Pikeman's dog

Last updated

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:

Contents

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. [1]

The pikeman may have been William Emmerman or Edward Thonen. Eurekapedia references an unpublished diary that refers to Emmermann as the owner of the Pikeman's dog, although Peter Lalor said it may have belonged to Thonen. [2] James Graham Smith's account suggests the dog belonged to Thonen, stating:

Police Constable Coulson, my shipmate, was expelling the faithful little dog and when I remonstrated with him for doing so he said, 'What do you think of your work, Smith?' .... I ... went into the hut where Thonen, the blacksmith, who made the pikes for the insurgents, lay dying with the late Dr Hobbson [sic] moistening the lips of the victim of a short sighted government. [1]

Awards and memorials

The Pikeman's dog was the fourth animal to be awarded the Purple Cross Award, named after the Purple Cross Society, founded by veterinarians during the First World War to care for horses. Administered by the RSPCA the award is to recognise animals that have overcome their natural fear and instincts for self-preservation to assist humans. There was a ceremony that took place at the Art Gallery of Ballarat on 30 November 1997 where Detective Sergeant Peter Lalor, great-great-grandson of Peter Lalor, accepted the award on behalf of the Eureka trust with the "King" fragments of the Eureka Flag as the background.

There is also a life-size bronze sculpture of the Pikeman's dog that was unveiled in the courtyard of the interpretative centre at Eureka Stockade Memorial Park on 5 December 1999 in a ceremony that was attended by the Victorian premier Steve Bracks, former prime minister Gough Whitlam, and the Irish ambassador Richard O'Brien. [1] [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eureka Rebellion</span> 1854 gold miners revolt in Victoria, Australia

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eureka Flag</span> Rebel war flag flown over the Eureka Stockade

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 five soldiers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Lalor</span> Australian politician

Peter Fintan Lalor was an Irish-Australian rebel and, later, politician who rose to fame for his leading role in the Eureka Rebellion, an event identified with the "birth of democracy" in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Basson Humffray</span> Australian politician

John Basson Humffray was a leading advocate in the movement of miner reform process in the British colony of Victoria, and later a member of parliament.

<i>Eureka Stockade</i> (1949 film) 1949 British Australian Western film by Harry Watt

Eureka Stockade is a 1949 British film of the story surrounding Irish-Australian rebel and politician Peter Lalor and the gold miners' rebellion of 1854 at the Eureka Stockade in Ballarat, Victoria, in the Australian Western genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballarat Reform League</span>

The Ballarat Reform League came into being in October 1853 and was officially constituted on 11 November 1854 at a mass meeting of miners in Ballarat, Victoria to protest against the Victorian government's mining policy and administration of the goldfields.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John King (police officer)</span>

John King (1830-1881) was a police constable at the Battle of the Eureka Stockade who was responsible for seizing the rebel war flag.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of the Eureka Stockade</span> 1854 military conflict in Victoria, Australia

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eureka Jack Mystery</span> Debate over flag arrangements at the Eureka Stockade

Since 2009, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Thonen</span> Miner involved in the Eureka Rebellion

Edward Thonen was a German emigrant to Australia, and one of the miners involved in the Eureka Rebellion in Ballarat, Victoria. He was captain of one of the miners' divisions. When soldiers stormed the Stockade on 3 December 1854 in the Battle of the Eureka Stockade, Thonen was one of the first to be killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eureka Rebellion in popular culture</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the Eureka Rebellion</span>

The following is a comprehensive timeline of the Eureka Rebellion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eureka Stockade Memorial Park</span> Site of the Battle of the Eureka Stockade

The Eureka Stockade Memorial Park is believed to encompass the site of the Battle of the Eureka Stockade that was fought in Ballarat, Victoria on 3 December 1854. Records of "Eureka Day" ceremonies at the site of the battle go back to 1855. In addition to the Eureka Stockade Monument, there are other points of interest in the reserve, including the Eureka Stockade Gardens and an interpretative centre. There was formerly a swimming pool and other structures. There has been a nearby caravan park since the 1950s. The present Eureka Stockade Memorial Park Committee has undergone several name changes since 1922.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1855 Victorian high treason trials</span> Trials of gold miners in Australia

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eureka Stockade (fortification)</span> 1854 battlement erected at Ballarat in Australia

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eureka Stockade Monument</span>

The Eureka Stockade Monument is situated at the presumed site of the Battle of the Eureka Stockade. It is located on the Eureka Stockade Memorial Park in Ballarat, Victoria. A public meeting was held on 16 April 1884 to discuss the construction of a permanent monument in honour of the event. A. T. Morrison was the founding honorary secretary and treasurer. It was reported on 31 May that 200 pounds had been raised and four 64-pounder cannons were supplied by the defence minister, Sir Fredrick Sargood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Edward Atherden</span> English sailor

William Edward Atherden was the last survivor of the Battle of the Eureka Stockade. He was originally from Dover in Kent, England. At the age of 15, he sailed to Melbourne. and along with other sailors, deserted to head for the Victorian gold fields, walking some of the journey with bare feet. After the fall of the Eureka Stockade, Atherden was one of 114 men taken prisoner. After he was released, Atherden went back to prospecting and made a small fortune. Returning to England in 1856 he was married to Mary Martin the following year and had six children. Atherden returned to Australia with his family, buying an orchard in York, Western Australia. He was present in Ballarat for the 50th anniversary commemorations of the battle in 1904. Atherden retired to Osbourne Park in Perth, where he died on 14 May 1934. He is buried in Karrakatta Cemetery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British army in the Eureka Rebellion</span>

There were two British army regiments in the colony of Victoria during the 1851-1854 Eureka Rebellion. It culminated in the Battle of the Eureka Stockade that took place on 3 December 1854 at Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Corfield, Wickham & Gervasoni 2004, p. 428.
  2. 1 2 "Pikemen - eurekapedia". www.eurekapedia.org.

Bibliography