Originally Posted by Aussiesteve


1- I can't remember what they had. The gro Ip from Mansfield had a pack horse carrying the guns.
Remember it was 4 on to 2 as far as the police knew,..

2- I don't know if it was illegal for police to be out of uniform, though it was unusual.

3- I know it's hard to accept now, but I firmly believe the police went to find and kill the Kelly's.

4- There hasn't been a Royal commision into any other gangs before or since. Also where else did the police,
their actions and behaviour result in so many demotions and evictions from the force? If the Kelly's were
so bad why did the police agree never to visit the homestead again without a priest?

5- And if they were such police haters why did at least 1 Kelly become a police officer?


1- Four on Two , The Kelly's had lots of friends and supporters, that was known. Police could not know
if the 2 Kellys would be alone if/when they found them... nothing odd about having more police on ones
team if you are not sure what you will encounter in the remote bush.

2- Police in plain clothes while engaged in searching for outlaws was not that uncommon, such approach
was used by police in the east coast colonies of QLD, NSW, VIC. Here again are more images of p/c police
charged with hunting bushrangers:
[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

btw: The Kelly's at some point in their career of crime on occasion wore police uniforms, Correct?

3- It may well have been the full intent of (some or all) police to kill the 2 Kellys or just a willingness to kill them
if given the slightest reason, but that remains speculative...BUT fact remains the Kellys intently ambushed the
police and killed them.

4-Like the Kellys, It seems Police made serious mistakes and were punished through demotions /ejections
(or the Gov used them as political scapegoats following the Royal Commission findings)..??

5- Neds half -brother John Kelly, probably wanted a more normal straight life. Before joining the WA police,
he worked doing different things, tram motorman , horseman/breaker, was then recruited by a circus for
those skills, this took him around Aus , Sth Africa and Asia. ..John and wife then settled in WA, where he applied
to the WA police mounted section as a horse breaker/riding instructor and he became probationary constable.
..this only lasted 1906-1908 because he rejoined a circus.
He was honored by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and travelled south through the Americas with Barnum
and Bailey's Circus. WW1 broke out and Jack later enlisted in the Australian army, serving in a number of battles
on the Western Front and reached rank of sergeant.
1920s he returned to Argentina and became a highly paid instructor at the famous El Caballo Blanco riding school.
There is no evidence he ever returned to Australia. ... John Kelly died in Buenos Aires March 1956.

https://www.police.wa.gov.au/About-...ed-Kelly-in-the-Western-Australia-Police

Cleary John Kelly knew how to stay out of trouble and lead a fruitful long life. Were not better oportunities in life
also open to Ned and Dan Kelly and Steve Hart and Joe Byrne?

-Bulletproof and Waterproof don't mean Idiotproof.