William Willshire (Australian Policeman)
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William Henry Willshire (10 March 1852 – 22 August 1925) was an Australian police officer who worked in
Alice Springs Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...
in the Northern Territory of Australia. He was the first police officer to be charged for murder in Australian history, after killing a group of Aboriginal people at
Tempe Downs Station Tempe may refer to: Places * Vale of Tempe, Greece * Tempe, Arizona, United States * Tempe, New South Wales, a suburb in Sydney, Australia * Lake Tempe, Indonesia * Tempe, Bloemfontein, South Africa, an area outside Bloemfontein, home to various m ...
.


Early life

Willshire was born on 10 March 1852 in Adelaide, South Australia. He was the son of a schoolmaster James Doughty Willshire and his wife Emily Elizabeth (née Schlenkrich).


Alice Springs posting

In 1878, he joined the
South Australian Police Force South Australia Police (SAPOL) is the police force of the Australian state of South Australia. SAPOL is an independent statutory agency of the Government of South Australia directed by the Commissioner of Police, who reports to the Minister fo ...
and was posted to Alice Springs four years later. By 1883, he was promoted to first-class mounted constable, and then took charge of a native police force consisting of six men, investigating incidents such as cattle spearing. In 1886, he established the police station at Heavitree Gap. He also built a short-lived outpost at Boggy Hole near Hermannsburg. It was closed after three chained prisoners were shot in the back by police while allegedly escaping. By 1890, he was responsible for more than 13 deaths of Aboriginal people, although that number may have been higher due to poor documentation of incidents.


Murder trial

In 1891 Willshire's men attacked a group of sleeping Aboriginal people camped at Tempe Downs Station, killing two. The incident was investigated by the then Sub-Protector of Aborigines, Frank Gillen. Upon his recommendation, Willshire was the first policeman charged with murder, and stood trial in
Port Augusta Port Augusta is a small city in South Australia. Formerly a port, seaport, it is now a road traffic and Junction (rail), railway junction city mainly located on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf immediately south of the gulf's head and about ...
. Pastor Kempe of Hermannsburg Mission helped Gillen to bring him to justice. The case was highly controversial. Public subscriptions raised £2000 for Willshire's bail and paid for his defence by Sir John Downer, the grandfather of Australian politician Alexander Downer. While Aboriginal witnesses gave evidence, Willshire was acquitted. While there was significant public support, there was also outrage from those who opposed the finding, many of whom questioned the validity of the legal process. After the trial, Willshire was transferred to the Victoria River district in 1893 but was permanently removed from the position in 1895 for fear of further controversies and returned to Adelaide.


Later life

Willshire wrote a semi-autobiographical book, ''A Thrilling Tale of Real Life in the Wilds of Australia'', in 1895. He later applied for the position of state Protector of Aborigines, but was unsuccessful and resigned in 1908. Willshire married Ellen Sarah Howell on 13 September 1896 at Port Lincoln, South Australia. They had a son and a daughter. He died on 22 August 1925 in Adelaide. A street in The Gap, a suburb of Alice Springs, is named after him.


References

{{reflist, 30em People from the Northern Territory 1925 deaths 1852 births