December 3rd, 1854

On Sunday December 3rd, 1854, Ellen’s younger brother Thaddeus (Teddy) was shot. He was defending the stockade beside Michael Canny, Patrick Canny and John Hynes. Here is Michael Canny’s first-hand account written in 1904.

https://eurekapedia.org/Michael_Canny

‘My brother, Patrick, who is now a farmer in Bungaree, and I were in the Stockade fight. I was a young fellow of 18 or 19 when the fight began. Teddy Moore, John Hynes, my brother, and I were standing behind a dray turned up on its heels, with the shafts in the air. It was bright moonlight, and we saw the redcoats blazing away at us. I had my own rifle and fired several shots. I saw Captain Wise fall, and a couple of soldiers take him by the shoulders and drag him behind a mullock heap. Teddy Moore and John Hynes fell dead beside us.’

Watercolour Painting of the Eureka Stockade Riot, Ballarat,1854 by John Black Henderson Wikipedia accessed May 4, 2023

Teddy / Timothy / Thaddeus Ellen’s loved brother died at some stage on that terrible Sunday.Raffaello Carboni in his book The Eureka Stockade page 178 states ‘my neighbour and mate Teddy More, stretched on the ground, both his thighs shot, asked me for a drop of water.’

Sad Journey Home to Geelong

Sometime on Sunday afternoon of December 3rd, 1854 the bodies of Patrick Gittins, John Hynes and Thaddeus Moore were taken back to Geelong to their families.

I believe that Patrick (my great grandfather ) walked back with his brother’s body and I can’t begin to imagine how sad and lonely this journey was for them all.

It is about 80 kilometers from Ballarat and Geelong and it would have taken them about 16 hours to get home. The sad procession would have arrived in Geelong early on Monday morning and the funerals and burials started quickly. I can only begin to imagine the extent of the grieving in that Irish part of Geelong around Little Malop Street those next few days.

Was Ellen at Ballarat and with her brothers at Eureka ?

Clare Wright’s research and her book ‘The Forgotten Rebels of Eureka ‘supports my thoughts that the three Moores (Ellen, Patsy, Thaddeus) were all in Ballarat at the time and the experience of the battle and Thaddeus’s death galvanised Ellen and Patsy to become farmers despite the enormous hardships they faced.

Clare maintains the Eureka Rebels wanted freedom, independance and a better life. It took a long time but those Ballarat heroes in my family achieved that in the end.