Dead Man's Hand Down Under

[Ray Earle]

Brilliant pic's Scurv. Thanks.

Very interesting to see the bandolier worn by some figures in that second photo. It means that quite a few of the Northstar Boers will be useful. Also there seems to generally be a lack of uniform on any of the white policemen.

Is the gentlemen at the back, fourth in from the left a cavalry trooper?

[Leigh Metford]

Ray, the five uniformed Aborigines squatting in the front row are troopers of the Native Mounted Police from Queensland, and the man you identified is undoubtedly their commanding officer, in the khaki drill uniform introduced for officers of that force in the 1890s, which replaced the officer's version of the blue 'jumper' with blue/white trousers previously worn.

I can't give you any further details about them, but I can tell you that the Aboriginal men in the other photo are from the same force. They were a section of six men under the command of Sub-Inspector Stanhope O'Connor, brought in at the request of the Victorian government. You can read more about them on www.ironoutlaw.com.

Note that the hunt for the Governor brothers occurred in 1900 in long-settled areas. By that time civilian clothing worn in such areas was becoming internationally homogenised. Even bush clothing was no longer quite as distinctively Australian as it had once been. 

[Admiral Benbow]

First of all, take your argument outside please gents before you all get an interesting discussion locked.

Some of us are trying to have a sensible thread about pushing little tin men around a table.

Indeed. This is a last warning to keep a friendly, non-offending tone here. If you need to discuss more controversely, please use pm.

Thanks.

[Ray Earle]

I think you will find the white fellows are mostly of the posse variety. Most of these guys they were after had quite substantial prices on their heads

Aha, pretty much the same as the 'Kelly hunters'? I remember seeing a photo with a few gents leaning/observing from behind a fallen tree in some of the pictures I'd seen from the Kelly hunt.

Interesting to note also in both cases half the members of each posse are indigenous and as well equipped and armed as the whites. Clearly the value of indigenous warriors who could live off the land, track and fight was highly regarded.  

I had noticed that.

I can't give you any further details about them, but I can tell you that the Aboriginal men in the other photo are from the same force. They were a section of six men under the command of Sub-Inspector Stanhope O'Connor, brought in at the request of the Victorian government. You can read more about them on www.ironoutlaw.com.

Note that the hunt for the Governor brothers occurred in 1900 in long-settled areas. By that time civilian clothing worn in such areas was becoming internationally homogenised. Even bush clothing was no longer quite as distinctively Australian as it had once been. 

Thanks Leigh, I'll give that site a look.

As for clothing dont forget during the goldrush you had people from everywhere there. A stetson hat would not have been so out of place considering many of the americans came to mine.

Not out of place in South Africa either. 

Thanks again for the information gents.

[bong-67]

Hi,
Thanks to Scurv and Leigh for their excellent information.  The Jimmy Governor photo is very interesting because of the range of clothing it shows and a lot of the clothes in it look similar to clothes worn in South Africa around the same time period or in the American West.  I guess that's because as Leigh says by then outdoor clothing is becoming much more homogenised in similar environments across the British Empire and in the rest of the world.
I also had a look at Scurv's movie reference "The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith", a very interesting and quite harrowing film.  If its costumes are accurate then it shows a good look at police hats at least from the 1900s.  The best match for these could be the ones some of the figures are wearing in the Foundry Victorian police inspectors and sergeants packs.
What's interesting about all of the information which has been kindly provided about frontier Australia is the variety of fashions available.  They change over time from the more distinctive look of the earlier period to the more homogenous look of the 1900s, some stuff like the cabbage palm hats being distinctive, other stuff more like that worn in other frontier areas like Southern Africa or the American West.  So as well as using the official figures, I think other figures can be sourced or converted easily enough.
What I'm finding refreshing about the whole thing is the way some of my existing old west figures could be used, I can get some figures based on a well-known movie (for me always attractive for old west gaming) but there is also plenty of scope for creativity and a bit of challenge.
Thanks to everyone for their help so far.  All I need to do now is save the cash to buy the figures and rules and shove aside my current projects for this nice new Down Under "oh shiny".
All the best,
George.

[Leigh Metford]

As regards police armament bong, in NSW at least things were pretty dire in the early 1860s, with many troopers lucky to have a single-shot muzzle-loading pistol. There are a number of instances of their being outgunned by bushrangers because of this deficit. They often had to borrow weapons from civilians! The picture improved over time, with the general issue of Tranter revolvers and Callisher-Terry breech-loading carbines, the latter replaced by Martini-Henry carbines from the mid-1870s onwards.

Police in WA and the NT had Martini-Henrys or Winchesters from the 1880s.

Civilian clothing was usually worn by detectives, and also by uniformed troopers when involved in extended man-hunts in the bush; they didn't want to ruin their nice uniforms, after all.

The headgear worn in NSW was generally a kepi from the 1860s , and in Victoria a low shako with a peak at front and back. Police in NSW received the custodian helmet in the late 1870s. This was of black leather, worn with a white cover in summer, and not as 'full' in shape as the contemporary military pith helmet. It was also introduced in Victoria, probably around the same time.

The style of uniform was very similar throughout most of Australia, varying only in detail: i.e. the number of buttons on the jacket; the degree of rigidity, precise height, and presence or absence of a coloured band on the kepi. Jackets were short, reaching to about the groin, and worn without an external waist-belt, but, depending on armament, sometimes with a shoulder belt. Boots were mostly of the hussar half-boot style. Tight-fitting breeches were worn, the colour depending on the season (normally white in summer). In South Australia they had a stripe down the seam.

The exception was Queensland, where a waist-length 'jumper' was issued from the 1860s on. This is the garment you can see in the Kelly era photo, although that appears to be a close-fitting woolen version. The events leading up to the Glenrowan siege and shootout occurred during the winter. Many photos of NMP in QLD show a looser fitting jumper of apparently lighter material, which either replaced the style shown in the photo in summer, or all year round in the field. NMP also sometimes wore a white havelock over the kepi from the 1870s on.

Bushranger weapons varied enormously. Ned Kelly had a Tranter revolving rifle at Glenrowan - but they generally seem to have favoured revolvers and shotguns.

I hope this helps.  

  

[Leigh Metford]

P. S. Some of the men in civilian clothing in the second photo are probably special constables: civilians temporarily 'deputised' (to use an Americanism) for the duration of a police operation. All up there were about 2000(!) men under arms during the Governor brothers 'emergency'.

[bong-67]

Leigh, thanks for answering my questions with your very informative post.
I must say I'd never heard of the Calisher-Terry carbine but after looking it up it is a very interesting gun.  I don't know how you'd represent it in model form though.
Thanks also for the excellent uniform descriptions, which are just what I need.
Scurv, thanks for posting more really interesting photos.  I particularly like the one with the bikes.
All in all I'm really enjoying this thread and everything on it has been good reading.
All the best,
George.

[Leigh Metford]

If you're prepared to wait for that dedicated historical colonial Australia range I've mentioned previously, you should see this weapon depicted in 28mm miniature form for the first time.

[bong-67]

Hi,
I'll definitely be buying all of the DMH Down Under sets as a start on my Australia project and then I think I'll wait until the new Bush ranger range Leigh mentions is released. It sounds like it will have  very distinctive figures with guns like the Calisher Terry which would be hard to model and figures in the more distinctive earlier colonial costumes. 
One of the most attractive things for me about the whole "old west down under idea" is that it is a bit original.  Instead of people coming along and making yet another range of Napoleonic French or Roman legionnaries we have at least two firms willing to take a risk and do something different.  That sort of thing should be supported as it enriches gaming and stimulates research and creativity.

All the best,
George.