2 - Hot and stormy in Brisbane (Bridget's brother)

1890s: Aerial view of the Roma Street station and yards and to the right of the picture the shops and buildings along Roma Street. In the far-right corner are the buildings and churches along Adelaide Street, Brisbane. Publisher: Brisbane John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. [1]

I keep thinking how disgustingly hot it must have been for Hugh waiting for her at Roma Street Station on that Sunday morning.  

Brisbane in January.  Nguh. The air is so thick, you can wade through it.

It’s 1914 – you dressed for travel then.  You fronted up in your “going-to-town” clothes: pants, shirt, jacket and your best hat.  Sounds … sticky. I’ve sat waiting at that station. If you can catch a breeze, it’s bearable in the shade.

That day was hot and muggy. Showers had soaked most of Queensland on Saturday 17 January 1914, the day before.[2]

Brisbane is glorious in the rain but once the sun comes out, all comfort is gone. 

If it had been me, I would have sought refuge in the station’s refreshment rooms.  Delay the inevitable sweat bath that is standing oustide anywhere in Brisbane in summer.

Eventually, he must have had to have made the move to the platform.  Trains wait for no man, nor their tardy sisters.

Bridget, the late one, was Hugh’s baby sister.  I have my own sister.  She’s a delightfully considerate soul.  The few times she’s not shown up when she should, I’ve felt that combination of frustration ridden by an undercurrent of fear. 

Is that how Hugh felt?

The general assessment in our family of my uncle Hugh (many times removed) is that he was a sweet man.  I met his daughter, another Bernadette, many decades later and she was immensely fond of him.

The only impression that I've been able to glean of my aunt Bridget (also many times removed) is that she might have been a bit spoilt.  She was the baby of the O’Callaghan family, after all. 

Yes, I think Hugh would have been worried. He’d come to Brisbane from Hendon for the express purpose of bringing Bridget home, after all.

A portrait of Hugh O’Callaghan and his new bride, Gladys Baker, on their wedding day on 26 April 1915. (Source: Author’s family archives) [3]

Bridget never saw Henry off that morning as she'd promised [4].  Instead, the police found him and broke the news at Ipswich Railway station.  

“The deceased[‘s] Brother Hugh – who left by this morning’s rail was intercepted by the Ipswich police and returned to Brisbane.”[4]

Bridget had been murdered hours earlier by Henry Hopgood, her husband and Hugh’s friend.  

The top of Page 7 of the Brisbane Courier on Monday 19 January 1914, with two articles highlighted, “Hot and stormy” and “A timber yard tragedy”. Photo description: The top of Page 7 of the Brisbane Courier on Monday 19 January 1914, with two articles highlighted, “Hot and stormy” and “A timber yard tragedy”. [5]

#WildBridgie

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End notes

[1] 1914 'HOT AND STORMY.', The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), 19 January, p. 7. , viewed 12 Jan 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article19939855

[2] Moulder, B. M. (2024), Portrait of Hugh and Gladys O’Callaghan on their wedding day in 1915 [Photograph], Brisbane, Australia.

[3] 1914 'MAYNE MURDER.', Daily Standard (Brisbane, Qld. : 1912 - 1936), 27 January, p. 5. (SECOND EDITION), viewed 12 Jan 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article180935167

[4]Queensland State Archives, Item ID ITM665959, Hopgood, Bridget Mary, Police Report, 18/01/1914

[5] 1914 'A TIMBER YARD TRAGEDY.', The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), 19 January, p. 7. , viewed 12 Jan 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article19939701