About 6pm on 1 October, 1960 Constable Green left the Gosford Police Station to assist at the scene of a serious motor vehicle accident at Terrigal. At the time he was riding a Special Traffic Patrol motor cycle. As he was travelling along Victoria Street a panel van travelling in the opposite direction began to turn into Adelaide Street in front of the police cycle. The cycle collided with the front of the panel van, throwing the constable to the roadway. He was conveyed to the Gosford District Hospital where he died the following morning.
The constable was born in 1931 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 1 February, 1955. At the time of his death he was stationed at Gosford.
Raymond William McLEAN
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Raymond William McLEAN
New South Wales Police Force
Regd. # ?
Rank: Sergeant 2nd Class
Stations: ?
Service: From? to 11 September 1959
Awards: ?
Born: ? ? 1904
Died on: 11 September 1959
Cause: Heart attack
Event location: Manly Police Station
Age: ?
Funeral date: ?
Funeral location: ?
Buried at: ?
Memorial at: ?
[alert_green]RAYMOND IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_green]
Touch plate at the National Police Wall of Remembrance, Canberra
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Funeral location: ?
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FURTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED ABOUT THIS PERSON, THEIR LIFE, THEIR CAREER AND THEIR DEATH.
About 7.15pm on 11 September, 1959 Sergeant McLean met the Northern Wireless Car in the yard of the Manly Police Station to assist the car crew with a prisoner. The prisoner struggled violently while he was being taken into the station and continued to do so in the dock. Sergeant McLean assisted to secure the prisoner throughout his struggles. A short time later as the sergeant was walking across the station yard, he collapsed. He was taken by ambulance to the Manly District Hospital, however was pronounced dead on arrival. The cause of death was found to have been coronary artery disease which resulted in a heart attack caused by his exertions with the prisoner earlier that night.
The sergeant was born in 1904 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 27 March, 1929. At the time of his death he was stationed at Manly.
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James Thomas CLIFTON
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James Thomas CLIFTON
New South Wales Police Force
Regd. # ?
Rank: Constable
Stations: ?, Balmain – death
Service 1: From 5 June 1950 to August 1954 = 4+ years Service
Service 2: From 26 August 1957 to 31 July 1959 = 1+ years Service
Awards: No find on It’s An Honour
Born: ? ? 1928
Died on: 31 July 1959
Cause: Motor Vehicle Accident – Police cycle – Rider
Event location: Victoria Rd near Gagin St, Parramatta
Age: 30
Funeral date: ? ? ?
Funeral location: ?
Buried at: ?
Memorial location: ?
JAMES IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance
On 31 July, 1959 Constable Clifton rode his police motor cycle outfit from his home to the Parramatta Police Station where he had a meeting with local detectives. Following the meeting he set out to ride to the Balmain Police Station to commence his rostered shift at 7pm. As he was travelling along Victoria Road, Parramatta a pedestrian ran out onto the roadway near the intersection of Gagin Street. Although he took evasive action and braked the sidecar on Constable Clifton’s cycle hit the pedestrian. The cycle then veered across the road, throwing the constable head first beneath a car travelling toward him. He was killed instantly.
The constable was born in 1928 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 5 June, 1950. He resigned in August, 1954 and rejoined on 26 August, 1957. At the time of his death he was stationed at Balmain.
William LORD – Touch Plate at National Police Wall of Remembrance
About 5pm on 23 December, 1958 Constable Lord was riding a Police Public Safety Bureau motor cycle in Alison Road, Randwick, when he became involved in the pursuit of a speeding motor cycle. At the intersection of Wansey Road another vehicle began to turn in front of the oncoming police cycle. Seeing the police cycle approaching the driver of the vehicle took evasive action, however a collision occurred and Constable Lord was thrown from his cycle and onto another car. Although admitted to St Vincent’s Hospital he died a short time later.
The constable was born in 1934 and joined the New South Wales Police Force as a cadet on 2 June, 1952. He was sworn in on 5 December, 1953. At the time of his death he was attached to the Traffic Branch, Sydney.
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NSW BDM
Death: 589/2959 Father: Keith Silvester Mother: Dorothy May
Alone in his patrol car, Chris Thornton had the police siren flashing as he chased a white sedan through Woy Woy.
Thornton, 35, a highway patrolman, had been in the force for 15 years. He was, his mother says, “the best driver I have ever seen”.
The reason for the chase that night in April 2002 is unknown. Both cars were seen travelling at high speed. Thornton was about 50 metres behind.
Meanwhile, Leonard Rowley, 56, an unlicensed driver, was driving to his local KFC to pick up dinner. He saw the first car flash past and judged – wrongly – that he had time to turn out in front of the patrol car. Thornton tried to avoid Rowley’s car but clipped the back, veered onto the wrong side of the road and hit a power pole.
Thornton died on the spot, which is marked by a permanent stainless-steel cross. Rowley later received a suspended two-year sentence.
“His life from the age of 12 was about helping people,” says Thornton’s mother, Freada Thornton. “He was in the surf club and he was there to rescue people and then he went into the force and he was doing the same thing.” His father, Barry Thornton, says: “He loved life. He had been in Gosford for 15 years and was so popular with the community there.”
Police pursuits are, says Barry, a necessary evil: “If they don’t catch the criminals there will be more deaths on the roads. The ones that they’re in pursuit of are the idiots that have done the wrong thing to start with.”
But pursuits have come at a cost to the NSW Police Department. Fifteen officers have died as a result of high-speed chases, beginning with the death of Constable George Boore in 1937.
Details provided by the NSW Police Association show a steady stream of fatalities involving cars and motorcycles. The full list of casualties is as follows:
On 29 July, 1948 Constable Graham was riding a police motor cycle outfit along the Bermagui-Cobargo Road.
At the time the constable was riding along an unfamiliar area in an effort to locate and apprehend a rape suspect.
As he was negotiating a sharp bend in the roadway, the cycle skidded in loose gravel, left the roadway and mounted an embankment. It then tipped over, pinning the constable beneath it.
Constable Graham was admitted to the Bega District Hospital suffering from internal injuries, including a ruptured kidney and concussion.
Over the ensuing years his health deteriorated due to the original injuries and he died on Thursday 25 April, 1958.
The constable was born in Tamworth in 1915 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on Saturday 14 June, 1947.
At the time of his death he was stationed at Bodalla.
Constable Harman sustained fatal injuries when the Police Special Traffic Patrol Cycle he was riding was involved in a collision with a motor car. At the time the constable was riding the motorcycle from home to work at the Parramatta Police Station.
The constable was born in 1931 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 19 April, 1953. At the time of his death he was stationed at Parramatta.
Elizabeth COUSSENS nee McCampbell nee Gowing 34 old
Bruce James COUSSENS 7 months old
Funeral date: 31 July 1957
Funeral location:
Buried at: Bega Cemetery
Anglican, Section 7, Row A, Grave 3
Constable Kenneth Coussens ( 1957 )
Kenneth Desmond COUSSENS touch plate in Canberra
[alert_green] KENNETH IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_green]
The constable, his wife Elizabeth and baby son Bruce were murdered by the offender Kelly who had placed a bomb on the front verandah of the constable’s home at Bega. The offender had become incensed at being spoken to by the constable regarding traffic offences and on 29 July, 1957 he placed a metal dairy container packed with over 200 sticks of stolen gelignite at the constable’s home. About 2am the offender lit the fuse to the bomb and the dwelling was almost obliterated in the resultant explosion.
Constable Coussens‘ stepson, eight year-old Roger McCampbell, was the sole family survivor of the explosion. The offender Kelly was arrested after a major police investigation and was later sentenced to life imprisonment.
The constable was born in 1926 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 18 October, 1948. At the time of his death he was stationed at Bega.
OBITUARY
Senior Constable Kenneth Coussens; wife – Elizabeth Coussens; infant – Bruce Coussens 7 months old.
Killed by a bomb blast on July 29, 1957.
Senior Constable Ken Coussens moved to Bega in 1954 where the officer took up motor cycle traffic duties for the Public Safety Bureau (now known as the Highway Patrol).
He married a local girl Elizabeth who came from a well known local family and they had two children, Roger nine (from Elizabeth’s first marriage) and an infant son Bruce, seven months old.
Constable Coussens performed his police duties in a conscientious and professional manner in the Bega area attending to traffic duties, attending the scene of motor vehicle accidents and performing other police and community duties as required of a country police officer.
About 1956, in the course of his traffic duties Constable Coussens came into contact with a local man named Myron Bertram Kelly, 32.
The officer had cause to speak to Kelly regarding traffic offences and issued traffic fines to the man on a number of occasions.
Kelly appears to have become enraged when Constable Coussens issued fines and defect notices to Kelly’s tractor and rotary hoe.
As a result Kelly formed a grudge against Constable Coussens.
After this event Kelly went to a silica mine at Rock Flat between Nimmitabel and Cooma in his truck and removed five cases of gelignite and took it to Nethercote where he buried it.
He then stole a six gallon cream can from Curtis Brothers Creamery and took that to Nethercote.
He later built a home made bomb by placing 240 sticks of gelignite and a fuse into the cream can.
In the late hours of July 28, 1957 Kelly sneaked to the officers home while he was asleep in the house with his wife and young family.
He set the bomb at the front of the fibro and iron home situated in Girraween Crescent, Bega and ignited the fuse a few hours later.
Kelly left the scene and went home and at about 2am the bomb detonated causing a huge explosion which completely demolished the house.
The bomb also caused extensive damage to other homes and windows in the vicinity, up to a mile away.
More than 100 windows at Bega Hospital were shattered by the blast.
Constable Coussens and his wife and young baby were killed instantly.
The 9-year-old son Roger survived the blast as he was sleeping at the rear of the house.
Shocked neighbours saw him emerge from the wreckage dazed and confused.
Local residents did not know what had happened and due to the enormity of the blast rumours quickly spread that the gas works had exploded or a Navy plane from HMAS Albatross Nowra had accidentally bombed the town.
However, when it was learned a police officer had been killed by a bomb, police quickly recognised it had all the hallmarks of an assassination.
A criminal investigation swung quickly into action with detectives from Sydney travelled to Bega.
Forensic evidence from the crime scene indicated the explosion was caused by a home made bomb and fragments of a dairy can were located at the scene.
An intense investigation followed, lead by crack homicide squad detectives. Subsequently Kelly was identified as the prime suspect when his hatred of Constable Coussens became known as a motive.
Investigators later searched Kelly’s home and found explosives, fuses and gelignite and a demolition hand book.
Kelly was subsequently arrested and charged with the murder of Constable Coussens and his wife and baby.
He was also charged with the theft of six cases of gelignite, 800 detonators, 1000 feet of fuse, an army .303 rifle, 50 rounds of ammunition and possessing an unlicensed pistol.
The trial was conducted in Central Criminal Court and Kelly was convicted by a jury on the murder charges.
On December 6, 1957 he was sentenced to life imprisonment by Mr Justice McClemens who said at the time: “One could only hope for the sake of common human nature that a crime as terrible and devilish as the Bega bombing on July 29 sprang from some deep seated mental derangement. It is not a case where in the interest of the community one could recommend or hold out any hope for mercy”.
Constable Coussens was also a returned serviceman having served in the Royal Australian Navy.
(Research courtesy of David Gardner Australian Police Journal March 2005.Vol 59 No 1.)
Plaque commemorates a local policeman and his family who were murdered in 1957.
Senior Constable Ken Coussens, his wife and seven-month-old son were blown up by 240 sticks of gelignite. It was discovered that local man Myron Kelly had held a well-known grudge against the constable and in the absence of other leads this seemed worth following up. The offender had become incensed at being spoken to by the Constable regarding traffic offences and placed a metal dairy container loaded with the stolen gelignite outside the front door of the Constable’s home.
When Kelly’s house was searched, four and half sticks of gelignite, 20 feet of safety fuse and 58 detonators were discovered. The offender was arrested after a major Police investigation and later sentenced to life imprisonment. Myron Kelly was released from jail in 1980 and returned to the district. He died in Cooma in July 2007 aged 83.
Kenneth Desmond COUSSENS, born to Albert James & Edith Mabel COUSSENS.
NSW Deaths Registration number 34296/1957
National Archives of Australia:
Merchant Navy & Royal Australian Navy
Service # 32875
Born: Hastings, England Trade: Ex Apprentice Fitter & Turner
He reported for Duty on the 30 June 1944 as a ‘Ordinary Seaman II’ and Served upon the H.M.A.S. Cerberus as of the 3 July 1944.
He was described as being 5′ 10 1/2″, with brown hair and brown eyes with a scar on his right thigh.
It appears as though he was still ‘Serving’ with the R.A.N. on 12 June 1947.
He was ‘Rated’ as a ‘Ordinary Seaman’ on 2 July 1944
‘Rated’ ‘Able Seaman’ on 1 June 1945
Was transferred to Royal Australian Navy for 2 years from 4 October 1946.
On his ‘Blue card’ of the R.A.N. it appears, in the Medals, Clasps, etc. section, that the date of May 1958 appears with Const. Police Station Bega NSW.
In the area of the ‘Blue Card’ of the R.A.N. it appears, in the Good Conduct Badges, he was ‘Granted’ a ‘Penguin’ in July 1947.
Other data, written in pen and pencil, on his R.A.N. Service cards is hard to decipher.
The Canberra Times Tuesday 30 July 1957 page 1 of 12
SYDNEY, Monday. – Mystery still obscures the cause of the explosion which killed a police constable, his wife and their six-month-old son when it shattered their Bega home early to-day.
Police said to-night it would be several days before they could sift and examine the wreckage to determine the cause of the explosion, but they have found fragments of metal which appear to be from the casing of a high explosive shell.
Victims of the tragedy were: Constable Kenneth Desmond Coussens, 31, his wife Elizabeth, 34, and their son, Graham.
Their bodies were hurled from their beds and thrown 50 yds. into a neighbour’s garden. The sole survivor of the tragedy was Roger, 9, a son of Mrs. Coussens by a former marriage.
Detectives of Sydney Arson Squad were to-night uncertain of the cause of the explosion.
Fragments of metal which may be from the casing of a high explosive shell, will be examined by an R.A.N. explosive expert called in from Nowra Fleet Air Arm Base.
The explosion, shortly after 3 am. rocked Bega, damaging other houses and breaking 100 windows in Bega Hospital, almost half a mile away.
Awakened by the explosion, terrified neighbours rushed into the streets, which were blanketed by heavy fog.
Thick smoke hung over the Coussen’s house, which was shattered.
As horrified neighbours watched, young Roger Coussens staggered from the ruins, screaming, and slowly walked past torn down electricity and telephone wires which crackled and sparked.
He collapsed into the arms of a neighbour, dazed but uninjured.
The bodies of Constable Coussens and his wife were found near each other in a neighbour’s garden, 50 yards away.
It was almost five hours before the shattered body of the baby boy was found, behind a tree in the backyard.
Panic
As the explosion shattered windows of the four storey Bega Hospital, panic broke out among patients.
Men and women screamed and jumped from their beds as nurses ran through the wards, soothing patients.
Ambulanceman Keith Beresford said the house was like a scene in war time.
“Dense fog and hovering smoke hung over the wrecked building with sparkling electric wires on the ground,” he said.
At dawn, hundreds of people had gathered and Superintendent Mijch, officer in charge of the South Coast District Police to cordon off the area.
Pieces of furniture and personal possessions of the Coussens family were strewn over hundreds of yards.
The mattress from the bed on which the couple were sleeping together with bloodstained children’s clothing, were hurled many yards.
Supt. Mijch ordered that nothing be touched until Sydney. C.I.B. detectives, Sergeants Behrens and Bateman, and Det. Bradbury of the Arson Squad arrived.
Explosives expert, J. Parsons of the N.S.W. Mines Department and Det. Sgt. Ray Kelly of the C.I.B. Homicide Squad, were also rushed from Sydney.
Detectives are working on theories that the Coussens were the victims of a bomb plot perpetrated by a madman with a grudge, or that the explosions may have been caused by a war souvenir collected by Constable Coussens, who had served in the R.A.N, for a short time.
Bomb Theory
The theory of the bomb plot was strengthened this afternoon when police found a tunnel had been dug under the Coussens’ bedroom.
Police say the explosive could have been placed in the tunnel.
They have ruled out the possibility of a gas explosion.
Police are mystified at the escape of Roger Coussens.
Dazed and terrified, the boy said the only thing he remembered was a large piece of timber falling across his bed.
It was the boy’s second escape. His father, an American businessman, was killed in a car crash in the United States when Roger was still a baby.
Roger and his mother, then Mr. McCampbell, who were in his car, escaped unhurt.
Police said the only thing that saved Roger to-day was the fact that he was sleeping in a separate bedroom.
Under Room
The explosion apparently occurred in or beneath the bedroom where his mother, step-father and step-brother lay sleeping.
Residents told police that after the first tremendous explosion, shock waves spread across the district.
Mr. Kevin Barham, a neighbour, said he rushed into the street and heard screaming.
“I saw Roger staggering towards me, dressed only in his pyjama top.
“He was bare footed and crying and had dirt in his hair.
“He kept screaming ‘The house is ruined – the house is ruined.’
“When Roger walked towards me, he was stepping through live wires brought down by the explosion,” Mr. Barham said.
Barham said there was a strange smell about the Coussens’ home after the explosion, but he could not identify it.
Constable Coussens had been attached to Bega for about three years.
He had been a member of the police force for 11 years and was attached to the Safety Bureau in Sydney before being sent to Bega.
He had been stationed at Kogarah and also Cooma.
Police to-night placed a guard over the wreck of the home.
They said it would “be several days before they could sift and examine the debris to determine the cause of the explosion.
Earlier to-day a giant mobile crane was used to lift huge blocks of reinforced concrete which had been scattered over a wide area.
Police to-night appealed to residents to examine their gardens for any strange fragments of metal which may have come from the seat of the explosion.
They said even the smallest fragment could play an important part in solving the mystery.
The Canberra Times Wednesday 31 July 1957 page 1 of 12
SYDNEY, Tuesday. – Detectives are carefully investigating the background of a constable, who with his wife and seven-months-old son, was killed in a bomb explosion at Bega yesterday.
Detectives will also inquire into his activities and arrests since he joined the police force, about 10 years ago.
Those killed were Const. First class Kenneth Desmond Coussens, 31, his wife, Elizabeth, 34, and their son, Graham.
The trio were killed when a mysterious explosion wrecked their home at Bega and smashed windows throughout the town, a half mile away. Coussens step-son, Roger, escaped unharmed.
Detectives to-day discovered metal casings, which strengthens a theory that a maniac with a grudge against the constable, placed a bomb under the house.
They are also interviewing the hoodlum element in the town, for the constable, despite his unblemished police record, was described as a “hard man” by certain sections of the public.
His application to duty had earned him a number of “threats.”
With this in mind, a team of detectives headed by Detective Superintendent Norman Mitch, are investigating his local arrests.
The State Police explosives expert, Mr. S. W. Parsons, has established that the blast was not caused by gelignite.
No traces of a detonator been found.
A theory, described as “doubtful,” is that Coussens became involved in the fishing war on the South Coast.
Detectives have established that Coussens had purchased a £1,500 fishing launch 12 months ago and had engaged a crew of three to fish commercially.
The launch, registered in his wife’s name, was sold two weeks ago.
The Canberra Times Thursday 1 August 1957 page 4 of 16
BEGA, Wednesday. – Fragments of metal found at the site of the fatal explosion which killed a police constable, his wife and his young son on Monday, were sent to the C.I.B. to-day.
The fragments will be examined by the Scientific Bureau and metallurgists in the hope of identifying them.
Police are now certain that the explosion occurred from a container which was under the front verandah of the house. However, it is not yet known if it was a war souvenir or a home-made bomb planted by a maniac.
Victims of the blast were Constable Kenneth Coussens, 32, his wife, Elizabeth, 32, and his son, Graham Bruce, 7 months.
They were buried at Bega to-day. More than 1,500 people attended the funeral service and many wept at the cortege passed through the crowded main street. Shops and businesses were closed as a mark of respect.
Fifty police from all parts of the South Coast formed a guard of honour and police who had worked with Constable Coussens acted as pall-bearers.
The couple and their child were buried in a family grave two miles out of Bega.
Sole survivor of the explosion was Mrs. Coussens’ son by a former marriage nine-year-old Roger.
Roger’s father, a U.S., businessman, was killed in a car crash when Roger was a baby.
The Canberra Times Saturday 10 August 1957 page 1 of 16
BEGA, Friday. – Hatred had led a man to make a milk can bomb which exploded killing a police constable, his wife and baby son, police alleged in Bega Court to-day.
Before the court was Myron Bertram Kelly, 32, agricultural contractor, of Gipp Street, Bega.
Kelly has been charged with the murder of Const. Kenneth Desmond Coussens, 31, his wife, Elizabeth Coussens, 34, and their son, Bruce Coussens (7 months), of Girrawheen Crescent, Bega, on July 29.
Police Prosecutor Det. Sgt. J. Behrens told Mr. W. Cobcroft, J.P., that Coussens, his wife and son were killed after a violent explosion near the front door of their home.
Sgt. Behrens said police alleged Kelly made a bomb by stacking stolen gelignite into two milk cans and detonating them with a home-made time fuse.
Inquiries, he added, had shown that the milk cans had been stolen from Bega and the explosives from Nimmitabel.
“The explosion was sufficiently violent to catapault their bodies out of the house on to the adjacent vacant allotment,” Sgt. Behrens said.
Metal Found
“A scientific examination was made and a large number of pieces of metal were recovered embedded in woodwork and in the ruins of the house.
“Pieces were collected in various positions in the vicinity, approximately 400 yards away.”
Sgt. Behrens said Kelly was a native of Nimmitabel
and had an intimate knowledge of the places from where the explosives were stolen.
Kelly had been questioned by police about his knowledge of explosives, Sgt. Behrens said.
“He has had experience of explosives and when questioned he denied that he had any explosives in his possession.
In Bedroom
“This was found to be false, as a search of his home revealed a quantity of gelignite and detonators stored in his bedroom.
“During the search, identical nameplates from the missing milk cans referred to were found at his home.
“He has not offered any explanation of their presence there,” Sgt. Behrens said.
The prosecutor said Kelly had put forward an alibi for his movements on the night before and the morning of the explosion, but this alibi would be disproved.
He said, “We contend that the defendant had the strongest motive, which is hatred.”
”Differences”
“Evidence will be given,” Det. Sgt. Behrens said “that the defendant had had differences with the late Constable Coussens in connection with traffic matters over a lengthy period.”
Mr. Cobcroft remanded Kelly to Bega Court on September 4. He refused bail.
Immediately after Kelly had been remanded, Mr. Cobcroft opened the Coroner’s Court inquest into the death of Coussens, his wife and son.
On a request from Sgt. Behrens, he adjourned the hearing to a date to be fixed.
The Canberra Times Tuesday 15 October 1957 page 1 of 12
BEGA, Monday: A 9 year-old boy told the Bega coroner’s Court to-day that a blast which killed his mother, stepfather and baby stepbrother, had caused his house “to come down on top of him.”
The boy, Roger Clinton McCampbell, said he thought he was dreaming and called out to his mother, but she did not come to him.
The District Coroner, Mr. W. Cobcroft, opened the inquiry into the deaths of Constable Kenneth Desmond Coussens, 31, his wife, Elizabeth, 34, and his 7-months-old son Bruce.
All three died in an explosion which wrecked Constable Coussen’s home in Girrawheen Crescent, Bega, on July 29.
Before the court, charged on three counts of murder, was Myron Bertram Kelly, 34, agricultural contractor, of Gipps Street, Bega.
He was also charged with stealing six cases of gelignite, 800 detonators and 1,000ft of fuse.
The Canberra Times Wednesday 16 October 1957 page 3 of 12
BEGA, Tuesday.—A man allegedly told police he planned and lit a home-made bomb which later exploded, killing a police constable, his wife and baby son, Bega Coroner’s Court was told to-day.
In a statement allegedly made by Myron Bertram Kelly, 32, of Gipps Street, Bega, Kelly said he and the policeman were “bitter enemies”.
Kelly has been charged with the murder of Constable Desmond Kenneth Coussens, 31, his wife, Elizabeth Coussens, 34 and their eight-months-old son, Bruce James Coussens.
The three died when an explosion rocked, their home in Girawheen Crescent, Bega, on July 20.
The statement alleged to have been made by Kelly was handed to the Coroner, Mr. Cobcroft, S.M., by Detective Sergeant C. Behrers.
Not Particular
It read “The first trouble I had with Constable Coussens was about three years ago. That was a series of defect notices about a Howard tractor and rotary hoe.
“Coussens was not very particular what he did.
“The first real trouble was two years ago when he overtook a taxi I was travelling in and arrested me for riding an unregistered motor cycle and then carried out a search of my premises, where I am now living. “I was fined £5 for that offence.
“The next incident was a collision in front of the Bega Police Station on April 13, 1956.
Collision
“I had been working on the river bank below the town. On my way home I saw him on the corner of Auckland and Bega Streets. I was driving a rotary hoe.
“He then followed me a fair way behind along Bega Street and up Gipps Street.
Opposite the police station, he closed in and collided with the tractor.
“He then charged me with everything, he could think of, although the accident was of his own neglect.
“I appeared before the Bega Court and I was fined a total of about £40.”
The statement also alleged several other traffic incidents between Coussens and Kelly, but no charges were laid.
“From these incidents, we were bitter enemies,” the statement said.
It continued: “About the middle of June this year, I went in my truck to Rock Flat and I took five cases of gelignite from there.
Stole Can
“A week before the tragedy when Constable Coussens was killed, I stole a six-gallon milk can from the platform at the Bega butter factory. It had ‘Curtis Bros.’ on the can.
“I took the labels off the can, dug up the gelignite and made a bomb out of the milk can and brought it back in my car to my home in Bega.
“That week I fitted it up with about 20ft. of fuse and a detonator and sealed it up with mud.
“About midnight that night, I put the bomb in the back of my car and drove into Auckland Street.
“I took it out of the car and put it on the verandah of Constable Coussens’ house, near the front door.
“At about 2 o’clock in the morning, I walked up to Constable Coussens’ house and lit the fuse on the bomb.
“After that I went back to bed. Not being a strong container, I expected very little damage to be done and a lot of noise.
“I thought it would go no further than to break some fibro off the walls and give the constable a bad fright, causing the Police Department to move him.
“I did not think that it would kill him, his wife and his child.
“It was the last thing in the world that I wanted to happen.
The Canberra Times Thursday 17 October 1957 page 5 of 20
BEGA, Wednesday: The inquiry into the deaths of Constable Desmond Coussens, his wife and baby son in an explosion which wrecked their home, was adjourned to-day till tomorrow.’
The hearing was adjourned because some witnesses could not attend.
The Canberra Times Friday 18 October 1957 page 18 of 20
BEGA, Thursday: A farmer told the Coroner’s Court to-day that he had believed a milk can filled with explosives was to be placed on a police constable’s verandah as a practical joke.
The farmer, Edward Morris Williams, said he had been a close friend of Bartram Myron Kelly, 32, contractor, of Bega, who has been charged with murder.
The inquiry is being held into the deaths of Constable Kenneth Coussens, 31, his wife, Elizabeth, 34, and his son, Bruce, 8 months, at Bega on July 29.
The three died when a bomb wrecked the house.
Williams said Kelly had shown him a milk can containing gelignite, at the back of Kelly’s home, and said he was going to put a burnt-out fuse in it and leave it on the patio to frighten Coussens.
Williams said he had not reported the matter to the police because he had understood it was a practical joke by Kelly.
The Canberra Times Saturday 19 October 1957 page 6 of 16
BEGA, Friday,— An agricultural contractor was committed for trial to-day by the Bega District Coroner on a charge of having murdered a police constable, his wife and baby son.
The coroner, Mr. W. Cobcroft, found Constable Kenneth Coussens, 31, his wife, Elizabeth, 34, and son Bruce James, 8 months, died from injuries received on July 29 in an explosion, in their home in Girrawheen Street, Bega.
The explosion had been feloniously and maliciously brought about by Myron Kelly, he said.
He committed Kelly for trial at Central Criminal Court.
Mr. Cobcroft said a bomb had been placed on the patio of the constable’s home near his bedroom and detonated. The bomb had been housed in a cream can. It has been established that the cream can was stolen from the Bega Butter Factory shortly before the explosion and that the can was in the possession of Kelly.
Kelly was also found to be in possession of a quantity of gelignite, detonators and a fuse.
Mr. Cobcroft said he was not satisfied with the evidence of one of the 40 witnesses who appeared at the inquest, Edward Morris Williams, farmer, of Pambula, who said that he had seen and handled the bomb made by Kelly.
One would have expected that in these circumstances Williams would have gone to the police and volunteered information which probably would have led to the “frustration of Kelly’s intention,” said Mr. Cobcroft.
“I don’t believe Williams’ evidence where he stated he thought the whole affair was to be nothing more than a practical Joke,” he added.
Had Williams acted as a prudent man, the tragedy might have been averted.
The Canberra Times Saturday 7 December 1957 page 1 of 16
SYDNEY, Friday: An agricultural contractor found guilty of setting off a bomb which killed a police constable, his wife and child, was sentenced to life imprisonment by Mr. Justice McClemens in the Central Criminal Court to-day.
The contractor is Myron Bertrand Kelly, 32, of Gipps Street, Bega.
Kelly pleaded not guilty to the murder of Constable Kenneth Desmond Coussens, 31, of Girraween Crescent, Bega.
Coussens, his wife Elizabeth, 34, and their baby son, Bruce, 9 months, were killed when an explosion wrecked their home on July 29.
The Crown alleged that Kelly confessed to placing a home-made bomb under the patio of Coussens’ home and lighting the fuse.
The bomb was a milk can filled with gelignite.
In a statement from the dock yesterday Kelly said he had no intention of harming the Coussens’ family.
“I have thought the matter over day and night and still cannot believe that the explosive I had did that damage and killed three people,” he said.
TRAGIC incidents litter the Bega Valley’s long and proud history – fire, homicides and accidents cutting lives far too short.
However, very few incidents stir emotions, ignite debate and were more widely reported than a bombing that claimed the lives of a local police constable, his wife and infant son.
This coming Sunday (July 29) marks the 50th anniversary of this tumultuous event in 1957 when the town was rocked by the monumental explosion about 2.10am on that fateful day.
The cold air of the winter’s night was pierced by the noise of the explosion that woke everyone in town and many in the surrounding farming districts.
Hundreds of windows were smashed by the concussion, more than 100 in the hospital alone, and some up to a mile away from the explosion site.
Residents initially were confused as what exactly had blown up.
The obvious culprit, the gasworks, was still standing as were Slater’s fuel depot and the various service stations.
As emergency service personnel fumbled for their boots and warm clothing the initial cacophony was replaced by an eerie, yawning silence.
It took several minutes of fruitless searching before the source of the blast was identified.
It was the two-year-old home of Constable Kenneth Coussens and his family on the northern side of Girraween Crescent that had borne the brunt of the explosion.
The entire front of the house had been blown away, with the remainder barely standing.
Vast sections of the roof were missing and supporting wooden tresses had fallen into the void.
Such was the force of the blast, that Constable Coussens, his wife Elizabeth (nee Gowing) and infant son Bruce, who had all been sleeping in the front bedroom at the time, were flung large distances through the air.
All three sustained devastating injuries and were killed instantly.
Horrified and instantly sickened by the war-like scene they found when arriving at the house, those who converged were stunned when, incredibly, Mrs Coussens’ elder son Roger (9) crawled physically unscathed from the hotchpotch of metal and wood that only minutes earlier had been his family’s home.
While the cloak of night may have hampered emergency workers in their efforts, it enabled neighbours to shield the boy from the horrors that lay only metres away.
As daylight greeted investigators, reminders of the horror of the incident continued to emerge, with soiled children’s books and bloodstained booties among the items that littered the lawn and street.
The investigation
Superintendent Mitjch of Wollongong, along with detectives Bevan, Bateman, Clark and Davenport, arrived in Bega shortly before noon on the day of the blast to commence investigations.
The chief explosive expert of the Department of Labour and Industry, Mr Parsons, followed shortly after.
Accident or murder?
The house had been destroyed and apart from a vast hole and the devastation there were precious few leads.
With inquiries leading nowhere, speculation an innuendo continued to mount throughout the community.
One popular story (which was quickly disproved) was that planes from the Nowra naval base had mistakenly dropped a bomb during a flyover.
The subject of gossip also turned to Constable Coussens who had served in the Navy during World War II prior to joining the force.
The story went that he was a souvenir hunter and had stored a mortar bomb on the landing – this theory was also kyboshed.
It wasn’t until detective Bob Bradbury suggested: “I wonder if those bits of metal could have come from a cream can which might have been used as bomb” that things started to fall into place for the investigative team.
A number of checks were made and the investigators scored a hit: the Bega Creamery Society confirmed that a six-gallon cream can had been stolen from the factory recently.
The owner of the can, the Curtis family, was contacted and it was ascertained that the stolen item was one of two bought years previously.
The second can was subsequently examined and the metal was found to be identical to that located at the explosion site.
Further investigation revealed that a substantial quantity of gelignite had been stolen from a mine at Rock Flay (between Nimmitabel and Cooma).
The detectives continued to pore over Constable Coussens’ life in an attempt to discover a reason for such a malicious act and it was quickly discovered that local man Myron Bertrand Kelly, 32, had held a well-known grudge against the constable.
In the absence of other leads it seemed worth following up.
So on August 7 a search was made of Kelly’s house and a safety fuse and an unexploded detonator in a tobacco tin were found in a tool shed on the property.
Also located was an empty landmine, and brass nameplates bearing the name ‘Curtis Bros, Brogo’ – the plates from a dairy cream can.
In a cabinet in the main bedroom four and half sticks of gelignite, 20 feet of safety fuse and 58 detonators were discovered.
There was also an empty hand grenade, powder tins and equipment for loading rifle and gun cartridges, together with a demolition handbook.
A search of Kelly’s Dodge vehicle revealed a circular marking on the floor mat in the back that matched up perfectly with the identical cream can the police had procured from the dairy.
Two weeks later, upon receipt of further information, five cases of gelignite were located under a rock on a property at Nethercote frequented by Kelly.
The grudge
Constable Coussens had been stationed at Bega since 1954 on motorcycle traffic duties for the Public Safety Bureau (now known as the Highway Patrol).
He was praised by his fellow officers and a large proportion of the local community for his vigilance in dealing with hoodlums and ‘hoons’, but it was his zeal that had him offside with some – including Myron Kelly.
Kelly had been booked of a number of occasions by the constable and harboured palpable ill-will towards him.
In an interview at Bega Police Station on August 14, Kelly outlined his dealings with Constable Coussens.
He said he had received a number of defect notices on his tractor and rotary hoe and had been stopped frequently for licence checks by the officer.
He also made the accusation that Constable Coussens had instigated a collision between the pair in order charge him with a number of offences.
“It was April 13, 1956… I saw him on the corner… I was driving the rotary hoe. He followed me and opposite the police station he closed in to collide with the tractor. He then charged me with everything he could think of, although the accident was mainly of his own neglect. I appeared before the Bega Court and was fined a total of 40 pounds,” Mr Kelly said.
Minor incidents also had occurred in May and July 1957 (just before the bombing), no breaches were issued but there were words between the pair.
There remain some people in the community who are sympathetic to Kelly and who speak of the constable “having it in for him”.
The bomb
In the same interview with police, on August 14, Kelly also outlined how he made the bomb.
On Sunday, June 16 he had gone to Rock Flat in his truck, entered a silica mine and removed five cases of gelignite. He then returned to a property at Nethercote and buried it.
Then about a week before the bombing he stole the six-gallon cream can and also took that to Nethercote.
Kelly told investigators, “A few days after, instead of going to work, I removed the labels from the can and dug up the gelignite. I packed 240 sticks into the can like cigarettes and made a bomb. I took in my car home and put it in my shed. Later, I fitted it with about 20 feet of fuse and a detonator and sealed it with mud.”
Then, just before midnight on July 28, he sneaked over to the Coussens residence and set the can down on the front landing, then hurried home to bed.
Two hours later he returned, lit the fuse and walked away – he was at his home again by the time the blast shook Bega.
Court proceedings
After being charged with the murders of Constable Coussens, Elizabeth and Bruce on August 9, Kelly appeared in the Bega Local Court of Petty Sessions before being remanded to reappear at a later date.
The coroner’s inquiry into the three deaths began on October 14 before William Cobcroft, JP.
During the lengthy inquiry, Mr Cobcroft heard evidence from a large number of witnesses, including the detectives involved in the case, family members of the deceased, and Kelly, among others.
During his time in the stand, Kelly reiterated his accusations that the constable had unfairly targeted him and that his intention had been simply to frighten the officer after his requests to councillors and high ranking police for Constable Coussens to be transferred fell on deaf ears.
“I have all the regrets in the world for what happened,” Kelly said.
The following is an extract of Mr Cobcroft’s findings, handed down on October 15:
“Kenneth Desmond Coussens, Elizabeth Mary Hamilton Coussens and Bruce James John Coussens died from injuries received on July 29, 1957, in an explosion felonously and maliciously brought about on that date by Myron Bertrand Kelly, and I further find in the manner aforesaid that the said Myron Bertrand Kelly did felonously and maliciously murder them.”
Mr Cobcroft committed Kelly to the Central Criminal Court, Sydney.
After five days of evidence the jury retired and after just one hour they returned with a guilty verdict.
Justice McClemens asked Kelly if he had anything to say. Kelly shook his head and said loudly, “No!”
In sentencing the then 32-year-old farming contractor to life imprisonment on December 6, 1957, Justice McClemens said: “One could only hope for the sake of common human nature that a crime as terrible and devilish as the Bega bombing on July 29, sprang from some deep-seated mental derangement.
“It is not a case where in the interest of the community one could recommend or hold out hope for mercy.”
When being led away Kelly turned to his elderly father, waved his hand and simply said in a loud voice: “Goodbye!”
The miracle boy
Amazingly, this hideous event was not the first time that nine-year-old Roger’s (the sole survivor) life had been touched by tragedy.
Eight years earlier his American father (Elizabeth’s first husband) was killed in car accident in the United States.
The youngster had been in his mother’s arms in the car at the time and somehow, miraculously, both had survived.
Upon returning to Australia and the Bega Valley, Elizabeth met, fell in love with, and married Constable Coussens.
Roger, who now lives in Sydney, has a family of his own and is returning to Bega this weekend for the memorial service.
Myron Bertrand Kelly
After being sentenced to life imprisonment on December 6, 1957, Kelly was released in 1980 and returned to the district.
In the ensuing years he lived a quiet life at Austral Farm, Nimmitabel, before moving to the Sir William Hudson Memorial Centre in Cooma where he died, aged 83, on July 4 this year. He never re-offended.
Kelly was married to Viola and the father of two sons – David (dec) and John – and a daughter, Jeanette.
There are still some in the community who believe Kelly was provoked and others who believe his version of events that he didn’t intend to physically harm Constable Coussens or his family.
Senior Sergeant, Garry Nowlan, of Bega Police disputes this.
“It is easy to see from the evidence the man had a fixation with explosives,” Mr Nowlan said.
“He knew what they could do. You don’t use 240 sticks of gelignite to scare somebody. You don’t murder a family because you got a few traffic tickets.
“Kelly was judged by a jury of his peers and they got it right. He was a cold, reckless killer.”
Whatever the truth is, there is no doubt Myron Bertrand Kelly will always hold an infamous place in the history of Bega.
Around 150 people gathered alongside police officers in Bega to remember the tragedy that claimed the lives of Constable Kenneth Coussens, his wife Elizabeth and baby son Bruce, who were murdered by Myron Kelly, who had placed a bomb outside the Constable’s home in Bega.
Fifty years ago a policeman, his wife and baby were murdered in Bega in south-east New South Wales.
Around 150 people gathered alongside police officers to remember the bombing tragedy that claimed the lives of Constable Kenneth Coussens, his wife Elizabeth and baby son Bruce, who were murdered by Myron Kelly, who had placed a bomb outside the Constable’s home in Bega.
NSW Police Commissioner Ken Moroney stated, “This was a very important occasion, not only for the Coussens family who had gathered from as far as Adelaide and Sydney. It was important for people in the Bega Valley to come together, with members of the NSW Police Force to acknowledge the 50th Anniversary of when Senior Constable Ken Coussens his wife Elizabeth and their seven month old son Bruce were murdered in Bega.”
“It’s was an occasion to reflect, to remember but also acknowledge that which is good about this community. These are always occasions for sadness and reflection but they also give you optimism for the future, said Commissioner Moroney.”
He continued, “Mr Coussens is one of 280 officers in NSW who have lost their lives in the execution of their duties. It’s a reflection on the legacy that people like Ken Coussens leave us and on the proud history and traditions of the NSW Police.
Locals recall the enormous explosion at about 2am as hundreds of windows were smashed close to the Constable’s home and some up to a mile away from the explosion site.
The home was almost obliterated by the explosion with the entire front of the house being blown away and the remainder barely standing. Much of the roof was missing and Constable Coussens, his wife Elizabeth and infant son Bruce, who had all been sleeping in the front bedroom at the time, were flung through the air and killed instantly.
I can think of no greater breach of civil liberty than the taking of another life
In search of a suspect, detectives intimately examined Constable Coussens’ life in an attempt to discover why such a violent act had occurred in the usually quiet town.
It was discovered that local man Myron Kelly had held a well-known grudge against the constable and in the absence of other leads this seemed worth following up.
The offender had become incensed at being spoken to by the Constable regarding traffic offences and placed a metal dairy container loaded with over 200 sticks of stolen gelignite outside the front door of the Constable’s home.
When Kelly’s house was searched, four and half sticks of gelignite, 20 feet of safety fuse and 58 detonators were discovered. The offender was arrested after a major Police investigation and later sentenced to life imprisonment.
Myron Kelly was released from jail in 1980 and returned to the district. He died in Cooma in July 2007 aged 83.
Commissioner Moroney said, “This was a terrible act of evil…from my reading of the historical documents, Mr Kelly stated he only ever intended to frighten the constable. However, I can think of no greater breach of civil liberty than the taking of another life.”
Incredibly, Mrs Coussens’ elder son Roger who was 9 years old at the time was physically unharmed by the attack.
For the Commissioner, being able to meet Roger who was the sole survivor from that day was very inspiring.
Commissioner Moroney said of Roger, “He had a bit of a tear in the eye as he reflected on his mother, brother and step-father. I think it was also an opportunity for him to catch up with family and to reflect what I believe was the honour that his step-father holds in terms of service Kenneth Coussens gave to the NSW Police Force and the community.”
Joined NSW Police via the NSW Police Cadet System on 15 November 1943
Cadet # 423
Regd. # ?
Rank: Joined NSW Police Cadets – 15 November 1943
Probationary Constable – appointed 12 November 1946
Constable 1st Class – death
Stations: Yass, Goulburn S.T.P.
Service: From 15 November 1943 to 16 May 1957 = 13+ years Service
Awards: ? No find on It’s an honour
Born: ? ? 1925
Died on: Thursday 16 May 1957
Cause: Motor Vehicle Accident – motor cycle
Location: Hume Hwy, Paddy’s River, Nth Marulan
Age: 31
Funeral date: Friday 17 May 1957
Funeral location: St Saviour’s Cathedral, Goulburn
Buried at: Cremated at Nth Sydney Crematorium on Saturday 18 May 1957. Ashes scattered at Northern Suburbs Memorial Gardens.
[alert_green]TREVOR is mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_green]
TOUCH PLATE FOR CONSTABLE 1st CLASS TREVOR WILLIAM DODDS, CANBERRA WALL OF REMEMBRANCE
On 16 May, 1957 Constable Dodds was riding a Police Special Traffic Patrol solo motor cycle from Goulburn to Bowral Court. On the Hume Highway at Paddy’s River, just north of Marulan, the cycle hit a patch of oil and water, skidded and left the roadway, colliding with trees. As a result the constable sustained fatal injuries.
The constable was born in 1925, joined the New South Wales Police Force as a cadet on 15 November, 1943 and was sworn in on 12 November, 1946. At the time of his death he was stationed at Goulburn.
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L-R: Kevin McMahon, Trevor Dodds, standing ?, Kevin Stewart, Ron Gardener, standing ?. Goulburn Evening Post. possibly near Goulburn Gasworks
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The Canberra Times 17 May, 1957
CONSTABLE IN FATAL CRASH
A young Goulburn traffic constable was killed instantly yesterday morning when he was thrown from his motor cycle on the Hume Highway near Paddy’s River. He was Trevor William Dodds, 31, a first class constable with the Traffic Department. He leaves a widow and four-month-old son. Police believe Dodds’ cycle skidded on a patch of oil and water on the road. The cycle struck a guidepost, throwing the rider, who died from severe head injuries. He was on his way to court at Bowral when the accident occurred.
Goulburn police said Constable Dodds was one of the best-known police men in the Southern Districts. He had been at Goulburn since 1949, and earlier had served for some years at Yass. He had been in the force since 1943.
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the Canberra Times Saturday 18 May 1957 page 14 of 16
Crowds Witness Policeman’s Funeral March
Crowds of Goulburn people lined Auburn Streetyesterday to watch the funeral procession for a young Goulburn police motor cyclist, who was killed on Thursday.
First Class Constable Trevor William Dodds, 31, will be cremated at the North Sydney Crematorium to-day.
He was killed when his motor cycle skidded and crashed on the Hume Highway on Thursday.
Conducting the funeral service in St. Saviour’s Cathedral, the Very Rev. D. King said that Constable Dodds had given his life in service to the community.
Among police represented was Inspector J. Courtney, who accompanied a party of eight Canberra policemen. Sgt, H. Luton represented the A.C.T. Police Association.
The chief of the Police Safety Bureau, Inspector J. Agnew, was present at the funeral.
Goulburn Evening Post Monday 6 March 1950 page 5 of 8
Insulting Words Bring Fine Kezsel Webb was fined £4 in the Goulburn Court of Petty Sessions this morning for using insulting words to Constable Trevor William Dodds, of Goulburn Police.
Mr. A. J. Paton, S. M., was told that in answer to a complaint, Constable Dodds had visited a hotel and found Webb, who was under the influence, trying to buy liquor.
Constable Dodds told him that he would not be able to buy any more liquor. On the footpath outside the the hotel, Webb had used insulting words. A slip of paper with the words allegedly used written on it was handed to Mr. Paton. Webb pleaded guilty. He was allowed seven days to pay.
Rank: Senior Constable – posthumously promoted to Sergeant 3rd Class
Service: From 3 July 1939 to 22 August 1956 = 17+ years Service
Stations: ?, Pt Kembla
Awards: Queen’s Police Medal for Gallantry – granted 28 December 1956
Peter Mitchell Trophy and the George Lewis Trophy
Cause: Shot – Murdered
Event location: Primbee, NSW
Born: ? ? 1916
Age: 40
Date of Event: Thursday 16 August 1956
Date of Death: Wednesday 22 August, 1956 at 5.25pm in Wollongong Hospital
Funeral date: Saturday 25 August 1956 – Wagga Wagga
Allen is buried in the Wagga Wagga Cemetery, Kooringal Rd, Kooringal, NSW.
His grave is located in the Anglican Section K – 5-0077
Allen IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance
Senior Constable ( Sergeant 3rd Class ) Allen William NASH, Shot at Primbee on 16 August 1956 and died on 22 August 1956. 1939 Police Academy class photo with NASH being first on the left in second row from front ( circled ).
Allen William NASH
Allen William NASH
On 16 August, 1956 Senior Constable Nash was on duty at the Port Kembla Police Station. Following the receipt of a message of shots fired at a Primbee dwelling occupied by a woman and two children, Senior Constable Nash left to attend to the complaint.
On arrival he found the offender Russinnear the back verandah of the house and spoke to him. Russin, however simply raised the rifle he was carrying and shot the constable. The bullet unfortunately passed through Nash’s abdomen, damaging his spine and causing him to drop his pistol. With his right arm paralysed, Nash picked up the pistol with his left hand and, although in great pain, managed to fire two shots. One shot hit the offender in the hands, and the other penetrated the heart, killing him.
Senior Constable Nash was posthumously awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for Gallantry, the Peter Mitchell Trophy, and the George Lewis Trophy.
Commissioner Delaney also promoted him sergeant 3rd class on the day before he died from his wounds.
The sergeant was born in 1916 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 3 July, 1939. At the time of his death he was stationed at Port Kembla.
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Police Remembrance Day: Lake Illawarra sergeant Allen William Nash honoured
JOSHUA BUTLER
Kenneth Nash (left) at the Police Remembrance Day ceremony on Monday. Picture: ANDY ZAKELI.
Almost 60 years on, Kenneth Nash still misses his uncle Allen.
Sergeant Allen William Nash, aged 40, was killed in the line of duty by a gun-wielding offender at Primbee in 1956.
Sgt Nash was one of eight officers stationed in the Lake Illawarra local area command who were recognised with memorial plaques on a wall of honour outside Lake Illawarra police station on Monday, as part of Police Remembrance Day commemorations.
Dozens of current and retired officers, families, friends, politicians, councillors and members of the public gathered at Oak Flats for a ceremony to unveil the memorial wall, and honour past and present officers.
Kenneth Nash travelled from Brisbane for the ceremony, laying a wreath below his uncle’s name.
‘‘We came to Port Kembla some time ago to see where he was, and they had a plaque on the wall at the station,’’ Mr Nash said.
‘‘They called us and asked if we could come for the ceremony.’’
On August 16, 1956, Sgt Nash, stationed at Port Kembla, responded to shots fired at a Primbee house.
Finding a man on the verandah, Sgt Nash attempted to speak to the man but was shot through the abdomen, the bullet piercing his spine and paralysing his right arm.
Sgt Nash then shot the offender with his left hand. He died not long after.
Sgt Nash was posthumously awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for Gallantry, the Peter Mitchell Trophy, and the George Lewis Trophy.
‘‘He wasn’t even supposed to be on duty that day, he was covering for someone else,’’ Mr Nash said.
‘‘Having a recognition like this, it’s everything for us. He had a lot of siblings but only one or two are left. This plaque means people won’t forget about him.’’
Mr Nash carries with him a cigarette case Sgt Nash had in his jacket on the day he died, and counts a cutlery set sent to his uncle by Queen Elizabeth herself as a prized family heirloom.
Since 1862, more than 250 NSW Police officers have died in the line of duty.
WOLLONGONG, Thursday. — A critically wounded police constable shot dead his beserk attacker in a gun duel at Wollongong early to-day.
Doctors at Wollongong Hospital are fighting to save the life of the policeman, Allen Nash, 40, of Wentworth Street, Port Kembla, who was shot through the groin by a .22 bullet.
The bullet pierced his liver and lodged near his spine.
Doctors said to-night they had performed an emergency operation on Constable Nash, but his condition was still critical. The dead man is Czech migrant, Nokolaj Russin, steelworker, of Shellharbour Rd, Primbee.
As Constable Nash lay wounded he shot Russin through the heart.
Police described Russin as a woman-basher.
Before Constable Nash fought the duel with him, Russin had terrorised a housewife and her family for an hour.
The woman is Mrs. Mildred Pearce, who lives with her husband and two children aged three and six in Allowra Crescent, Primbee.
She said that shortly before midnight Russin forced attentions on her.
When she refused him admission to the house he went berserk and fired a fusillade of shots, which shattered a window of her bedroom.
Residents said to-day they knew Russin as a gun happy lover who had approached many women in the Primbee area, but had been rejected.
Police said he was estranged from his wife, who lives in Trundle with her 10 year old son.
They believe Russin watched the Pearce home until Mr. Pearce went to work. When Mrs. Pearce was alone, he went to the rear of the house and tried to enter.
Just after midnight Mrs. Pearce was awakened by rifle shots and heard Russin‘s voice as he called out. As she went to open the back door, a bullet whizzed past her head. She went back to the bedroom and locked her children in the bathroom.
“I shouted to neighbours, but they didn’t hear me and when I heard a couple more shots I ran out of the front door to Mr. Stanton‘s shop opposite,” she said.
Mr. B. Stanton rang Port Kembla police and when Constable Nash arrived in a police truck, Mrs. Pearce said she went back into the house.
She heard more shots and Constable Nash called out “Mrs. Pearce, get me help. He’s shot me“.
Then Nash said “I’ve got him“.
A few minutes later Detective Sergeant Davenport and Detectives Marrott, Knott and Morgan, of Wollongong, arrived.
They found Russin dead. He was still clutching a .22 repeating rifle, on the small back verandah below the bullet-perforated back door.
Russin had been shot through the heart by one bullet from Nash‘s service pistol and a second shot had passed through both of his hands.
Nash told police that as he walked to the back verandah he saw Russin firing shots into the back door.
Russin turned and at a range of only a few feet, shot him in the stomach. Nash fired two shots and then his pistol jammed.
An examination of the house showed ten shots had been fired into the back door and bullets were buried into the wall inches from where Mrs. Pearce had been standing.
WOLLONGONG, Sunday,— The Police Commissioner, Mr. C. J. Delaney, to-day visited wounded police hero, Allan Nash, and promoted him from the rank of senior constable to third-class sergeant.
Sergeant Nash, 40, was promoted for bravery and devotion to duty.
He was wounded before he shot dead a beserk Czech migrant at Primbee last Thursday.
The migrant, Nokolaj Russin, had fired shots at a woman and her children and had terrorised them, for an hour before Nash tackled him.
Doctors at Wollongong Hospital said to-night that although Nash was still in a critical condition he had a fighting chance.
Mr. Delaney and several high police officers visited sergeant Nash to-day.
About 16 friends and relatives of Sergeant Nash including his parents, who came from Wagga waited outside the hospital but were not allowed to see him.
Mr. Delaney read a letter to Nash telling him of his promotion.
Part of the letter read: “Your conduct has been hailed by colleagues and the public alike as a magnificent effort.
“We of the police force are proud of you.”
Sergeant, Nash thanked Mr. Delaney for the tributes.
WOLLONGONG. Wednesday. — Sergeant Allan Nash, 40, of Port Kembla, died in Wollongong Hospital this afternoon, a week after a beserk Czech migrant critically wounded him with a .22 rifle.
Sergeant Nash had a relapse at 3 pm. and died at 5.25 pm.
When he was admitted to hospital, he was suffering from a bullet wound in his liver.
He rallied soon after admittance and doctors yesterday said his condition, although still critical, was improved.
The Police Commissioner, Mr. Delaney, visited Sergeant Nash on Sunday and promoted him from a Senior Constable to Sergeant Third Class.
Mr Delaney told Nash the Police Force and the public regarded him as a hero after shooting dead the man who shot him.
The man, Nojolsi Russin, 40, of Port Kembla, had terrorised a woman and her family at Primbee with a .22 rifle before Sergeant Nash challenged him.
SYDNEY. August 22. – Sergeant Allen Nash, 40, police hero in a gun duel with a crazed Czech gunman near Port Kembla last week, died this afternoon in the Wollongong Hospital, after nearly a week fighting for his life.
He was critically wounded by the gunman before he shot him dead.
The gun duel was mentioned in the Wollongong Court to-day, when a 33-year-old man was freed of a charge of occasioning bodily harm.
Ladeus Skora, labourer, of Primbee, near Port Kembla, was charged with occasioning actual bodily harm to Nikolaj Russin, the gunman whom Nash shot dead.
It was alleged that during an argument at a Port Kembla hotel, on July 23, Skora had jabbed Russin in the face and neck with a broken beer glass.
Detective J. Gudgeon told the court he knew Russin as a violent man before Nash had shot him.
GEORGE MEDAL?
The Police Commissioner ( Mr. C. J. Delaney ), said tonight the late Sgt Nash would probably be recommended for the George Medal – the highest civilian award for gallantry.
A doctor at the Wollongong Hospital said tonight that Sgt Nash had displayed ” magnificent courage ” in his fight for life.
SYDNEY, August 16. -Port Kembla police hero, Constable Allen Nash, would almost certainly be recommend for the George Medal, a senior police official said to-day.
Nash is in hospital critically wounded after shooting dead crazed Czech gunman. Nikolaj Russin, in gun duel on Thursday.
The police official said the Police Department was waiting until Constable Nash was off the danger list before interviewing him about the shooting.
Until Constable Nash gave a report on the shooting, the question of an award could not be considered.
Doctors at Wollongong Hospital said today Nash had rallied slightly during the night, but it would be several days before they could know if he would survive.
PROMOTED
Nash was yesterday promoted from senior-constable to sergeant, 3rd class.
The Police Commissioner (Mr Delaney) told him of his promotion when he visited his bedside today.
Mr Delaney told him that the promotion was in recognition of his courage and devotion to duty.
Nash smiled at the news and said weakly: “Thank you, sir!” He was very weak and could not say anything more.
SYDNEY, Wednesday: Police hero Sergeant Alan Nash died in Wollongong Hospital at 5.30 p.m. to-day.
Sergeant Nash was critically wounded last Thursday in a gun battle at Primbee with crazed Czech migrant Nicholaj Russin, whom he shot dead. Mr. Delaney, Police Commissioner,
promoted him from senior constable last Saturday in recognition of his bravery.
Mr. Delaney said to night: “It was with profound regret that I learned of the death of Sergeant Nash. “He gave his life in the service of the community, and was a classic example of a courageous police officer.”
CURTAIN FALLS IN GUN DUEL DRAMA SYDNEY, Wednesday:
A migrant was discharged in Wollongong Court today on a charge of assaulting Nicholaj Russin, who was shot dead last week in a gun duel with Sergeant Nash, who died today.
He was Ladeus Skora, 35, laborer.
Police said he jabbed a broken beer glass in Russin’s face in a Port Kembla hotel on July 23.
‘Beer glass’
Constable J. M. Gudgeon said Skora told him: “I lent Russin £30, but when I asked him for the money: he said, ‘You will not get a penny,’ and abused me.”
Skora denied he had broken a glass and jabbed Russin with it. He said he hit Russin with a full glass of beer.
Gudgeon said Russin had been known to him as a man given to violence.
Commenting, “No jury on earth would convict on the evidence,” Mr. Lake, S.M., discharged Skora.
WOLLONGONG, Friday; -More than 130 police to-day escorted a coffin bearing the body of police hero; Sergeant Allen Nash, 40, to Wollongong Railway station to-day.
Sergeant Nash’s body will be taken to Wagga and buried there with full police honours to-morrow.
Sergeant Nash was wounded in a gun duel with Czech migrant Nikolai Russin near Port Kembla last week and died in Wollongong Hospital two days ago.
Although critically wounded Nash shot Russin dead.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr. George Smith, represented the Commissioner, Mr. Delaney, at the funeral, service to-day.
The Minister without portfolio, Mr. Gollan, represented the Premier, Mr, Cahill.
Sergeant Nash’s father, Mr. Albert Nash, of Wagga and other relatives also attended the service.
SYDNEY, Friday: More than 15,000 people attended the funeral at Wollongong today of police hero, Sergeant Alan Nash.
Members of Parliament marched in the funeral procession, which was given full police honors. [ Sergeant Nash was shot last week in a gun battle with a crazed man, whom he shot dead. ]
His body was taken today to Wollongong railway station.
SYDNEY, Friday: Police sergeant Nash’s pistol jammed during a duel with a Ukrainian migrant, Wollongong coroner was told today.
Mr. W. Musgrave, Coroner, was conducting an inquest on Sergeant Allan William Nash, 39, of Port Kembla, and Nikolaj Russin, 34, of Primbee.
Both were fatally shot in a gun duel at Wollongong on August 15.
Detective-constable W. Ross, C.I.B, ballistics expert, told the coroner that 50% of N.S.W. police used the same type of pistol Nash used, which was obsolete.
He said Nash’s pistol had failed to fire four times in a test when 50 shots were fired.
Mr. Musgrave said this type of pistol should be re placed.
He said most Australians respected the police force, who rarely had to draw their batons or pistols.
“A few quiet words is all that is necessary at most times,” he said.
“Some recent arrivals in Australia, unfortunately, carry life cheaply, and although they are in the minority, it is a matter members of the force should keep in mind.”
Mr. Musgrave found Sgt. Nash died as the result of complications following gun shot wounds inflicted by Russin.
He said Sgt. Nash had “upheld the valor and tradition of the N.S.W. police force.”
He found Russin died when justifiably shot by Sgt. Nash in self-defence.
Det.-sgt. J. Davenport said when, with Det. V. Marrott, he interviewed Nash in hos pital soon after the shooting Nash told him he had been called to the home of Mrs. Mildred Pearce, at Primbee, where Russin was firing shots at the back door.
Sergeant Allan Nash, formerly of Wagga, has been posthumously awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for gallantry.
Sgt. Nash, 40, who was stationed at Port Kembla, was fatally wounded in a gun battle with a beserk Czech, Nokolaj Russin, at Primbee, near Port Kembla, early on August 16, after the man had terrorised a married women and her family with a rifle.
Sgt. Nash, although shot in the stomach, shot the .22 rifle from Russin’s hand and then shot him through the heart.
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Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 – 1995), Saturday 28 December 1963, page 6
Police Seek New Pistol
SYDNEY, Friday. -The Police Association of N.S.W. will press the Police Department to replace all Webley and Scott issue automatic pistols following the death last week of Constable Cyril Howe at Oaklands.
The secretary of the association, Mr. F. C. Laut, said today his organisation had been pressing for a replacement of this type of pistol “for many years”.
Two police officers had lost their lives in recent years when using these pistols, he said.
Both had fired their pistols twice and the mechanisms had jammed at the third shot. They were Constable Howe and Sergeant Nash, who lost his life several years ago at Wollongong.
Mr. Laut emphasised that the failure of the pistols could not necessarily be claimed to have been the cause of the officer’s deaths.
The department, however, apparently admitted a flaw in the issue type of pistol when it permitted officers to arrange for “personal replacements” of weapons.
Mr. Laut said the association had “pinned its hopes” on an Italian made .38 calibre automatic pistol.
Officers had to carry pistols when on duty and could be called to use them at any time.
On the evening of the 18 April, 1956 Sergeant Ellis and Sergeant Fitzpatrick arrested two men in Liverpool Street, Sydney. The offenders were then marched off toward Central Police Station, one to be charged with drunkenness and the other with indecent language. Nearing the courtyard of the police station the offender detained for indecent language began to resist violently, punching and kicking the police. After being subdued and taken inside, the offender continued to climb out of the dock and attempt to assault any police near enough to him. The assault, followed by the effort of constantly restraining the offender exhausted Sergeant Ellis, and the following day he was suffering from severe chest pains. He was placed on sick report on 20 April and unfortunately died nine days later.
The sergeant was born in 1898 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 3 February, 1927. At the time of his death he was stationed at Central Police Station.
