Massacre at Victoria River (1)

Date: 30 Oct 1894
Place: Victoria River (1)
Event type: massacre
Direct violence: Yes
Mounted Constable Willshire (1896, p 61) wrote: 'We were flanked on either side by great walls of stone, and the bucks will fight like demons when there is no "get away". Then we all rose to show ourselves, and there was a furious stampede of powerfully built niggers, some climbing the cliffs, some running back to us with spears, some diving in the water, several climbing into the rocky fissures, and the women and children huddling together in a cave, the rude interior of which fairly glowed with girlish beauty. The imagination cannot conceive the terrors of that dreadful time. Language is not equal to the task of expressing the abject fear of the tribe, especially if it must flow from the pen and be taken from the writer's limited vocabulary. Honi soit qui mal y pense [evil be to those who evil think].'
Notes:
CorroborationRating: **
LanguageGroup: Ngarinyman, Karrangpurru, Nungali, Malngin, Wardaman, Ngaliwurru, Bilinara
Victims: Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander People
VictimsDead: 10

People involved

This data has not yet been gathered. Research work is ongoing. To help, please consider donating or contact us to volunteer or about setting up research projects in your area.

Sources

  • Willshire, 1896, p 61.

Event mentions

  • Massacre at Victoria River (1)
    30 Oct 1894 — Victoria River (1) — massacre
    Mounted Constable Willshire (1896, p 61) wrote: 'We were flanked on either side by great walls of stone, and the bucks will fight like demons when there is no "get away". Then we all rose to show ourselves, and there was a furious stampede of powerfully built niggers, some climbing the cliffs, some running back to us with spears, some diving in the water, several climbing into the rocky fissures, and the women and children huddling together in a cave, the rude interior of which fairly glowed with girlish beauty. The imagination cannot conceive the terrors of that dreadful time. Language is not equal to the task of expressing the abject fear of the tribe, especially if it must flow from the pen and be taken from the writer's limited vocabulary. Honi soit qui mal y pense [evil be to those who evil think].'
    Source: Willshire, 1896, p 61.