32 Facts About Frederic Urquhart

Frederic Charles Urquhart was a Native Police officer, Queensland Police Commissioner and Administrator of the Northern Territory.

Frederic Charles Urquhart was born at St Leonards-on-Sea, Hastings, East Sussex, England on 27 October 1858.

Frederic Urquhart's father was an officer in the Royal Artillery and his uncle was a colonel in a cavalry regiment of the British Army.

Frederic Urquhart was educated at Bloxham School in Oxfordshire and at Felsted School in Essex, but left to pursue a career at sea at the age of fourteen.

Frederic Urquhart obtained a second-officer certificate in the merchant navy and served as a midshipman in the Royal Navy.

In 1878 Urquhart became a telegraph linesman at Normanton, Queensland.

In 1882, Frederic Urquhart was appointed to the paramilitary Native Police as a cadet and was promoted quickly to the rank of second-class sub-inspector within the year.

Frederic Urquhart was initially posted to the barracks near Georgetown and then to the Carl Creek camp on the Gregory River.

In March 1884 Frederic Urquhart was transferred to the Cloncurry district to replace the Native Police officer, Marcus Beresford, who had recently been killed in the ongoing conflict with the local Indigenous population.

Frederic Urquhart established a barracks outside of Cloncurry at a locality on the Corella River now known as Urquhart.

Frederic Urquhart later wrote a poem entitled Powell's Revenge about one of the massacres.

Frederic Urquhart described how they and the troopers had shot up one native camp, capturing an Aboriginal woman whom they were forcing to lead them to another Aboriginal camp.

Frederic Urquhart became a close associate of Alexander Kennedy, who regularly accompanied him on other Native Police patrols.

Frederic Urquhart was hit in the head and momentarily lost consciousness.

Frederic Urquhart quickly recovered and led the Native Police in a flanking movement around the hill and proceeded to massacre the resisting group of Kalkadoon.

In 1888, Frederic Urquhart was transferred to conduct Native Police operations on the Cape York Peninsula.

Frederic Urquhart was speared in the leg during a skirmish with Aboriginal people at the headwaters of the Wenlock River.

In 1890, Frederic Urquhart played a major role in the rescue of survivors from the shipwrecked RMS Quetta.

Frederic Urquhart was transferred to the civilian Queensland Police service in 1891 and returned to Cloncurry.

Frederic Urquhart led police activities against striking workers in the area during the 1891 Australian shearers' strike.

Frederic Urquhart was promoted to inspector in 1897 and was transferred to Brisbane in order to head the Criminal Investigation Branch.

The Commission found that Frederic Urquhart was neglectful in his duties, unsuited to the position and untrained in detective work.

Frederic Urquhart again had a leading role in crushing striking unionists during the 1912 Brisbane general strike, the first mass strike of its kind in Australia.

Frederic Urquhart mustered 2,000 police officers and special constables to attack a group of 15,000 striking workers.

On 1 January 1917 Frederic Urquhart was appointed as the 4th Queensland Police Commissioner, a position he held until 16 January 1921.

Many casualties were reported with Frederic Urquhart himself being injured during the fighting.

In 1921 Frederic Urquhart was appointed Administrator of the Northern Territory.

Frederic Urquhart was successfully sued by a union official for assault.

Frederic Urquhart was considered a poet of some talent and published several collections of verse including The Legend of the Blacks and Camp Canzonettes.

Frederic Urquhart married Annetta Atkinson in 1891 and they had three children together; Miriam, Walter James and Hope Goldie Frederic Urquhart.

Walter James Frederic Urquhart became the first officer to graduate from the Australian Army officer training program at the Royal Military College, Duntroon and he fought at Gallipoli and in Palestine during WWI.

Frederic Urquhart died at St Helen's Private Hospital on 2 December 1935 and was buried in Toowong Cemetery.