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Title: Thomas Whelan, night watchman at Robb Jetty Explosives Magazine, 1903
Imprint: Perth : Western Mail, 1903
Notes: Published in the Western Mail, Saturday 8 August 1903, page 24. Digital copy taken from microfilm at State Library of WA in 2018.
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Summary: For some years there was an explosives storage area in the dunes around Robb Jetty. On one night in July 1903 Thomas Whelan, a night watchman employed at the explosives magazines, was killed when one of the storage buildings blew up in suspicious circumstances. The event was a huge press sensation and the ensuing inquiry was reported in detail. Though nobody was convicted, it seemed likely that Whelan's boss Robert Carrick was responsible for the explosion. Soon afterwards, due to the magazine's proximity to growing suburban areas at South Fremantle and Beaconsfield, the magazines were moved south to Woodman Point.
Subject: Cockburn Region (W.A.) -- Robb Jetty
Cockburn Region (W.A.) -- People
Explosives -- History
Thomas Whelan, night watchman at Robb Jetty Explosives Magazine, 1903

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