka Stockade. He commanded the 70 Victorian police alongside Samuel Furnell, Thomas Langley, and Hussey Chomley.
McLister was a police sergeant at Ballarat in 1854. In 1858, he was a gold miner living in Geelong, the year his wife, Catherine Fenton of County Donegal, Ireland, died.
Milne was a sergeant major with the foot police at Ballarat in October and November 1854. He was suspected of accepting bribes from sly grog sellers on the goldfields. It was resolved at a meeting of the Ballarat Reform League that Milne be removed on the grounds that he had perjured himself before the board of enquiry into the burning of the Eureka Hotel and the death of James Scobie. He was the fourth witness to appear on 3 November 1854. A week later, Milne was recalled to clarify a few matters. Lieutenant Governor Charles Hotham dismissed him on 20 November 1854.
Moore was a sub-inspector of police at Ballarat in 1854. On 30 November 1854, Moore witnessed Chapman point a pistol at some troopers and gave orders that he be taken into custody.
Peters is referred to by Raffaello Carboni as a spy who was embedded in the Eureka Stockade garrison. He testified before the Ballarat bench against Carboni, who he said had been drilling the rebel volunteers. Peters positively identified John Joseph and Timothy Hayes at the committal hearings. He also stated that he saw John Manning drilling on 30 November and 1 December 1854.
Sadlier was a sub-inspector of police at Ballarat in 1854. In his 1898 memoirs, he recalls being at the police headquarters in Flinders Street, Melbourne, on the day of the battle. Sadlier recalls his concern as small crowds gathered nearby as news of the armed uprising reached the capital. He was involved in the hunt for the Kelly gang in 1878-1880. As a police superintendent, he was in command for part of the siege at Glenrowan, where Ned Kelly was captured.
Scharlach was a police constable at Ballarat in 1854. He was present along with Michael Costello at the initial police interrogation of James Bentley. Scharlach was questioned by the board of enquiry into the burning of the Eureka Hotel about Bentley having a private meeting with magistrate John D'Ewes during the former's trial.
Tulley was a police constable at Ballarat in 1854. He testified against Raffaello Carboni at the high treason trials. Tulley was also a witness in the inquest into the death of Mary Buchanan in 1854. He was a signatory to the Benden S Hassell compensation petition in 1855.
Viret was a police sergeant at the Eureka Stockade. He testified at the board of enquiry into the burning of the Eureka Hotel and the committal hearings in the high treason trials.
Ximenes was a sub-inspector with the police at the Eureka Stockade. He was present at the burning of the Eureka Hotel. He ordered some of his subordinates to hide inside the hotel and lent his horse to John Bentley so he could flee the scene. On 30 November 1854, Ximenes led the final provocative licence inspection four days before the fall of the Eureka Stockade. Inspector Henry Foster said it would be dangerous for Ximenes to be "seen alone on the diggings". John Sadleir wrote that Ximenes was also less than popular in the government camp. On one occasion, he went a few hundred yards from his tent, and when he returned, the sentry asked for the password, which Ximenes did not know. When the sentry persisted, Ximenes ran into his tent and drove his bayonet into a nearby tent pole behind him. Sadlier states, "it was all a bit of spite, but the police officer took good care in the future to learn the password.
Badcock was with the mounted police at the Eureka Stockade. Later gave evidence against James Beattie, Raffaello Carboni, and Phillips at the 1855 Victorian High Treason trials.
His obituary published in the Melbourne Herald, 3 April 1917 edition, mentions that he was a Canadian who was with the mounted police at the Eureka Stockade. When in the reminiscent mood, he would relate his many stirring memories of the Stockade". He was the brother of Sir George Downing of the British Royal Navy.
Gillman was a sergeant in the mounted police at the Eureka Stockade. He testified at Bryant's committal hearing that he took him prisoner after a struggle where Gillman sustained a wound to his head by a sword.
Graham testified at the committal hearings that he was a sergeant of the mounted police at Ballarat on 30 November 1854 when a crowd of miners began throwing stones at the police, and a miner named Chapman aimed a pistol at him that was later found to be loaded.
Langley was a senior sub-inspector of the mounted police at the Eureka Stockade. He was involved in the arrest of Timothy Hayes at 2:30 am on the day of the battle about 300 yards away from the stockade. He testified at the committal hearings of Hayes and John Joseph. Langley then appeared in the high treason trials, where Hayes was one of the defendants.
Lawler was a sergeant with the mounted police at the Eureka Stockade. He was present during the burning of Bentley's Hotel on 17 October 1854, later giving testimony implicating Henry Westoby. Lawler charged the flank of the stockade, and it is believed he shot and wounded Peter Lalor.
Lord was the trooper responsible for the arrest of Johannes Gregorius for not having a mining licence, even though, as the disabled servant of the Catholic priest Patrick Smyth, he was exempt from the requirement. This caused outrage among the Catholic population in the lead-up to the armed uprising.
Neville was with the mounted police at Ballarat in 1854. He testified that on 30 November 1854, he saw Chapman with a cocked pistol. Neville asked him to drop the pistol or be shot, and Champman complied.
Nolan was a sergeant with the mounted police at Ballarat in 1854. He was present during the burning of the Eureka Hotel, later giving evidence implicating Henry Westoby. In the lead-up to the battle, Nolan served as an undercover agent.
His obituary in the Hamilton Spectator mentions that O'Brien was at the Eureka Stockade. He was shot in the leg and probably served as a trooper with the mounted police.
Wright was a trooper in the mounted police at Ballarat in 1854. He was present at the burning of the Eureka Hotel and later testified against Albert Hurd.
Goodenough acted as a government spy agent during the Eureka Rebellion, attending many gatherings dressed in plain clothes and later appearing as a crown witness in the high treason trials.
His obituary published in the Brisbane Telegraph, 18 June 1894 edition, mentions that Wendon was with the police at Ballarat during the armed uprising.
↑ Peter Lalor himself said the wooden structure was never meant to be a fortress, saying "it was nothing more than an enclosure to keep our own men together, and was never erected with an eye to military defence".[7] However Peter FitzSimons says that Lalor may have downplayed the fact that the Eureka Stockade may have been intended as something of a fortress, at a time when "it was very much in his interests" to do so.[8]
↑ A detachment of 800 men, which included "two field pieces and two howitzers" under the commander in chief of the British forces in Australia, Major General Sir Robert Nickle, who had seen action during the 1798 Irish rebellion, arrived after the insurgency had been put down.[12][13] In 1860, Withers stated in a lecture that "The site was most injudicious for any purpose of defence as it was easily commanded from adjacent spots, and the ease with which the place could be taken was apparent to the most unprofessional eye".[14]
Related Research Articles
The Eureka Rebellion was a series of events involving gold miners who revolted against the British colonial government in Victoria, Australia during the Victorian gold rush. It culminated in the Battle of the Eureka Stockade, which took place on 3 December 1854 at Ballarat between the rebels and the colonial forces of Australia. The fighting left at least 27 dead and many injured, most of the casualties being rebels. There was a preceding period beginning in 1851 of peaceful demonstrations and civil disobedience on the Victorian goldfields. The miners, many of whom such as Raffaello Carboni came from Europe and were veterans of the Revolutions of 1848, had various grievances, chiefly the cost of mining permits and the officious way the system was enforced.
The Eureka Flag was flown at the Battle of the Eureka Stockade, which took place on 3 December 1854 at Ballarat in Victoria, Australia. It was the culmination of the 1851–1854 Eureka Rebellion on the Victorian goldfields. Gold miners protested the cost of mining permits, the officious way the colonial authorities enforced the system, and other grievances. An estimated crowd of over 10,000 demonstrators swore allegiance to the flag as a symbol of defiance at Bakery Hill on 29 November 1854. It was then flown over the Eureka Stockade during the battle that resulted in at least 27 deaths. Around 120 miners were arrested, and many others were badly wounded, including 5 soldiers.
John King (1830-1881) was a police constable at the Battle of the Eureka Stockade who was responsible for seizing the rebel war flag.
The Battle of the Eureka Stockade was fought in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia on 3 December 1854, between gold miners and the colonial forces of Australia. It was the culmination of the 1851–1854 Eureka Rebellion during the Victorian gold rush. The fighting resulted in at least 27 deaths and many injuries, the majority of casualties being rebels. The miners had various grievances, chiefly the cost of mining permits and the officious way the system was enforced.
Since 2012, various theories have emerged, based on the Argus account of the Battle of the Eureka Stockade and an affidavit sworn by Private Hugh King three days later as to a flag being seized from a prisoner detained at the stockade, concerning whether a Union Jack, known as the Eureka Jack was also flown by the rebel garrison. Readers of the Argus were told that:
The flag of the diggers, "The Southern Cross," as well as the "Union Jack," which they had to hoist underneath, were captured by the foot police.
The following bibliography includes notable sources concerning the Eureka Rebellion. This article is currently being expanded and revised.
The Eureka Rebellion, an 1854 gold miner's revolt in Victoria, Australia, has been the inspiration for numerous novels, poems, films, songs, plays and artworks. Much of Eureka folklore relies heavily on Raffaello Carboni's 1855 book, The Eureka Stockade, which is the first and only comprehensive eyewitness account of the uprising. The poet Henry Lawson wrote about Eureka, as have many novelists.
The following is a comprehensive timeline of the Eureka Rebellion.
The 1855 Victorian high treason trials took place between 22 February – 27 March in the aftermath of the Battle of the Eureka Stockade. The Goldfields Commission recommended a general amnesty for all on the runs from the fallen Eureka Stockade. Instead, thirteen of the rebels detained were eventually indicted for high treason. The juries all returned a verdict of not guilty by a jury, and the indictment against Thomas Dignum was withdrawn. On 23 January, the trial of Ballarat Times editor Henry Seekamp resulted in a finding of guilt for seditious libel, and a month later, he was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of six months. The trials have been described as farcical, and the colonial secretary would rebuke Governor Sir Charles Hotham over prosecuting the Eureka rebels for the lofty offence of high treason.
There were key people involved in the Eureka Rebellion who subscribed to the ideals of Chartism and saw the struggle on the Victorian goldfields as a continuation of the activism in Britain in the 1840s and "the centuries of heroic struggles in England which preceded the Australian Federation" such as the 1688 Glorious Revolution, that resulted in the enactment of the English Bill of Rights. From 1837 to 1848, 129,607 incomers to Australia arrived from the British mainland, with at least 80 "physical force" chartists sentenced to penal servitude in Van Diemens Land. Currey agrees that the population at the time would have been sufficiently politically awake such that: "it may be fairly assumed that the aims of the Anti-Corn-Law League and the Chartists were very familiar to many of the Victorian miners".
The Eureka Stockade was a crude battlement built in 1854 by rebel gold miners at Ballarat, Australia during the Eureka Rebellion. It stood from 30 November until the Battle of the Eureka Stockade on 3 December. The exact dimensions and location of the stockade are a matter of debate among scholars. There are various contemporary representations of the Eureka Stockade, including the 1855 Victorian high treason trials map and Eureka Slaughter by Charles Doudiet.
The Victorian gold rush led to an influx of foreign nationals, increasing the colony's population from 77,000 in 1851 to 198,496 in 1853. Many such as Raffaello Carboni had experienced the Revolutions of 1848. They supported the protest movement that formed on the goldfields in opposition to the mining tax system, ultimately leading to an armed uprising at Ballarat. It is currently known that the participants in the Battle of the Eureka Stockade on 3 December 1854 came from at least 23 different nations, including Australia, Canada, the United States of America, Jamaica, Mauritius, Russia, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, The Netherlands, Scotland, Ireland, England, Wales, Germany, France, Portugal and Spain. Carboni recalled that "We were of all nations and colours." During the 1855 Victorian high treason trials, the Argus court reporter observed that of "the first batch of prisoners brought up for examination, the four examined consisted of one Englishman, one Dane, one Italian, and one negro, and if that is not a foreign collection, we do not know what is." However, despite being present on the Ballarat gold fields, there is no record of any Chinese involvement at the Eureka Stockade. According to figures published by Professor Anne Beggs-Sunter, in her sample of 44 rebels, only one hailed from a non-European country.
During the Battle of the Eureka Stockade, there was a dog that remained at the side of one of the pikemen and even followed his dead body to the cemetery. Christopher Crook, who was a correspondent for the Geelong Advertiser, is quoted in Wiliam Wither's A History of Ballarat as saying:
A little terrier sat on the breast of the man I spoke of, and kept a continuous howl; it was removed, but always returned to the same spot, and when the miner's body was huddled, with the other corpses, into the cart, the little dog jumped in after him, and lying on his dead master's breast, began howling again.
The vexillological aspects of the Eureka Rebellion include the Eureka Flag and others used in protest on the goldfields and those of the British Army units at the Battle of the Eureka Stockade. The disputed first report of the attack on the Eureka Stockade also refers to a Union Jack, known as the Eureka Jack, being flown during the battle that was captured, along with the Eureka Flag, by the foot police.
The Victorian colonial police force of the 1850s operated as an armed paramilitary gendarmerie where troopers and police were garrisoned at central locations, such as the government camp in Ballarat, and there was no interaction with the civilian population. To cope with the expansion of the mining industry, the Victorian government resorted to recruiting at least 130 former convicts from Tasmania who were prone to brutal means. They would get a fifty per cent commission from all fines imposed on unlicensed miners and sly grog sellers. Plainclothes officers enforced prohibition, and those involved in the illegal sale of alcohol were initially handed 50-pound fines. There was no profit for police from subsequent offences, that were instead punishable by months of hard labour. This led to the corrupt practice of police demanding blackmail of 5 pounds from repeat offenders. By January 1853, there were 230 mounted police throughout Victoria. By 1855, the number had risen to 485, including nine mounted detectives.
Harvey, Jack (1994). Eureka Rediscovered: In search of the site of the historic stockade. Ballarat: University of Ballarat. ISBN978-0-90-802664-7.
Historical Studies: Eureka Supplement (2nded.). Melbourne: Melbourne University Press. 1965.
Lynch, John (1940). Story of the Eureka Stockade: Epic Days of the Early Fifties at Ballarat (Reprinted.). Melbourne: Australian Catholic Truth Society.
MacFarlane, Ian (1995). Eureka from the Official Records. Melbourne: Public Record Office Victoria. ISBN978-0-73-066011-8.
Three Despatches From Sir Charles Hotham. Melbourne: Public Record Office. 1981.
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