Waterloo Creek Massacre
In the Waterloo Creek massacre on January 26, 1838 ( Australia Day ), mounted police of the white settlers in New South Wales , Australia , killed around 40 to 70 Aborigines from the Kamilaroi tribe .
The exact location is unknown; it is believed to have been 50 km southwest of Moree , New England , in an area now known as Millie Creek. The exact number of victims is also controversial: literature that speaks of 200 to 300 victims mostly refers to the statements of Major James Nunn, the head of the police force. This information was only passed on secondhand by a pastor named Lancelot Threlkeld. On the other hand, Sergeant Lee is named as another source of the eyewitness, who testifies to 40 to 50 deaths and is considered a reliable source.
The massacre was preceded in late 1837 by reports of Aborigines who had shown violence on the Hunter River and attacked five cattle herders with spears. Major Nunn was then assigned to maintain order with around 30 mounted police officers and armed civilians. First they took 15 Aborigines prisoner, one was killed trying to escape, one stayed with them as a guide, the rest were released. Only after a further three weeks did they meet Aborigines again, and they were attacked. One policeman was injured and five Aborigines were killed. After a two-hour chase, the troops reached the Aboriginal camp, where they killed the Aborigines.
In a letter to Governor George Gipps , the Secretary of State complained that the aim of catching criminals had been completely lost sight of and that people had been shot at while trying to escape an armed attack to be.
See also
literature
- Chris Coulthard-Clark (2001) The encyclopaedia of Australia's battles ISBN 1865086347
- Josephine Flood (2006) The Original Australians ISBN 1741148723
Individual evidence
- ↑ Keith Windschuttle (2001) The myths of frontier massacres in Australian history, Part I: The invention of massacre stories ( Memento from June 25, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ a b Flood, page 110