Jan 27 2008
The Last Stand
In the early morning light of June 28, 1880, Ned emerged from the bush near the The Glenrowan Inn to make his famous and extraordinary ‘Last Stand’.The Siege of Glenrowan really began when Joe Byrne killed the police informer Aaron Sherritt. The Kellys had expected a quick and decisive response from the police, and as Joe and Dan rode quickly to Glenrowan, Ned and Steve were already there - taking hostages in the Glenrowan Inn.
A train carrying police reinforcements was heading north from Melbourne, and the Gang intended to derail it. Unexpectedly, the train was extensively delayed and, by the time it arrived, the Kellys were exhausted and ready to abandon their plans.
A hostage, Thomas Curnow, somehow managed to convince Ned that he was an ally and was released. Once freed, Curnow went straight to the train line and warned the oncoming police of the trap ahead, safely halting the train before it was derailed.
When the train arrived, Constable Hugh Bracken who had been held hostage, escaped and informed the police reinforcements that the Kellys were in the Glenrowan Inn.
A long gun battle ensued. Dan, Joe, and Steve were shot dead and a number of civilian hostages were also killed by police gunfire. The Glenrowan Inn was burned down and Ned Kelly and his Kelly Gang became part of Australian history
The Kelly Armour
All four members of the Kelly gang, Ned and Dan Kelly, Joe Byrne and Steve Hart, wore suits of armour made from ploughshares. Despite the police being forewarned of the Kellys’ armour, and the apparent ineffectiveness of police gunfire against the Kellys during the siege, the police didn’t catch on that the outlaws were using body protection.
Granted, the siege mainly occurred during the dark, which greatly reduced clarity of vision, but the failure of the police reinforcements to realise what was happening sheds light on the calibre of the men who had arrived from Melbourne. Constable Gascoigne engaged in close gunfire with Ned (whom he recognised by voice) and shortly after told John Sadlier that he had fired at him point blank and hit him straight in the body. But there is no use firing at Ned Kelly; he can’t be hurt
The armour was worn in an attempt to protect the gang from police gunfire, and used only the once. Despite this, over a century later the familiar image of the Kelly armour has become an Australian icon.
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