Michael Edward Ward

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Michael Edward Ward
Born1845,
Ballinasloe
Died27 May 1921
Melbourne
Burial28 May 1921
Melbourne General Cemetery
Wives
  • Ellen McDonald (m. 1882)
  • Margaret Mary Aiken (m. 1902)
IssueCharles Hayes Ward (1896–1977)
FatherJohn Ward
MotherMary Caulfield
ReligionRoman Catholic

Michael Edward Ward (1845 – 27 May 1921) was an Irish-Australian detective,[1] best known for his role in the capture of Ned Kelly and his brother Dan Kelly during the Kelly Outbreak of 1879/1880.[2]

Early and Family life

Ward was born the second son to John Ward, a large farmer, in Kidlawn (a townland in the parish of Moore) near Ballinasloe, County Galway, Ireland in about 1845. He had at least two other brothers; Peter and James. In 1865 at the age of 20, Ward emigrated from Liverpool to Melbourne on board the Marco Polo.[3] By 1869, he had settled in the Benalla/Beechworth area where he remained for about 11 years. In 1880, he moved to Melbourne where he met his first wife, Ellen "Nellie" McDonald, whom he married in 1882.[4] Ellen died in 1890 at the age of thirty of a pelvic abscess. Twelve years later, Ward married Margaret Mary Aiken, a native of Benalla with whom he lived until his death in 1921. The couple adopted Charles Eustace Hayes, an English orphan born in Blackpool in about 1912. Hayes had his name changed by deed poll on 12 March 1920 to Charles Hayes Ward[5]

Career

Michael E. Ward joined the police force in October 1869 and was stationed at Benalla and Beechworth. In 1876, he was promoted to the rank of detective.

In this position he was instrumental in the capture of members of the Kelly gang.[6][7] A number of books have been written about the efforts of Ward and his colleagues to capture these outlaws.[8][9] News reports as far away as England kept the public up to date on the chase.[10] Ward's persistent pursuit frustrated Kelly, who sent death threats to the detective.[11] Eventually Ward devised a trap which involved considerable trickery and misdirection; Kelly later accused him of threatening to harm his family.[12]

Ward's experiences were the basis for a character in Rolph Bolderwood's romantic crime fiction work. Robbery Under Arms.[13]

Following the Kelly Outbreak, Ward was transferred to Melbourne[14] in 1880, where he served until his retirement, having reached the rank of Sub-Inspector, in 1905.[15] Ward's career was distinguished not only for his role in the capture of the Kellys[16] but also many other high-profile arrests such as that of Ferozi Fathay Mahommed in 1904[17]

References

  1. ^ "Online galleries and exhibitions | PROV".
  2. ^ http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=AS18801209.2.24 [bare URL]
  3. ^ Ancestry.com. Tasmania, Australia, Passenger Arrivals, 1829–1957
  4. ^ Ancestry.com. Australia Marriage Index, 1788–1950 Registration Number 5337
  5. ^ The Argus (15 March 1920)
  6. ^ Brendon Kelson; John McQuilton (2001). Kelly Country: A Photographic Journey. Univ. of Queensland Press. pp. 112–. ISBN 978-0-7022-3273-2.
  7. ^ Ian Jones (1 November 2010). Ned Kelly: A Short Life. Hachette Australia. pp. 163–. ISBN 978-0-7336-2579-4.
  8. ^ Evan McHugh (27 July 2011). The Bushrangers. Penguin Books Limited. pp. 368–. ISBN 978-0-85796-296-6.
  9. ^ Max Brown (1948). Max Brown's Ned Kelly: Australian Son. Angus & Robertson. ISBN 978-0-207-14229-1.
  10. ^ "A Victim of the Kelly Gang". Edinburgh Evening News - Friday 17 September 1880, page 4. (via British Newspaper Archives, subscription required)
  11. ^ GLENROWAN AFFAIR.. The New Zealand Herald, Volume XVII, Issue 5850, 17 August 1880, Page 6
  12. ^ "The Cameron letter by Ned Kelly, 1878. The Institute of Australian Culture, 23 October 2012
  13. ^ "Mysteries of Police and Crime". The Graphic – Saturday 17 December 1898. page 25. (via British Newspaper Archives, subscription required)
  14. ^ "An Australian Claimant's strange story". Shields Daily Gazette – Thursday 30 May 1895 page 3. via British Newspaper Archives, (subscription required)
  15. ^ Albury Banner and Wodonga Express (3 Jun 1921)
  16. ^ John Neylon Molony (2001). Ned Kelly. Melbourne University Publish. pp. 94–. ISBN 978-0-522-85013-0.
  17. ^ The Argus (15 Sep 1904)
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