John By Durnford Marlow (182927 February 1903) was an officer in the

paramilitary A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. Paramilitary units carr ...

Native Police Australian native police units, consisting of Aboriginal troopers under the command (usually) of at least one white officer, existed in various forms in all Australian mainland colonies during the nineteenth and, in some cases, into the twentie ...

force in the British colony of

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. He served in this corps for fourteen years and was stationed at frontier sites such as the

Maranoa Region Maranoa Region is a local government area in South West Queensland, Australia. The town of Roma is the administrative headquarters of the region. History The Gunggari language region of South West Queensland includes the landscape within the l ...

Port Denison Port Denison is a town of 3000 residents in the Mid West region of Western Australia. Its local government area is the Shire of Irwin and it is located southwest of Dongara on the Indian Ocean coast. History Port Denison was initially known ...

and on the

Burdekin River The Burdekin River is a river located in North and Far North Queensland, Australia. The river rises on the northern slopes of Boulder Mountain at Valley of Lagoons, part of the western slope of the Seaview Range, and flows into the Coral Sea at ...

. Marlow, by leading armed escorts of troopers, was also intrinsically involved in the expeditions which led to the establishment of the towns of Cardwell and

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...

Early life

John Marlow was born at

Bytown Bytown is the former name of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was founded on September 26, 1826, incorporated as a town on January 1, 1850, and superseded by the incorporation of the City of Ottawa on January 1, 1855. The founding was marked by a Grou ...

, in the British province of

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the ...

in 1829. His father was William Biddlecomb Marlow, a captain in the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

. His grandfather was an admiral in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

. After some initial schooling in the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Sco ...

, Marlow travelled with his family to the colony of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, where his father's regiment had been posted. At the age of thirteen, he arrived in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

on 14February1842 on board the ''Sir Edward Paget''.

Ludwig Leichhardt Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leichhardt (), known as Ludwig Leichhardt, (23 October 1813 – c. 1848) was a German explorer and naturalist, most famous for his exploration of northern and central Australia.Ken Eastwood,'Cold case: Leichhardt's dis ...

was also a passenger on this ship and the Marlows remained close friends with the explorer, Leichhardt later naming a river in their honour. Marlow remained in Australia while his father was sent to serve in the

Flagstaff War The Flagstaff War, also known as Heke's War, Hōne Heke's Rebellion and the Northern War, was fought between 11 March 1845 and 11 January 1846 in and around the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. The conflict is best remembered for the actions of Hō ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

against the Maori. After this war concluded in 1846, Marlow returned to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

with his parents.

Return to New South Wales

While in England, Marlow married Martha Bonter, the daughter of a clergyman and returned with her to New South Wales in the mid1850s. He took up a position as a manager on a pastoral station at Furracabad station where he became close friends with a future

Premier of Queensland The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland. By convention the premier is the leader of the party with a parliamentary majority in the unicameral Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is ap ...

in Arthur Palmer.

Native Police

In 1860, Marlow was appointed to the

as a secondlieutenant. The Native Police was a mounted paramilitary force utilised at this time by the

Government of Queensland The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary system, parliamentary constitutional monarchy was form ...

to subdue Aboriginal resistance to British colonisation. The mode of operation of this force was indiscriminate massacre, usually described euphemistically as "dispersal".

Maranoa Region operations

By 1861, Marlow was promoted to full Lieutenant and was stationed at the

Bungil Creek The Bungil Creek, part of the Balonne catchment within the Murray-Darling basin, is a perennial stream located in South West Queensland, Australia. Course and features The headwaters of the creek rise on the south-western slopes of the Great ...

barracks near

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

. He and his troopers were soon ordered to disperse a group of Aboriginals who were spearing stock to the south along the

Balonne River The Balonne River, part of the Murray-Darling Basin system, is a short yet significant part of the inland river group of South West Queensland, Australia. Course and features The river is a continuation of the Condamine River. After flowing th ...

near Tootherang pastoral station. Once there, Marlow found a large group from whom he confiscated their spears and utensils, using the group's Aboriginal women to carry them. His troopers later burnt these. The remaining Aboriginal men were joined by another group and left. Marlow decided to follow them up and disperse them. In a month long "warlike operation", Marlow and his troopers tracked the group toward the

Warrego River The Warrego River is an intermittent river that is part of the Darling River, Darling catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, which is located in South West Queensland and in the Orana (New South Wales), Orana region of New South Wales, Aus ...

where they made a stand and showed fight, but after a "smart action", they were dispersed. Later that year, Marlow was ordered to set up a new Native Police barracks on the

Maranoa River The Maranoa River, part of the Murray-Darling basin, is a river situated in South West Queensland, Australia. Course and features Formed by the confluence of the west and east branches of the river, the Maranoa River rises on the Consuelo Table ...

to the west. This he proceeded to do, and while his troopers were constructing the housing, they were approached by local Aboriginals intent on a corroboree, which was refused. An Aboriginal man then tried to wrestle Marlows rifle from him and then another hit him with a

waddy A waddy, nulla-nulla or boondi is an Aboriginal Australian hardwood club or hunting stick for use as a weapon or as a throwing stick for hunting animals. ''Waddy'' comes from the Darug people of Port Jackson, Sydney.Peters, Pam, ''The Cambrid ...

. The troopers then rushed out and fired on the assailants, killing and wounding thirteen people. A message was sent back to the Bungil Creek barracks for assistance.

Bowen operations

In 1863, Marlow was transferred to

Bowen Bowen may refer to: Places Australia * Bowen, Queensland, a town * Bowen Hills, Queensland, a suburb ** Bowen Hills railway station, a railway station in Bowen Hills ** Bowen Park, Brisbane, a park in Bowen Hills * Bowen Bridge, crossing the Derw ...

in the

region of Queensland, where he replaced fellow

officer Walter Powell. Not long after he arrived, his two-yearold daughter died of

diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild clinical course, but in some outbreaks more than 10% of those diagnosed with the disease may die. Signs and s ...

. In 1864, Marlow was dispatched, with three troopers under his command to McLellan's station near the

after two shepherds were killed, with the aim of clearing the Aboriginal people from the property. Marlow was commissioned in January1864 to provide the armed escort for

George Elphinstone Dalrymple George Augustus Frederick Elphinstone Dalrymple (6 May 1826 – 22 January 1876) was a colonist, explorer, public servant and politician, member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland. He founded the towns of Bowen and Cardwell, and pionee ...

's expedition to

Rockingham Bay Rockingham Bay is a bay in Far North Queensland, Australia. The bay opens onto the Coral Sea, part of the South Pacific Ocean. Adjacent to the bay is the Girramay National Park, south of which is the town of Cardwell. Goold Island is a smal ...

to establish a settlement there, which was later named Cardwell. The local Aboriginal people were advised to "clear out" and some were "set upon ..and rather cut up" by the expeditionary force. In April of the same year, Marlow with Acting Sub-Inspector Kennedy and 8 troopers, provided the armed escort for Andrew Ball's initial expedition to survey the future town of

. Marlow's detachment was later augmented to twenty troopers which were utilised in scattering a number of Aboriginal people with "hostile demonstrations" near the Inkerman Downs and Jarvisfield pastoral stations under the ownership of

Robert Towns Robert Towns (10 November 1794 – 11 April 1873) was a British master mariner who settled in Australia as a businessman, sandalwood merchant, colonist, shipowner, pastoralist, politician, whaler and civic leader. He was the founder of Townsvil ...

. Marlow dispatched sub-Inspectors John Bacey Isley and Ferdinand Macquarie Tompson to the south of Bowen which resulted in dispersals at Strathdon station, Proserpine, Goorganga,

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions. Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest mus ...

, St Helens and in the mountainous region behind the coastal plains. Marlow's zeal in performing his duties was rewarded by the

with a promotion to a chief-inspector, but he declined the position and stayed with the Native Police detachment at Bowen. In 1867, Marlow was involved in an extensive search mission of coastal areas for several shipwreck survivors. Reports indicated that the castaways were living with Aboriginals and as a consequence Marlow in conjunction with Inspector John Murray of the native police based at Cardwell conducted searches of every Aboriginal camp they could find between

and

Hinchinbrook Island Hinchinbrook Island (or Pouandai to the Biyaygiri people) is an island in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It lies east of Cardwell and north of Lucinda, separated from the north-eastern coast of Queensland by the narrow Hi ...

. The mission was unsuccessful in finding the shipwrecked sailors.

Dalrymple operations

With the opening of the Cape River goldfields in 1868 the authorities decided to move the Native Police barracks from Bowen to the new settlement of Dalrymple about 80 km west of

. Marlow was placed in charge of this new barracks and accompanied by his troopers and

Queensland Police Commissioner The Queensland Police Service (QPS) is the principal law enforcement agency responsible for policing the Australian state of Queensland. In 1990, the Queensland Police Force was officially renamed the Queensland Police Service and the old motto ...

David Thompson Seymour David Thompson Seymour (5 November 1831 – 31 January 1916) was a soldier and the inaugural commissioner of Queensland Police, in office from 1864 to 1895. Early life and military career Seymour was born on 5 November 1831 at Ballymore Castle, ...

, he provided the first

Gold Escort Gold Escorts were common across Australian goldfields, transporting mined and processed material from mines to banks and mints across the country. They were important in safely transporting gold, and were in most cases carried out by police ass ...

from the goldfields to Townsville. However, with the removal of the barracks from Bowen, Aboriginal attacks in this region re-intensified, exemplified by prominent pastoralist Sidney Yeates having to abandon his

sheep station A sheep station is a large property ( station, the equivalent of a ranch) in Australia or New Zealand, whose main activity is the raising of sheep for their wool and/or meat. In Australia, sheep stations are usually in the south-east or sout ...

. Both the Police Commissioner and Marlow advised that they were no longer able to provide adequate protection from the Dalrymple base. Marlow suggested collecting all the coastal Aborigines from Port Mackay to Townsville and confining them on an island off the coast where they could be ‘taught to be useful’. The Colonial Secretary was ‘unable to entertain’ Marlow’s proposition. Pastoralists in the Bowen region were unhappy with the lack of protection, with some seeking to embarrass Marlow publicly with complaints of inappropriate interactions between Aboriginal women and his troopers. Further misfortune followed Marlow with an immense flood of the

destroying the town of Dalrymple, Marlow's house and the police barracks being washed away. For the remainder of his placement at Dalrymple, Marlow took on a more administrative role managing the gold escort duties of the native police and investigating cases of murder, missing persons and riotous behaviour on the goldfields. He retired from the native police in 1873.

Later life

From 1874 to 1876, Marlow returned to

as a resident, where his house was damaged during an intense storm. In 1876, he moved to the

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

suburb of Kangaroo Point where, in quite a large departure from his previous career, he became chief inspector for the

Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals A Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is a common name for non-profit animal welfare organizations around the world. The oldest SPCA organization is the RSPCA, which was founded in England in 1824. SPCA organizations operate i ...

. He remained in this position until 1885, when he became employed as a health inspector. Marlow continued in various posts for the Board of Health until his death in 1903.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marlow, John 1829 births 1903 deaths Canadian emigrants to Australia Queensland police officers