National Police Memorial

 

In 2001, it was resolved to establish a National Police Memorial in Canberra.

The Memorial pays tribute to Australian Police Officers who have been killed on duty or have died as a result of their duties since the advent of policing in Australia and to recognise the unique nature of police service and the dangers that police face in their daily pursuits.
The $2.4million memorial was jointly funded by the Australian Government (through the Australian Federal Police), State and Territory Police Services and Police Federation of Australia.

The Memorial was completed and dedicated on 29 September 2006 (National Police Remembrance Day). Following the dedication ceremony, a criteria for future inclusion of names on the National Police Memorial was agreed upon together with a National Police Memorial Co-ordination Committee.

On this day

Constable

George REX

YEAR OF DEATH

17 October 1827

JURISDICTION

Tasmania

DETAILS OF DEATH

George Rex, a former convict was sent to Van Diemen’s Land after being court marshalled for desertion from the British army; he left England in June 1821 on a convict ship, The Malabar. In 1827, Constable Goerge Rex stationed on the remote penal settlement on Sarah Island commenced his role as a constable. In October that year convicts seized Constable Rex and later murdered him by deliberately drowning him. Brand succinctly describes the murder of Constable Rex, “on the night of 16/17th October 1827, nine convicts planned an escape from Sarah Isalnd. They tied up two Constables, two Hutkeepers and two Cooks….they stripped the rooms for timber to build a raft. The raft was not large enough to carry them so they came ashore, tied and gagged Constable George Rex and forced his head under the water until he drowned.” This description concurs with the newspaper reports in the Hobart Town Courier 22nd December 1827 and the Colonial Advocate 1 March 1828. The nine convicts involved in the murder were captured. The three convicts responsible for Constable Rex’s death were Samuel Measures, James Kirk and James Reed; all three were executed on the 17th December 1827. Byard and Maxwell-Stewart, writing in the academic journal Forensic Science, expose the motives of George Lacey one of the nine convicted and later executed. Lacey publicly announced his motives with this statement. “…we would rather go to Hobart Town and be hanged than stop here and work in irons.” Laceys statement illustrates the challenging conditions Constable Rex worked in and also demonstrates the hazards of general duties policing in a penal settlement in 1827.

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Affiliated events

Remembering mates – Wall to Wall Ride is held in September each year.

Click here for more information.

National Police Remembrance Day is an annually recognised on 29th September.

Please note for 2024, services will be held on Friday 27th September.

Check with your State/Territory police organisation for local information of services to be held on 27 September, or click here for more information.

National Police Memorial Australia

  • The National Police Memorial is located in Kings Park on the northern shore of Lake Burley Griffin adjacent to Queen Elizabeth II Island and the National Carrillion. View in Google maps