This year marks a thirty year milestone for National Police Remembrance Day services, which have been held in regional centres throughout Queensland since 1989.
National Police Remembrance Day is a day for police officers to remember their comrades who have fallen in the line of duty and a day for the community to remember, honour and get together to say ‘thank you’ to the dedicated men and women who have died whilst on duty.
This year’s Brisbane Police Remembrance Day events were a Vigil at the Queensland Police Memorial, Brisbane City Botanic Gardens on the evening of September 26, and a march from Queens Park to the Botanic Gardens and service held at the Queensland Police Memorial the following day.
While looking through our collection for historical examples of Police Remembrance I found this photograph, ‘Funeral procession of Inspector Watson, Brisbane, 1939‘.
I did some further research on Inspector Charles Webster Watson (1881-1939). He entered the Queensland police force in 1905 and served for 34 years. Newspapers reported that Inspector Watson was an exceptionally good officer with a meritorious career in the force. He was made sergeant in 1929 and senior sergeant in 1934. He eventually rose to the rank of Inspector in January 1938. He served in many parts of the state, including Roma Street, Ipswich, Cloncurry, Rockhampton, Biggenden, Winton, Warwick and Stanthorpe. Charles Webster Watson died after a brief illness on the 1st June 1939 at the age of 58 years, while still an officer in the Queensland Police Force.
References
- National Police Remembrance Day services, 2019 by Senior Constable Heidi Marek
- Obituary. (1939, June 3). Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld. : 1906 – 1954), p. 7.
- Death in Brisbane (1939, June 2). Warwick Daily News (Qld. : 1919 -1954), p. 6.
- Death of Police Officer (1939, June 2). The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 – 1954), p. 3.