ESCAPES

There have been many escapes and escape attempts from Beechworth Gaol over the 144 years of the Gaol’s life as a working prison here are just some of them: 

Date Prisoner Details
1861, October Ah Yea Alias Ah Chong Charged with escaping from the Gaol at Beechworth.
1864, December   Six Chinese prisoners were working outside the Gaol when one made a run to escape.
1871, September 7 James Smith Attempts to escape.
1901, July 2 O'Connor  
1901, July 2 John Sparks Re-captured 12 years later in Adelaide.
1903, January 8 Stephen Stone Under the alias "Wilson", escaped out of a train window whilst in custody. He was recaptured 3 days later.
1910, July 30 Joshua Burgess Escaped while being transferred from Beechworth Gaol to Wagga Wagga Gaol
1915, April 23 Walter Jones Escaped over the wall evading the shots of prison guards. Jones was recaptured in Melbourne after a scuffle with police. Jones received an extra 6 months to his sentence.
1915, October 4 William Lewell Recaptured the same day along the Beechworth Wodonga Road.
1922, March 12 John Godfrey Collins  
1922, March 12 Edward E. Doyle  
1927, November 16 Thomas Wilson  
1930, June 10 William Joseph James Whilst working in a chain gang three miles from the Gaol.
1930, June 10 Norman T Cahir Whilst working in a chain gang three miles from the Gaol, re-captured in September that same year.
1930, June 10 William Smith Whilst working in a chain gang three miles from the Gaol, William Smith was captured 7 days later.
1931, May 27 Stephen William Griffiths Escaped while receiving treatment at the Ovens District Hospital.
1931, November 23 Van Mahr Alias Percy Seal, escaped and was recaptured 3 days later.
1932, August 15 Patrick Michael Lyons Alleged dangerous criminal, he was recaptured in Sydney in April 1933.
1933, March 6 Earnest Vernon First of two escapes.
1933, October 15 Thomas Conroy Escaped whilst working on a gardening job.
1934, January 1 William John West  
1934, January 3 Walter Fox  
1934, January 6 William Murray Recaptured 13 days later in a North Melbourne Pub.
1934, January 6 Harold Roberts Recaptured 13 days later in a North Melbourne Pub.
1934, February 23 William Thomas Bentley Escaped whilst working in the Prison garden. Recaptured 3 days later.
1934, February 23 Raymond Norman Brown Escaped whilst working in the Prison garden. Recaptured 3 days later.
1934, August 23 Frank James  
1934, August 4 Cyril O’Reilly Escaped from the Gaol Pine Plantation. Recaptured the next day.
1934, August 4 Claude Brown Escaped from the Gaol Pine Plantation. Recaptured the next day.
1935, November 28 John William Spring Escaped from the Prison garden.
1935, November 28 Patrick Sheady Escaped from the Prison garden.
1935, November 28 Jack McKay Escaped from the Prison garden.
1936, July 1 Charles Williams Escaped while working in the front garden of the Gaol.
1936, July 1 Michael Cameron  
1937, April 10 Leonard Bown First of two escapes, scaled an 18-foot granite wall to his escape.
1937, December 3 Richard Jackson Escaped by jumping a 6-foot fence while working in a garden outside the Gaol.
1937, December 3 Leslie George Atkins Escaped by jumping a 6-foot fence while working in a garden outside the Gaol.
1937, December 3 Alfred Richard Beatty Escaped by jumping a 6-foot fence while working in a garden outside the Gaol.
1938, November 22 Roy James  
1938, November 22 Roy Ronald Power  
1939, May 9 Raymond Arthur Cullen Escaped from a work gang, recaptured 2 days later.
1939, May 9 George Grannan Escaped from a work gang, recaptured 2 days later.
1940, February 5 William Augustine McEntee Escaped after scaling an 18-foot granite wall. McEntee was captured on the 18th December 1942.
1940, February 22 James McMillan Removed bricks in the ceiling of his cell and scales the granite wall to his escape, only to be recaptured hours later in Leneva.
1940, December 31 Sydney Henry McRae First of two escapes, over a wire fence in the garden at the rear of the Gaol. He was recaptured 45 minutes later hiding under a hedge a mile away.
1941, April 24 William Henry Gainsford  Escaped from the Beechworth prison farm, while working with a gang of prisoners.
1942, February 7 Percy Parsons  Escaped whilst working in the prison garden at 9 am. 
1942, November 18 Lee Stephens  Recaptured 2nd March 1943 in east Melbourne. 
1942, December 9 Frederick Smith  
1943, February 19 Albert Cairns Escaped by evading prison guards at a labour camp four miles from Beechworth and still remains at large, now presumed dead.
1944, January 20  Joseph Charles Bowden   
1944, July 5 Pierre Parasko  
1944, July 6 Peter Drummond Escaped whist working at the Prison pine plantation.
1944, November 13 Earnest Vernon Second of two escapes.
1944, November 13 John Palmer  Makes his second escape from the Gaol on a bright red bicycle. 
1944, November 15 George Dixon  
1945, January 15 Harry Johnstone  
1945, January 20 Clive Smith Recaptured 2 days later trying to break into a hospital store.
1945, January 20 Frank Richards Recaptured 2 days later trying to break into a hospital store.
1945, February 17 James Hennessey  
1945, March 12 George Fisher Escaped by making a key from a piece of iron to unlock the cells, two gates to the prison and scaling an 18-foot wall. A 1938 Studebaker was stolen from the backyard of the Hibernian Hotel which belonged to Cr Albert J. Wallace, and driven to Melbourne. Fisher was recaptured the next day.
1945, March 12 Leslie Gardiner Escaped by making a key from a piece of iron to unlock the cells, two gates to the prison and scaling an 18-foot wall. A 1938 Studebaker was stolen from the backyard of the Hibernian Hotel which belonged to Cr Albert J. Wallace, and driven to Melbourne. Gardiner was recaptured on the 21st March 1945, sitting under a tree near Mansfield.
1945, March 12 John Bethune Hutton Escaped by making a key from a piece of iron to unlock the cells, two gates to the prison and scaling an 18-foot wall. A 1938 Studebaker was stolen from the backyard of the Hibernian Hotel which belonged to Cr Albert J. Wallace, and driven to Melbourne. Hutton was recaptured the next day.
1945, March 12 Jack Lees Escaped by making a key from a piece of iron to unlock the cells, two gates to the prison and scaling an 18-foot wall. A 1938 Studebaker was stolen from the backyard of the Hibernian Hotel which belonged to Cr Albert J. Wallace, and driven to Melbourne. Lees was recaptured the next day.
1945, March 12 Victor LeStrange Escaped by making a key from a piece of iron to unlock the cells, two gates to the prison and scaling an 18-foot wall. A 1938 Studebaker was stolen fro the backyard of the Hibernian Hotel which belonged to Cr Albert J. Wallace, and driven to Melbourne. LeStrange was recaptured the next day. 
1945, March 12 James Turnbull Escaped by making a key from a piece of iron to unlock the cells, two gates to the prison and scaling an 18-foot wall. A 1938 Studebaker was stolen from the backyard of the Hibernian Hotel which belonged to Cr Albert J. Wallace, and driven to Melbourne. Turnbull was recaptured the next day.
1945, March 12 Robert Stanley T Williams Escaped by making a key from a piece of iron to unlock the cells, two gates to the prison and scaling an 18-foot wall. A 1938 Studebaker was stolen from the backyard of the Hibernian Hotel whick belonged to Cr Albert J. Wallace, and driven to Melbourne. Williams was recaptured the next day.
1946, March 25 Russell Kirby   
1946, March 25  Anthony Barrington   
1946, March 26 Albert Charles Harris   
1946, May 25 William J. Clarke  Escaped from Beechworth Reformatory Prison in prison clothing consisting of white moleskin trousers, light shirt, grey flannel jacket and heavy boots, was thought to be hiding in dense bushland nearby.
1946, July 19 Sydney Henry McRae Second of two escapes.
1947, January 8 James Gutterson Escaped from the Prison pine plantation.
1947, January 8 Harry Johnson Escaped from the Prison pine plantation.
1947, January 29 David Henry Ecketts  
1947, April 12 Harold Sheehan Escaped by scaling the wall of the exercise yard. Sheehan was recaptured the next day. Sheehan also escaped from the Wangaratta Police Station on the 16th April 1947.
1947, April 12   Two prisoners escape with Harold Sheehan by scaling the wall of the exercise yard. Both were recaptured the next day. Both also escaped from the Wangaratta Police Station on the 16th April 1947.
1947, July 29 Leslie Gardiner Escaped after overpowering a guard and locking him in a cell. The guard was not discovered for 7 hours. This was one of Victoria's biggest breakouts. 
1947, July 29  Ronald Albert Anthony Smith  Escaped after overpowering a guard and locking him in a cell. The guard was not discovered for 7 hours. This was one of Victoria's biggest breakouts. 
1947, July 29 George Howard Escaped after overpowering a guard and locking him in a cell. The guard was not discovered for 7 hours. This was one of Victoria's biggest breakouts.
1947, July 29   Two other prisoners escaped after overpowering a guard and locking him in a cell. The guard was not discovered for 7 hours. This wasone of Victoria's biggest breakouts.
1947, July 31 Gordon Campbell Keating  
1947, September 23 Leonard Bown Second of two escapes.
1948, January 12  David McCauley  Recaptured 3 days later, six miles from Wodonga.
1948, April 11 Leslie Gleeson Escaped by making ropes from blankets and scaling the wall. Gleeson was recaptured 5 days later in Albury.
1948, April 11 Percy Connelly Escaped by making ropes from blankets and scaling the wall. Percy remains at large.
1948, August 18 Raymond Sullivan Escaped whilst working on the Prison pine plantation.
1948, August 18 Norman Lovette Escaped whilst working on the Prison pine plantation.
1948, August 18 James Raine Escaped whilst working on the Prison pine plantation.
1949, July 25   Six prisoners overpowered a prison warder while working in one of the prison yards, grabbed his keys and scaling an 18-foot wall. Two were caught by prison guards before they reached the outer wall 30 yards away, one broke his leg in the jump, one was caught in town after a chase down the main street, and the remaining two were caught sheltering in the Everton School 10 miles from Beechworth. 
1950, January 14 Ernest Williams Escaped by scaling an 18-foot wall. Williams was caught after breaking his leg in the jump.
1950, January 14 Percy Connolly Escaped by scaling an 18-foot wall. Connolly was chased by police and wardens and recaptured in the Beechworth Gorge.
1950, July 7 James Pattison Cut the bars to his cell window, squeezed through a 15 inch by 30 inch hole, ran across the roof of an out building where the guard on duty saw him and fired. Pattison dropped from the 18-foot wall as shots flew past him, he raced across an adjoining field and disappeared. Pattison was recaptured 5 days later in Kilmore.
1954, August 4 Neil Summers Escaped from a prison work party.
1954, August 4 Francis Connell Escaped from a prison work party.
1954, August 4 John Carmody Escaped from a prison work party.
1955, March 3   Three prisoners escape over the perimiter walls and steal a Vauxhall car from Beechworth hospital and headed towards New South Wales.
1956, May 7 Robert Walter Ackroyd Escaped over the wall. Thought to be making his way to Sydney.
1984, April 1 Harry Papafotopoulos Escaped from his cell.
1984, April 9 Jeffery Hooper Escaped from work detail.
1984, August 19 Graham Hindle Escaped from his cell.
1984, August 19 Mark Wilson Escaped from his cell.
1985, August 29 Kenneth Hall Escaped via an incident.
1985, August 29 Paul Shill Escaped via an incident.
1987, February 12 Robert Law Escaped from work detail.
1987, April 7 Michael Challender Challender was recaptured near Chiltern the next day.
1987, April 7 Stephen Berry  
1987, April 7 Vlado Vranic Vranic was recaptured near Chiltern the next day.
1987, July 27 Peter Massese Escaped from the gym.
1987, July 27 Gregory White Escaped from the gym.
1987, July 27 Troy O'Neil Escaped from the gym.
1987, July 27 Brian Irving Escaped from the gym.
1990, May 4 Murray Walton Escaped from the prison garden.
1990, May 4 Darren Hanley Escaped from the prison garden.
1992, April 1 Anthony Mason  
1992, July 21 Stephen Lyon Escaped after forcing open a roller door. Lyon was recaptured the next day.
1992, September 16 Kevin Bugmy Escaped from the industry building, he was recaptured the next day.
1993, June 4 Perry Young Rushed the guards at the front gate and escaped. Young was recaptured the same day.
1994, February 10 Graeme Hole Walked off from the prison farm. Recaptured the same day.