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State Library of New South Wales
Funeral cortege of Commodore of the Australian Station, James Goodenough, Milsons Point for the trip to St. Thomas's Church, North Sydney

Funeral cortege of Commodore of the Australian Station, James Goodenough, Milsons Point for the trip to St. Thomas's Church, North Sydney

1875
Glass photonegative

The public funeral of Commodore James Goodenough, who was killed on the island of Santa Cruz, took place at North Sydney on 24 August. It was one of the largest funerals seen in the colony. The steam ferry Transit ferried the bodies of Goodenough and two sailors killed in the same skirmish, from HMS Pearl to Milsons Point, where the cortege proceeded by foot to North Sydney Cemetery. In the background can be seen Commodore Goodenough’s flagship HMS Pearl with crossed yards, laid up in Farm Cove.

From the Singleton Argus and Upper Hunter General Advocate, Saturday 11 September 1875

Cdr Goodenough’s last words to his men after being shot by poison arrows at Santa Cruz: "As for those poor natives—-it is not worth while thinking about them and what they have done; don't think, about it, they could not know the right or wrong of the matter; probably it was through some mistake, or some offence given by some ship before-; perhaps they did not like strangers visiting them. In some twenty years hence, when good men have taught them to wish them no harm, they may speak of this attack, and then something may be learnt about it.

The Singleton Argus and Upper Hunter General Advocate, Saturday 11 September 1875 p4