Massacre at Wirmbrandt and Rembrandt Rocks

Date: 7 Aug 1884 – 7 Sep 1884
Place: Wirmbrandt and Rembrandt Rocks
Event type: massacre
Direct violence: Yes
See also Blackfellows Bones Bore and Attack Gap massacres. Sid Stanes (Lonsdale Collection, Reel 25 side 1, pb 28), an old cattleman, recalled in an oral history interview: 'When they killed [sic] Harry Figg out there, they brought all the stock in from Frew River, The Reservoir, The Stirling, they shot a lot too. [Mounted Constable Erwein] Wurmbrandt shot a lot of those blacks. He was shooting them wholesale and he was recalled and Cowle took his place'. This part of the reprisal took place 'off the 30 Mile to a rock on the bottom end of Napperby [Station]' according to Harry Tilmouth (Trish Lonsdale Collection NTRS 3414/P1, p 10). He said: 'This rock is now called Rembrandt's Rock but was originally named Wurmbrandt's Rock because Mounted Constable Wurmbrand 'was a pretty savage chap and that is where the turnout took place, I believe'. Kimber (10 Sept 2003) reported the number to be 15. The nature of Stanes's and Tilmouth's descriptions suggests the actual total was many times higher. (There are two 'Rocks' in the same area, both incorrectly spelt: Wirmbrandt Rock and Rembrandt Rock.)
Notes:
CorroborationRating: ***
LanguageGroup: Anmatyerr
Victims: Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander People
VictimsDead: 100

People involved

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Sources

Event mentions

  • Massacre at Wirmbrandt and Rembrandt Rocks
    7 Aug 1884 – 7 Sep 1884 — Wirmbrandt and Rembrandt Rocks — massacre
    See also Blackfellows Bones Bore and Attack Gap massacres. Sid Stanes (Lonsdale Collection, Reel 25 side 1, pb 28), an old cattleman, recalled in an oral history interview: 'When they killed [sic] Harry Figg out there, they brought all the stock in from Frew River, The Reservoir, The Stirling, they shot a lot too. [Mounted Constable Erwein] Wurmbrandt shot a lot of those blacks. He was shooting them wholesale and he was recalled and Cowle took his place'. This part of the reprisal took place 'off the 30 Mile to a rock on the bottom end of Napperby [Station]' according to Harry Tilmouth (Trish Lonsdale Collection NTRS 3414/P1, p 10). He said: 'This rock is now called Rembrandt's Rock but was originally named Wurmbrandt's Rock because Mounted Constable Wurmbrand 'was a pretty savage chap and that is where the turnout took place, I believe'. Kimber (10 Sept 2003) reported the number to be 15. The nature of Stanes's and Tilmouth's descriptions suggests the actual total was many times higher. (There are two 'Rocks' in the same area, both incorrectly spelt: Wirmbrandt Rock and Rembrandt Rock.)
    Source: Traynor 2016; Kimber, D. 10 September, 2003, Alice Springs News http://www.alicespringsnews.com.au/1032.html; Nettelbeck & Foster, 2007, p 16; Wilson, 2000, p 272; Morrison https://www.australianfrontierconflicts.com.au; Adelaide Observer, September 20, 1884 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article160101265; NTTG, October 25, 1884, p 2 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3156621; Perkins, 1975, p 19; NT Archives Service NTRS 3414/Part 1 ��� Sid Stanes, Lonsdale Collection Reel 25, side 1; NTRS 3414 ��� Reel 26, side 1 - Harry Tilmouth; Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory, 2002 https://depws.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/249038/annas_pom.pdf.