Colony of South Australia.
I have come across an old newspaper entry that makes me query one of Cossum’s indentifications. This story suggests a police identity …
Contacting some SA experts (thanks John and Max): ” (Max) has a copy of the original police file of February, 1842 relating to the requisition of SA police uniform material and police accoutrements from London. He is adamant that the official SA Police has only ever had the letter SA and the crown on the button and nothing else – it remains the same design as the button used on the SA Police uniform today. He has documentation which has the instructions, when 8 gross of buttons were ordered and the direction that they were to reflect the design of the London Metropolitan Police button with the Crown and only the letters SA. Max is definite that the South Australia Militia button was not police and was never an official police button.”
Perhaps the writer of the article was in error, or perhaps McCulloch’s buttons were not official police issue, or that members of the militia were accompanying him. It does suggest that this button dates to c.1847 rather than 1880-85. The author of the above historical article with the photo thought there were militia buttons in c.1854. (I am happy to be corrected my anyone with further information.)
Penal Establishment of South Australia
South Australia’s first permanent prison was built 5 years after it was settled in 1841 in Adelaide. In 1853 another prison was built in Northfield (“The Stockade”) next to a quarry for the prisoner’s to be used for labour. By 1870 there were 7 gaols in the colony.
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