Edmund Frederick Du Cane
The man credited with designing Fort Burgoyne achieved so much more in his lifetime
The man credited with designing Fort Burgoyne achieved so much more in his lifetime
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would become more widely known as the Crystal Palace Exhibition in reference to the
temporary structure in which it was held. With the exhibition opened Cunliffe-Owen
became its General Superintendent and Du Cane his Assistant Superintendent of the
Foreign Side as well as Assistant Secretary to the Juries of Awards.
Cunliffe-Owen would go on to be appointed Assistant Inspector-General of Fortifications
at the War Office, and, in April 1856, Deputy Inspector-General of Fortifications under
the command of Sir John Fox Burgoyne.
Following the success of the International Exhibition Edmund Du Cane found himself
posted to Western Australia, under the command of Captain Edmund Henderson, where
he would spend the next 5 years organising convict labour in the colony centred around
modern day Perth and known informally as Swan River, after the area's major river.
The first 75 convicts had arrived in Fremantle, now part of the modern day Perth
Metropolitan Area, June 1st 1850 and, such was the unpreparedness of the colony, they
were housed in an old wool warehouse until they had finished constructing the Convict
Establishment, later known as Fremantle Prison. Du Cane was promoted First Lieutenant
February 1854, and placed in charge of works in the Eastern District of the colony. He
was also made a magistrate of the colony and a visiting magistrate of convict stations.
During his time in Western Australia Du Cane also married his first wife Mary Dorothea
Molloy in St John’s Church, Fremantle July 1855
Recalled early 1856 due to the requirements of the Crimean War, Edmund and Mary
departed Fremantle February 25th on the ‘Esmeralda’ along with another officer, William
Crossman, Sergeant James Lowrie, sixteen Sappers, one of whom was invalided, and two
buglers. Captain Henderson and his six year old son were also on board with the Captain
allowed compassionate leave following the death of his wife the previous December, he
did not return to the Colony until 1858 during which time Henry Ray was his Deputy.
’Esmeralda was severely overcrowded and a shortage of both water and supplies
required stops at the Cape of Good Hope and St Helena as well as purchases from
passing ships.
Esmeralda – sketch by E F DuCane from Alexandra Hasluck’s book ‘A Life of Sir Edmund DuCane