BATON
c. 1960 - 1970Long, cylindrical, heavy, rubber, Prison Officer's baton. Long cylindrical body with a steel core inside a hard, moulded, black rubber casing. The body tapers inwards slightly towards the centre, where there is a thick, raised ridge in the plastic. Imprinted into the body of the baton is, 'THYRCO CAT NO/ 565'. Below the ridge, is cylindrical handle of the same moulded black rubber. The hand grip has a roughened surface with a pattern of alternating vertical and horizontal short lines moulded into the surface. A wide black leather strap is attached to the end of the handle, tied to the baton by a metal rivet.
In February 2001, former Senior Prison Officer David Campbell advised curatorial staff that this kind of baton was used by Prison Officers at Fremantle Prison between approximately 1960 and 1970. This baton has a steel spike as its core, which makes it harder than the wooden batons used previously by Prison Officers. The leather thong attached to this baton was not part of the original standard issue, and appears to be a later embellishment.
Details
Details
'THYRCO CAT NO/ 565'
