Alistair Williams

Alistair Bowes Williams was born into a large catholic family at Northampton. His parents Henry Morrissey Leeson Williams (1878 – 1935) and Mary Wilson MacPherson (1879 - 1949) were married in Northampton in 1902. They had nine living children born between 1903 and 1921. Henry had died four years earlier, leaving Mary and the children to live in Northampton. Most of the family lived and died there.

Alistair was the youngest child. At the time of his death, he was 18 years of age. He was employed by Captain Henry Ayshford Sanford (1912 -1956), owner of the Lynton Station. Captain Sanford was the supervisor of the Lynton Convict Hiring Depot, which was built on station property. He was also a Justice of the Peace, and Sub-collector of Customs and District Registrar, managing port affairs at Port Gregory. He was a busy man who employed a number of men to assist him.

Alistair and his brother Lachlan John Williams were part of the team of men employed to work on the pastoral station. Lachlan (1903 – 1973) was the oldest Williams child. At the time of Alistair’s death, he was 26 years old.

In 1939 money was short, and times were hard in rural West Australia. People who lived near the coast supplemented the food they could grow and purchase with fish and rabbits they caught. Fishing and hunting were regular tasks, often given to younger family members. It was on a food-finding venture that Alistair lost his life.

Workers for Lynton Station had access to a ten-foot dinghy which was kept at Port Gregory for catching snapper in the bay. It was an old dinghy, with multiple patches made with bits of tin.

On Sunday 21 May 1939, a group of young men went to Port Gregory to catch snapper. They were Clement Charles Lander, Alexander Thornton, Sydney Harold Bucket, Lachlan John Williams and Alistair Bowes Williams.

They launched the dinghy at the south of the bay, and jumped in. Lachlan stayed on the shore, as the dinghy was not big enough for five. The four in the dinghy rowed out about 600 yards into the water and started to fish. They had caught several snapper when a large wave swamped the boat.

The dinghy was not sturdy enough to cope with the swamping, and it sank immediately. The four men began to swim for the shore. Alistair and Clement were not strong swimmers, and soon needed help. The other two men assisted by having Alistair and Clement hang onto their shoulders while they swam.

When they were about 200 yards from the beach, Alistair let go of Sydney’s shoulder. He wanted to remove his boots, which were heavy, and making it difficult to stay afloat. He immediately sank into the water and did not resurface.

The other three men reached the beach and started for the police station at Northampton. They reported the incident to Constable Ford, who commenced a search for Alistair. There was a patrol along the shore on foot and across the bay by boat.

At approximately 4.30 pm some of Alistair’s clothing, including his hat, was found with other items from the dinghy. They were about two miles from where the dinghy was when it sank. The search was suspended overnight and recommenced the next morning. Alistair’s body was found floating in the water about 100 yards from where he was last seen swimming.

Police Commissioner D. Hunter was advised by Constable Ford that Alistair Williams had drowned while fishing in the bay. Local newspapers reported the tragedy.

Alistair was buried in the catholic section of the Northampton cemetery, next to his father. His mother was buried there in 1949. The large Williams family have many plots in this cemetery, and in the old catholic cemetery in Northampton.