Henry Pollock KAYE

On 14 September 1881, Sub-Inspector Henry P. Kaye, Officer in Charge of a detachment of Native Police, was speared to death near the Woolgar gold fields (about 100 miles north of Richmond, North Queensland) whilst acting in the execution of his duty. Sub-Inspector Nichols later reported the events leading up to Kaye's death:

“I camped with Mr Kaye on the 13th September, acting on a requisition received from the Woolgar diggers, storekeepers, etc, I and Sub-Inspector Kaye and one trooper, in returning to our camp from the reefs, had a parley with a small mob of blacks who were camped near the township. Endeavouring to press on them, the nature of our intentions, Mr Kaye was especially fervent in his intentions of good will, and assurances of no violence, and (had) so far prevailed on the blacks as to get them to accompany us to our camp. Our idea was to get as many of them as we could there, and then see them off the field…”

Sub-Inspector Kaye, Grazier Smith, and Trooper Samba got the natives on the road towards the camp quite early; Nichols had gone on ahead to get more troopers. Smith claimed that it was not long before he realised, by the manoeuvres of the Aboriginals, that they were going to attack. Soon after, a small patch of scrub was reached; the women went ahead leaving the men behind. Smith claims that at the time the attack was launched, Kaye was reassuring the natives that no harm would come to them. Kaye was speared in the chest; the others were lucky to escape. Mr Smith was adamant that no angry words were spoken, nor any violence used towards the Aboriginals before the attack.