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2011/82/1 Collection of buttons (13) and ammunition, metal, various makers, England / Australia, used by the Native Police in Owanyilla / Bonfil Creek / Banana / Wondai Gumbal / Spring Creek / Highbury, Queensland, Australia, c. 1850-1890. Click to enlarge.
  • Image 1 of 2, 2011/82/1 Collection of buttons (13) and ammunition, metal, various makers, England / Australia, used by the Native Police in Owanyilla / Bonfil Creek / Banana / Wondai Gumbal / Spring Creek / Highbury, Queensland, Australia, c. 1850-1890. Click to enlarge
  • Image 2 of 2, 2011/82/1 Collection of buttons (13) and ammunition, metal, various makers, England / Australia, used by the Native Police in Owanyilla / Bonfil Creek / Banana / Wondai Gumbal / Spring Creek / Highbury, Queensland, Australia, c. 1850-1890. Click to enlarge

Collection of Australian Native Police buttons and ammunition

Artefacts relating to the history of the Aboriginal Native Police forces are very rare, most not having survived. This collection of uniform buttons, carbine balls and bullets, all collected from Native Police camp sites in Queensland, is therefore of great importance. The donor recovered these items from sites of Native Police camps thus giving them a precise location. All the buttons either feature the letters VR or the Victoria Crown, and all but one were made in England by the best known …

Parts of this object

Summary

Object No.

2011/82/1

Object Statement

Collection of buttons (13) and ammunition, metal, various makers, England / Australia, used by the Native Police in Owanyilla / Bonfil Creek / Banana / Wondai Gumbal / Spring Creek / Highbury, Queensland, Australia, c. 1850-1890

Physical Description

Collection of buttons and ammunition used by the Native Police. The thirteen circular metal buttons vary in size and design, however all referring to the reign of Queen Victoria, either depicting a crown or the initials VR or both, in raised embossed designs. Ammunition includes three spherical lead carbine balls and two brass percussion caps from a Potts & Hunt double barrelled carbine, a bullet cartridge from a .577 Snider-Enfield carbine and a brass cartridge casing for a .442 cartridge used in a Webley centre fire revolver.

Short URL

https://ma.as/397127

Source

Credit Line

Gift of Mr Simon A Whiley, 2011

Acquisition Date

12 September 2011

Cite this Object

Harvard

Collection of Australian Native Police buttons and ammunition 2023, Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, accessed 30 March 2023, <https://ma.as/397127>

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://ma.as/397127 |title=Collection of Australian Native Police buttons and ammunition |author=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences |access-date=30 March 2023 |publisher=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, Australia}}

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