Hector Neil McLarty
Encyclopedia
Hector Neil McLarty was a Western Australian Police officer, and customs detective. During his service as a police officer he accompanied future Premier John Forrest
on two expeditions and was in charge of the officers attempting to capture the Fenian
escapees on the Catalpa
.
for graziers. Roy McLarty received the Military Medal
at Gallipoli
and went on to become the Chief Executive for the AMP Society. His youngest son Duncan Keith was killed in action on 25 September 1915 a during the Battle of Loos
.
The youngest of his daughters, Muriel Eileen McLarty, was the oldest surviving McLarty to attend the National Trust of Australia
official opening of Old Blythewood homestead near Pinjarra
by Governor Wallace Kyle
. Old Blythewood was built Hector McLarty's father John in 1851 and was given to the National Trust by the McLarty family in 1974.
tracing the route of John Eyre
's previous crossing from Adelaide, South Australia to Esperance. They arrived at the Dempster farm in Esperance in April to replenish before commencing the successful expedition, returning from Adelaide by steamship in September 1870. Between August and November 1871 the same expedition party returned to Esperance explore pastoral land they had identified north-northeast of Esperance during the first expedition.
McLarty was promoted to Sargeant on 25 May 1874 while assigned to Perth's
central police station. On 17 April 1876 McLarty led a group of 8 men, 2 pensioner guards from Perth and 6 police constables from Fremantle
in pursuit of the six Fenian prisoners that had escaped from the Fremantle Prison
. They boarded the Georgette in Perth steamed out of the Swan river in search of the Catalpa; unsuccessful, they returned that night to Fremantle to refuel. They recommenced the search the following day, successfully finding the Catalpa, firing a shot across at the vessel the ordered it to stop or they would sink it. Captain of the Catalpa pointed at the United States flag and indicated that they were in international waters and that such action would be an act of war. The Georgette then returned to Fremantle; in his report on the incident McLarty wrote of the frustration and humiliation of letting the Catapla sail away.
In 1883 McLarty moved to Albany
while there here sent a telegraph to Esperance instructing Lance Corporal Truslove to intercept suspected bushranger
James Cody, who was accused of stealing two horses. When Truslove caught Cody he refused to stop; Truslove then shot Cody. Taking him to Dempster property in Esperance for treatment, and despite the aid of a doctor giving instructions via telegraph from Albany, Cody died ten days later. At the age of 33, Hector McLarty retired from the police force on 29 February 1884.
in the Darling Scarp
. There he worked for the Western Australian Government Railways
on the Eastern Railway, while his wife was the Postmistress
for the town during the early 1890s. McLarty then took up a position as a detective with the Western Australian Customs on 1 July 1895. As part of the Federation of Australia
the WA Customs service was amalgamated with similar services in the other States to form the Australian Customs Service
, Hector remained with the ACS until he retired on 30 June 1911.
John Forrest
Sir John Forrest GCMG was an Australian explorer, the first Premier of Western Australia and a cabinet minister in Australia's first federal parliament....
on two expeditions and was in charge of the officers attempting to capture the Fenian
Fenian
The Fenians , both the Fenian Brotherhood and Irish Republican Brotherhood , were fraternal organisations dedicated to the establishment of an independent Irish Republic in the 19th and early 20th century. The name "Fenians" was first applied by John O'Mahony to the members of the Irish republican...
escapees on the Catalpa
Catalpa rescue
The Catalpa rescue was the escape, in 1876, of six Irish Fenian prisoners from what was then the British penal colony of Western Australia.-Fenians and plans to escape:...
.
Personal life
McLarty married Elizabeth Campbell in March 1875, they had six children, three boys and three girls. The eldest Campbell McLarty was one of the pastrolists to open up the north west of Western AustraliaWestern Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
for graziers. Roy McLarty received the Military Medal
Military Medal
The Military Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land....
at Gallipoli
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli peninsula is located in Turkish Thrace , the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles straits to the east. Gallipoli derives its name from the Greek "Καλλίπολις" , meaning "Beautiful City"...
and went on to become the Chief Executive for the AMP Society. His youngest son Duncan Keith was killed in action on 25 September 1915 a during the Battle of Loos
Battle of Loos
The Battle of Loos was one of the major British offensives mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I. It marked the first time the British used poison gas during the war, and is also famous for the fact that it witnessed the first large-scale use of 'new' or Kitchener's Army...
.
The youngest of his daughters, Muriel Eileen McLarty, was the oldest surviving McLarty to attend the National Trust of Australia
National Trust of Australia
The Australian Council of National Trusts is the peak body for community-based, non-government organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's indigenous, natural and historic heritage....
official opening of Old Blythewood homestead near Pinjarra
Pinjarra, Western Australia
Pinjarra is a town in the Peel region of Western Australia along the South Western Highway, from the state capital, Perth and south-east of the coastal city of Mandurah. Its local government area is the Shire of Murray. At the 2006 census, Pinjarra had a population of 3,279.Pinjarra is an area...
by Governor Wallace Kyle
Wallace Kyle
Air Chief Marshal Sir Wallace Hart Kyle GCB, KCVO, CBE, DSO, DFC, RAF was a senior Royal Air Force commander and the Governor of Western Australia from 1975 to 1980.-Career:...
. Old Blythewood was built Hector McLarty's father John in 1851 and was given to the National Trust by the McLarty family in 1974.
Police Officer
Hector McLarty joined the Western Australian Police in June 1868 at the age of 17 years. In March 1870, as a police constable, he was part of John Forrest's expedition to survey a route for the first overland telegraph. The expedition plan was to start at EsperanceEsperance, Western Australia
Esperance is a large town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, located on the Southern Ocean coastline approximately east-southeast of the state capital, Perth. The shire of Esperance is home to 9,536 people as of the 2006 census, its major industries are tourism, agriculture,...
tracing the route of John Eyre
Edward John Eyre
Edward John Eyre was an English land explorer of the Australian continent, colonial administrator, and a controversial Governor of Jamaica....
's previous crossing from Adelaide, South Australia to Esperance. They arrived at the Dempster farm in Esperance in April to replenish before commencing the successful expedition, returning from Adelaide by steamship in September 1870. Between August and November 1871 the same expedition party returned to Esperance explore pastoral land they had identified north-northeast of Esperance during the first expedition.
McLarty was promoted to Sargeant on 25 May 1874 while assigned to Perth's
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
central police station. On 17 April 1876 McLarty led a group of 8 men, 2 pensioner guards from Perth and 6 police constables from Fremantle
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
in pursuit of the six Fenian prisoners that had escaped from the Fremantle Prison
Fremantle Prison
Fremantle Prison is a former Australian prison located in The Terrace, Fremantle, in Western Australia. The site includes the prison, gatehouse, perimeter walls, cottages, tunnels, and prisoner art...
. They boarded the Georgette in Perth steamed out of the Swan river in search of the Catalpa; unsuccessful, they returned that night to Fremantle to refuel. They recommenced the search the following day, successfully finding the Catalpa, firing a shot across at the vessel the ordered it to stop or they would sink it. Captain of the Catalpa pointed at the United States flag and indicated that they were in international waters and that such action would be an act of war. The Georgette then returned to Fremantle; in his report on the incident McLarty wrote of the frustration and humiliation of letting the Catapla sail away.
In 1883 McLarty moved to Albany
Albany, Western Australia
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
while there here sent a telegraph to Esperance instructing Lance Corporal Truslove to intercept suspected bushranger
Bushranger
Bushrangers, or bush rangers, originally referred to runaway convicts in the early years of the British settlement of Australia who had the survival skills necessary to use the Australian bush as a refuge to hide from the authorities...
James Cody, who was accused of stealing two horses. When Truslove caught Cody he refused to stop; Truslove then shot Cody. Taking him to Dempster property in Esperance for treatment, and despite the aid of a doctor giving instructions via telegraph from Albany, Cody died ten days later. At the age of 33, Hector McLarty retired from the police force on 29 February 1884.
Later career
Hector McLarty moved his family to the timber town of Canning MillsCanning Mills, Western Australia
Canning Mills is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the Shire of Kalamunda. Canning Mills is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the Shire of Kalamunda. Canning Mills is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the Shire of Kalamunda. (incorrect!...
in the Darling Scarp
Darling Scarp
The Darling Scarp, also referred to as the Darling Range or Darling Ranges, is a low escarpment running north-south to the east of the Swan Coastal Plain and Perth, Western Australia...
. There he worked for the Western Australian Government Railways
Western Australian Government Railways
Western Australian Government Railways was most common name of the Western Australian government rail transport authority from 1890 to 1976. It is, in its current form, known as the Public Transport Authority of Western Australia....
on the Eastern Railway, while his wife was the Postmistress
Postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office. Postmistress is not used anymore in the United States, as the "master" component of the word refers to a person of authority and has no gender quality...
for the town during the early 1890s. McLarty then took up a position as a detective with the Western Australian Customs on 1 July 1895. As part of the Federation of Australia
Federation of Australia
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed one nation...
the WA Customs service was amalgamated with similar services in the other States to form the Australian Customs Service
Australian Customs Service
The Australian Customs and Border Protection Service is the Australian Federal Government agency responsible for managing the security and integrity of the Australian border, facilitating the movement of legitimate international travellers and goods, and collecting border-related duties and...
, Hector remained with the ACS until he retired on 30 June 1911.