Walter Henry Bromley (c. 1774 – c. 5 May 1838) was a British military officer and reformer who founded a school in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...

and did much good work among children of poorer families including, especially, indigenous Canadians. He later emigrated to

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

where he briefly ran that new colony's first school then served for a short time as

Protector of Aborigines The role of Protector of Aborigines was first established in South Australia in 1836. The role became established in other parts of Australia pursuant to a recommendation contained in the ''Report of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Abori ...

History

Bromley, the eldest son of Robert and Julie Bromley, was baptised on 27 February 1775 in

Keelby Keelby is a village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, on the A18, west from the seaport of Grimsby and east from the local Humberside Airport, with close access to the A180 to the north, and M180 to th ...

and grew up in rural

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

. He enlisted in the 23rd Regiment of Foot (better known as the

Royal Welch Fusiliers The Royal Welch Fusiliers ( cy, Ffiwsilwyr Brenhinol Cymreig) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, and part of the Prince of Wales' Division, that was founded in 1689; shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designate ...

) when quite young. He saw action in a number of overseas conflicts (including

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

1808–1810), rising to the rank of captain. In 1811 he returned to England and retired on half pay.

Canada

In 1813 he returned to

where he founded the

Royal Acadian School The Royal Acadian School was a school developed for marginalized people in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The school was established by British officer and reformer Walter Bromley on 13 January 1814. He promoted the objectives of the British and Foreign S ...

, which he ran for the thirteen years he lived there. His school offered education for middle- and low-income families, including girls, black and immigrant children. The school included Protestants and Catholics. The school was controversial, however, as some of its biggest supporters came from the Nova Scotia elite. Bromley also devoted himself to the service of the

Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Miꞌkmaw'' or ''Miꞌgmaw''; ; ) are a First Nations people of the Northeastern Woodlands, indigenous to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec as well as the nort ...

people. The Mi'kmaq were among the poor of Halifax and in the rural communities. According to historian Judith Finguard, his contribution to give public exposure to the plight of the Mi'kmaq "particularly contributes to his historical significance." Finguard wrote: :Bromley's attitudes towards the Indians were singularly enlightened for his day…. Bromley totally dismissed the idea that native people were naturally inferior and set out to encourage their material improvement through settlement and agriculture, their talents through education, and their pride through his own study of their languages. Bromley's school made a "seminal contribution" to the development of the education movement in Nova Scotia. Well after Bromley's departure from Nova Scotia (1825), the school continued to play a central role in the campaign for free education. It became a girls' school by the 1870s. Bromley returned to England around 1825 or 1826, married twice, and had several children.

South Australia

Bromley embarked, alone, for South Australia aboard ''Tam O'Shanter'' as part of the "

First Fleet of South Australia In 1836, at least nine ships in 1836 carried the first European settlers from England to the south coast of Australia for the establishment of the City of Adelaide and the province of South Australia. Although not all of the ships sailed toge ...

", arriving in November 1836 at

Kangaroo Island Kangaroo Island, also known as Karta Pintingga (literally 'Island of the Dead' in the language of the Kaurna people), is Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island. It lies in the state of South Australia, southwest ...

. There "Captain Bromley", as he was generally called, opened a school for 24 children at Kingscote on 5 December 1836.. This was not to last long however, as on 5 April 1837 he was appointed Protector of Aborigines, succeeding George Stevenson. He closed his school on 19 May 1837 and commenced his work, living among the Aborigines and learning their language. He was a poor choice for the job, ''The Register'' opined, a bad example to set younger Aborigines (but did not elaborate). He was removed from the position of Protector and replaced by Dr. William Wyatt (c. 1805 – 10 June 1886). He drowned in the

River Torrens The River Torrens , (Karrawirra Parri / Karrawirraparri) is the most significant river of the Adelaide Plains. It was one of the main reasons for the siting of the city of Adelaide, capital of South Australia. It flows from its source in the ...

, accidentally so the inquest concluded, ''The Southern Australian'' felt Bromley had been treated unfairly, and had done more for the natives than Wyatt.

History

Canada

South Australia

References

Further reading