Massacre at Mole Hill

Date: 2 Sep 1875
Place: Mole Hill
Event type: massacre
Direct violence: Yes
Mole Hill is the final of five massacres that took place in reprisal for the killing of Overland Telegraph (OT) Station Master Charles Johnston and two OT workers, Abram Daer and Charles Rickards by Mangarrayi warriors at Roper Bar on 29 June 1875. According to historian Tony Roberts (2005, p 140; fn 13, ), 150-200 Mangarrayi people were killed in the six week reprisal operation from 12 July to 4 September 1875. On 4 September 1875, a posse of volunteers 'with a large amount of ammunition', (NTTG, July 17, 1875, p 1) led by Corporal George Montagu, attacked a campsite of Mangarrayi people at Mole Hill and 'dispersed' a large group of them. It is estimated that 40 people were shot. The chief of police in the NT, Inspector Paul Foelsche, who authorised one of the reprisal parties, called the operation, 'a picnic with the natives' (Wilson, 2001, pp 221-222; Reid, 1990, pp 66-67).
Notes:
CorroborationRating: ***
LanguageGroup: Mangarrayi
Victims: Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander People
VictimsDead: 40

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Sources

Event mentions

  • Massacre at Mole Hill
    2 Sep 1875 — Mole Hill — massacre
    Mole Hill is the final of five massacres that took place in reprisal for the killing of Overland Telegraph (OT) Station Master Charles Johnston and two OT workers, Abram Daer and Charles Rickards by Mangarrayi warriors at Roper Bar on 29 June 1875. According to historian Tony Roberts (2005, p 140; fn 13, ), 150-200 Mangarrayi people were killed in the six week reprisal operation from 12 July to 4 September 1875. On 4 September 1875, a posse of volunteers 'with a large amount of ammunition', (NTTG, July 17, 1875, p 1) led by Corporal George Montagu, attacked a campsite of Mangarrayi people at Mole Hill and 'dispersed' a large group of them. It is estimated that 40 people were shot. The chief of police in the NT, Inspector Paul Foelsche, who authorised one of the reprisal parties, called the operation, 'a picnic with the natives' (Wilson, 2001, pp 221-222; Reid, 1990, pp 66-67).
    Source: NTTG July 17, 1875, p 1 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3144292/549634; NTTG September 18, 1875, p 2 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3144448; NTTG December 4, 1875, p 2 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3144612; NTTG December 25, 1875, p 2 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3144666; Wilson 2001, pp 221-222; Roberts 2005, pp 115-120; Roper River Police Station Heritage Assessment Report, 2015, pp 9-11; Toohey, Roper Bar Land Claim Report, 1982, p. 3; Austin, 1992, HSNT, pp 15-16.