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Last week the Blue Ribbon Foundation and our North East Branch honoured Constable Joseph Delaney 6389 with a dedication ceremony at Benalla Hospital.

Constable Delaney was a decorated World War I veteran and Victorian police officer who was fatally shot in the line of duty at Tyntynder, near Swan Hill, on August 30, 1923, and passed away on September 3, 1923, at the age of 28.

His memory has been honoured with the branch funding seven overhead hoists and a mobile hoist in the Acute Care Ward at Benalla Health.

While Constable Delaney died over 100 years ago, a number of family members live in the Benalla area and have continued in Joseph’s footsteps and are serving Victoria Police members.

Our Northeast Branch continues its commitment in honouring our fallen police members by strengthening regional health services and improving the quality of care in local communities.

Read the full story of Constable Delaney below:

Constable Joseph Delaney 6389

Constable Joe Delaney’s death was an ironic twist of fate, considering   he had survived some of the heaviest fighting of the first World War, to become a policeman in a quiet country town where violent death was almost unknown.

At the time of his death Constable Delaney, aged twenty-eight years, had been in the force for four years. The last two had been spent in Swan

Hill, where he was a highly regarded and popular figure both amongst his workmates and in the community. The events that led to his killing commenced on Saturday, 28 August 1923 and gave no hint of impending danger.

On that day Walter Crick’s house on Speewa Road, Tyntynder (about eight miles from Swan Hill), was burgled. The matter was investigated by Constable Delaney and Constable Joseph Trevean, who went to the home of a suspect, Frederick James Smith, who was living at Pickering’s farm about half a mile from Crick’s.

The two constables questioned Smith and conducted a search, finding no evidence but still suspecting the boy, they left.

The next day it was decided that Smith should be re-interviewed and Delaney set out alone for the farm, arriving.at 4PM.Tethering his horse in the backyard and going up to the house; no one came to meet him at the door so he went inside. As he entered the passage, Fred Smith came out of his bedroom carrying a shotgun and called out, “Get your hands up”.

Delaney immediately replied, “You put your hands up”, and rushed at the boy. He got to within two yards of Smith before the boy fired and he received the full   force of the blast in his   neck, immediately falling to the floor but remaining conscious.

A neighbour, who had been alerted to the fact that a policeman had gone to Pickering’s and that something was amiss, went and spoke to Smith. The boy told him to leave because the constable was in a bad mood and was searching the house for Crick’s property. The neighbour ignored him and went inside, at which Smith took the constable’s horse and galloped away, later surrendering himself at Nyah West Police Station.

Constable Delaney was taken to Swan Hill Hospital, where he remained in a critical condition. The Police Commissioner took the unprecedented step of authorising the Police Surgeon be flown from Melbourne. But to no avail, and Constable Delaney died the next morning being cared for by his girlfriend, a nurse at the hospital.

Delaney’s death shocked the local community and his funeral service at St Mary’s Church was widely attended.  Afterwards, a large procession, led by the municipal band, took his coffin to the railway station from where it was conveyed to his   home town of Greta for burial.

Smith was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment and ten lashes of the birch. Smith’s full punishment was not inflicted. He never received the birching and was soon released into foster care.

Constable Delaney was recommended for a posthumous Valour Badge, but his father refused the honour, believing that his son accepted the risks of being a police officer and was simply doing his duty.

The award was finally presented in November 2018 at Police Headquarters in Melbourne, to

Joe’s nephew Bryan Delaney, his niece Shirley Fisher and his great nephew and niece, Stephen Delaney and Jane Richard, both serving officers.