Alexander Douglas-Douglas
Alexander Douglas Douglas (7 February 1843– 5 February 1914) was a naval officer, an inspector in the
Early life
Douglas was born on 7 February 1843 at St Helier, Channel Islands, son of Alexander Douglas Douglas, formerly Mackenzie, an army officer, and his wife Ann, née Rouse. He was the grandson of
In 1857, he joined the Royal Navy as a
Cattle work in Queensland
Douglas arrived in Rockhampton in late 1865 and took up a job as a teamster and station-hand at Nulabin pastoral station near Duaringa. After drought destroyed his livelihood, Douglas then became a drover for a time before using his navy connections to again change careers.
Native Police
Douglas joined the paramilitary
Marlborough operations
Douglas was appointed Acting Sub-Inspector at Marlborough, north of Rockhampton, in early 1873. A correspondent for the Northern Argus wrote that Douglas should give "salutary lessons" to the local Aboriginal people.[2] It was reported that Douglas and his Aboriginal troopers killed several Aboriginals at Calliope.[3] An enquiry was held at Prospect Hotel in Calliope headed by other police officers. Evidence was submitted that Douglas shot an Aboriginal man when he tried to escape. Douglas was exonerated of charges of wantonly destroying life.[4] In 1873 Douglas led a large patrol through The Peninsula station near Shoalwater Bay and around the adjacent islands.[5] Later in 1873, Douglas' entire detachment of troopers deserted with allegations of floggings and cruel treatment by Douglas being the reason.[6]
Cooktown operations
In early 1874, Douglas was transferred north to the
Cairns operations
In September 1876, Douglas led a group from
"Black Douglas"
After a brief posting at the Native Police barracks in Blackall in western Queensland, and also a period working for the general police in Brisbane, Douglas was back in northern Queensland in 1882. He was assigned to the Native Police unit at Herberton from where he blazed another trail to the coast, this time to Mourilyan Harbour. When in charge of Mourilyan Native Police camp, he used SS Vigilant,[14] a small steamship, to patrol the coast. While in this position, he was criticised in the colonial press for both wasting government funds[15] and severe cruelty to the troopers under his charge. He was given the title "Black Douglas" for his "continued barbarity to the niggers".[16] In 1883, he was ordered back to Brisbane and was soon leading native troopers in the capture of escaped blackbirded Kanaka labourers.[17]
Queensland Police Service
In 1884, Douglas was appointed to the normal police force and posted to Townsville where he was promoted to Inspector. In 1885, during the 'Russian scare', because of his naval experience, he was appointed commander of HMS Otter,[18] a wooden paddle packet.
In 1886, after a brief period at Roma, Douglas was sent to Georgetown and placed in charge of the Gulf district.[19] In this role, he was in charge of both the general and the Native Police located in the district which stretched from Mount Surprise to Camooweal. He often led the gold escort from the Etheridge goldfields which consisted of up to 13 armed native troopers guarding the transport with 56 horses. He was later responsible for the largest gold escort recorded in Queensland. Douglas was also involved in the resolution of high-profile crimes, such as the Normanton race riots of 1888[20] and the liquidation of the Aboriginal outlaw, Joe Flick, in 1889. Flick had shot dead Native Police officer Alfred Wavell and injured the famous colonist Frank Hann at Lawn Hill pastoral station.[21]
In 1891, Douglas was in charge of the police force involved in the breaking up the
In 1893, he was transferred and placed in charge of the
Douglas retired from the Queensland Police in 1905, when he returned to England.
He died on 5 February 1914, near Portsmouth.
Family
He was a widower when, on 19 April 1884, he married Lucie Street. They had no children. She died on 13 May 1905.[27] The following year he married, as his third wife, Susan Williams.
References
- The Brisbane Courier. Vol. LXII, no. 14, 805. Queensland, Australia. 24 June 1905. p. 13. Retrieved 18 September 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- Northern Argus. No. 1426. Queensland, Australia. 11 January 1873. p. 2. Retrieved 18 September 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- The Brisbane Courier. Vol. XXVII, no. 4, 812. Queensland, Australia. 3 March 1873. p. 3. Retrieved 18 September 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser. No. 1339. Queensland, Australia. 6 March 1873. p. 2. Retrieved 19 September 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- Northern Argus. No. 1545. Queensland, Australia. 16 October 1873. p. 2. Retrieved 30 October 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "NATIVE TROOPERS". The Telegraph. No. 332. Queensland, Australia. 22 October 1873. p. 2. Retrieved 19 September 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "The Sketcher". The Queenslander. Vol. XIV, no. 147. Queensland, Australia. 8 June 1878. p. 301. Retrieved 21 September 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- The Brisbane Courier. Vol. XXVIII, no. 5, 144. Queensland, Australia. 31 March 1874. p. 3. Retrieved 19 September 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- The Brisbane Courier. Vol. XXIX, no. 5, 330. Queensland, Australia. 3 November 1874. p. 3. Retrieved 19 September 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "MURDERS BY THE BLACKS". The Telegraph. No. 654. Queensland, Australia. 2 November 1874. p. 3. Retrieved 19 September 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "THE QUEENSLAND NATIVE POLICE". The Telegraph. No. 2, 013. Queensland, Australia. 1 April 1879. p. 3. Retrieved 21 September 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "The Miner". The Queenslander. Vol. XI, no. 57. Queensland, Australia. 16 September 1876. p. 27. Retrieved 21 September 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "THE NEW PORT OF TRINITY BAY". The Week. Vol. II, no. 40. Queensland, Australia. 30 September 1876. p. 13. Retrieved 21 September 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Collinson, J.W. "Innisfail" (PDF). The University of Queensland's institutional digital repository. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
- Queensland Figaro. Queensland, Australia. 10 March 1883. p. 12. Retrieved 23 September 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- Queensland Figaro. Queensland, Australia. 26 May 1883. p. 2. Retrieved 23 September 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- The Brisbane Courier. Vol. XXXVIII, no. 8, 045. Queensland, Australia. 23 October 1883. p. 4. Retrieved 23 September 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Pixley, MBE, Comdr Norman S. "An outline of the history of the Queensland Police Force" (PDF). The University of Queensland's institutional digital repository. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
- ^ "Return of Inspector Douglas". The Telegraph. No. 4, 245. Queensland, Australia. 21 April 1886. p. 4. Retrieved 23 September 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "RIOTING AT NORMANTON". The Capricornian. Vol. 14, no. 25. Queensland, Australia. 23 June 1888. p. 8. Retrieved 25 September 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- Northern Territory Times and Gazette. Vol. XV, no. 838. Northern Territory, Australia. 22 November 1889. p. 3. Retrieved 25 September 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser. No. 5, 530. Queensland, Australia. 20 April 1891. p. 2. Retrieved 25 September 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "How the Blacks Might Be Civilised". The Queenslander. Queensland, Australia. 7 March 1891. p. 463. Retrieved 27 September 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Chief Inspector Douglas". The Telegraph. No. 7, 971. Queensland, Australia. 7 June 1898. p. 2. Retrieved 27 September 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Police Changes". The Telegraph. No. 8, 552. Queensland, Australia. 18 April 1900. p. 2. Retrieved 27 September 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "none". The Brisbane Courier, page 16. 20 July 1907.
- ^ "none". The Queenslander, page 12. 20 May 1905.
- Australian Dictionary of Biography