Alexander Douglas-Douglas

Alexander Douglas Douglas (1843–1914) was a naval officer, an explorer, a teamster and an Australian inspector of police.

In 1857, he joined the Royal Navy as a cadet serving in the Tientsin campaign and the Taiping rebellion. He left the navy in 1865 and migrated to Australia, initially working as a teamster and drover.

He joined the Queensland Native Police in 1872. His duties including blazing trails to the goldfields of Palmer River, Normanby and Hodgkinson, for which he gained a reputation as one of the most important explorers of northern Australia. In September 1876, whilst blazing a trail, which was given the name Douglas' Track, he named the Barron River after Thomas Henry Bowman Barron, Chief Clerk of Police in Brisbane.[1]

When in charge of Mourilyan police camp, he used S.S.Vigilant,[2] a small steamship, to patrol the coast. In 1885, during the 'Russian scare', because of his naval experience, he was appointed commander of HMS Otter,[3] a wooden paddle packet.

The following year, he was sent to Georgetown and placed in charge of the Gulf district, where he was responsible for the largest gold escort recorded in Queensland.

By 1890, he was chief inspector of the Queensland Police, acting as commissioner four times.[4]

Douglas retired from the Queensland Police in 1905, when he returned to England.

He died on 5 February 1914, near Portsmouth.

Family
Douglas was born at St Helier, Channel Islands, son of Alexander Douglas Douglas, formerly Mackenzie, an army officer, and his wife Ann, née Rouse. He was the grandson of Sir Kenneth Mackenzie, who was created a baronet 30 Sep 1831 and assumed by Royal Licence 31 Oct 1831 the name and arms of Douglas of Glenbervie.

He was a widower when, on 19 April 1884, he married Lucie Street. They had no children. She died on 13 May 1905.[5] The following year he married, as his third wife, Susan Williams.

References

  1. ↑ "Stratford Heritage Trail". The Stratford and Freshwater Community Association (SAFCA). Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  2. ↑ Collinson, J.W. "Innisfail" (PDF). The University of Queensland's institutional digital repository. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  3. ↑ Pixley, MBE, Comdr Norman S. "An outline of the history of the Queensland Police Force" (PDF). The University of Queensland's institutional digital repository. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  4. ↑ "none". The Brisbane Courier, page 16. 20 July 1907.
  5. ↑ "none". The Queenslander, page 12. 20 May 1905.



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