Constable
William John WILLIAMSON
YEAR OF DEATH
1889
JURISDICTION
Tasmania
DETAILS OF DEATH
According to a newspaper report on 27th December 1889, Constable William Williamson failed to return from Beaconsfield where he was attending to a task which required him to ensure instructions issued by the Board of Health, in relation to diphtheria patients, was being adhered to (Launceston Examiner 27 Dec. 1889).Constable Williamson had to travel by boat to get to these patients; he left early on Monday 23rd December in a police boat. After he failed to return within a couple of days, a search party was organised on Christmas morning. They found the missing police boat but no sign of Constable Williamson. His coat was found in the boat and his shirt on the rigging; the paddles and rudder were missing. This led to the assumption he attempted to swim to shore.
