Ng Police Amok

Sepik Incident of 1942

IN the Sydney Probate Court on May 17, Mr. J. T. Beckett, formerly Pro tector of Aborigines in the North Australian Territory, applied for leave to swear to the death of his son, Reginald J. Beckett.

R. J. Beckett was a miner in the Sepik district, New Guinea, and one of a party of men who lost their lives on the Sepik River in April, 1942, when native police went berserk and murdered them. Owing to war conditions the news did not reach the outside world until many months after the event, and a report of the tragedy was printed in the “PIM” only last February. It appears that the Assistant District Officer at Angoram, Mr. G. Ellis, who had been in ill-health for some time became mentally deranged and refused to hand over the station to ADO J. L. Taylor, who had been sent to relieve his. Ellis called out his native police to aid him, wounded the relieving officer and later committed suicide. The police-boys then appear to have gone mad, ranging up and down the. river, ambushing and shooting indiscriminately.

Messrs. Beckett, Eichorn, Snr., Mitchell, R. B. Strudwick (a patrol officer), and a Chinese carpenter, are reported to have met their deaths in this fashion.

Mr. Justice Nicholas, who presided at the Sydney Probate Court, stood the matter over for further evidence.

The case is not complete.