Annie Rixon and Captain Thunderbolt
Captain Thunderbolt : 1951 film | 1968 documentary | Annie Rixon | Copyright | Historical References | Mary Ann Bugg | Script |
Contents
- Introduction
- Transcriptions
- Chronology
- Discussion
- References
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Abstract: Annie Rixon (1885-1975) was the author of a controversial book on the Australian bushranger Frederick Ward (1835-70), commonly known as Captain Thunderbolt. It re-presented information by Ward's colleague William Monckton (1855-1942) and the claim that the person shot by the police on 25 May 1870 was not Ward but his associate Albert Blake; also, that Captain Thunderbolt was actually Frederick Britten (1834- ....). Initially published in 1903 by editor Douglas Pratt under the title Three Years with Thunderbolt, a reprint and re-editing of Monckton's reminiscences, plus extra material, gave rise to the novel which appeared during 1948 under the Annie Rixon name and was simply titled Captain Thunderbolt. This edition was subsequently used as the basis for the 1951 Australian film Captain Thunderbolt. A 1968 television documentary titled Thunderbolt utilised both the Pratt and Rixon books in compiling the dramatized script. A collection of items in the Harold White Papers at the National Library of Australia provide a brief account of Rixon's association with the book, film and documentary. In regard to the latter, it is noted by her that copyright permission was obtained post-production and under duress.
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1. Introduction
On 16 July 2025 the writer received a query from a friend regarding the contents of a folder labelled 'Thunderbolt' in the Harold White Papers collection at the National Library of Australia. It read as follows:
Harold White was National Librarian from 1947 to 1970, and even when he retired he maintained an active involvement in its affairs. There’s all sorts of strange stuff in his private papers that never ended up on official files, but why would these be there?
The papers included seven items related to Annie Rixon (1886-1975), the Australian author of a controversial book on the bushranger known as Captain Thunderbolt. This was based on reminiscences by the bushranger's colleague William Monckton (1855-1942) as initially published in 1903 by editor Douglas Pratt under the title Three Years with Thunderbolt. Rixon obtained the rights to the story from Monckton and in 1940 republished them in a different form. This was followed by a reprint and re-editing, along with extra material in the form of a novelisation which appeared during 1948 under the Annie Rixon name and was simply titled Captain Thunderbolt. In it she argued that Frederick Ward was not Captain Thunderbolt, but that it was actually fellow bushranger Frederick Alfred Britten. Rixon portrayed him therein as an Australian Robin Hood. The book subsequently formed the basis for the 1951 Australian film Captain Thunderbolt, produced by Associated Television Pty. Ltd. of Sydney. According to the Annie Rixon Papers catalogue entry in the State Library of New South Wales:
Anne Louisa Rixon was born 21 November 1885 at Spring Valley near Armidale, New South Wales. Her father David Rixon was a blacksmith, and in approximately 1860 he moved his family from England to New South Wales to work in the goldfields. Annie grew up on the family farm Hollybank near Guyra, and later trained as a nurse in Sydney.
Captain Thunderbolt operated in and around the Armidale area during the period 1863-70. The items in the 'Thunderbolt' folder comprised the following (arranged roughly chronologically):
- An undated newspaper clipping of a photograph of the side head view of a man - Albert Blake.
- An undated newspaper clipping of an image of the front-on head shot of a bushranger - Frederick Britten.
- The death certificate of Frederick Ward, 1935. Copy presented to State Library of New South Wales 1965.
- A manuscript letter dated 1944 from Herbert J. Rumsey to Annie Studdert. Copy presented to State Library of New South Wales, 1965 by Studdert.
- A manuscript, 2 page letter dated 1952 from Alfred E. Stephen to Annie Rixon.
- A 1970 typed, 2 page account by Annie Rixon entitled The Rocky Road for the Author.
- An undated (circa 1970) thank you note from Annie Rixon to Harold White.
Below is a transcript of the items and a discussion of their significance, along with the relationship with the 1951 Australian film Captain Thunderbolt and 1968 television documentary Thunderbolt.
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2. Transcriptions and descriptions
#1 - Undated newspaper clipping of a photograph of the side view of the head of a man - Albert Blake - shot and killed by police Constable R.B. Walker at Kentucky Creek near Armidale on 25 May 1870. Rixon states that he was not Captain Thunderbolt or Fred Ward, though purported by the police to be the bushranger.
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#2 - Undated newspaper clipping of a photograph of the front on head shot of bushranger Captain Thunderbolt, but inscribed in blue pen to actually be the bushranger Frederick Britten.
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#3 - Death certificate of Frederick Ward, 1935.
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#4 - Manuscript letter dated 5 August 1944 from genealogical researcher Herbert J. Rumsey to Annie Studdert reporting on family history aspects of Frederick Ward, including his death:
Herbert J. Rumsey F.S.G, (Lond.)
Genealogical Records
Australian Representative, Society of Genealogists, London
Lanark House, 146 - 148 Phillip Street, Sydney
Overseas Searches, Family Charts, Copies of Wills and Registrations
Aug 5 1944
Dear Mrs Studdert
I have succeeded in getting the information as to the death of Fred Ward. He was admitted to the Lidcombe Hospital & Home on 25/7/34 and died there 8/11/35. He came from ..... Hospital. His age at death was 94 years, his religion RC & place of birth, Flagstaff, Sydney.
His only known relative was sister Mrs Ward who then resided at 512 Woodville Road, Guilford. His death certificate would probably give no more information than the above but his birth certificate should show the name of his parents.
Yours faithfully
Herbert J. Rumsey
P.S. I went to Fort Street School with a boy named Ward whose father worked at the Flagstaff or Observatory.
See Reene records for Ward children (or grandchildren) of Michael and Sophia Ward of Wilberforce inside the old ...
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#5 - Letter from Alfred E. Stephen to Annie Rixon, 20 February 1952. With amendations by Annie Rixon (?circa 1970). :
G.P.O. Box 1158.
Sydney, 20 Feb. 1952
Mrs. Annie Rixon
Dear Mrs. Rixon
I was very interested to note that a new edition of your book on "Thunderbolt" has been lately published. I have been much interested in your book as I met William Monckton at the Conrad Mine at Howell many years ago, at which time my brother James was the Assistant Manager of the mine. Your book is a fascinating story and I think you have given good proof of the accuracy of the story, which is very romantic.
One thing I would like to know specifically is - who was the individual you term the "Pelican"? You have never identified him, as far as I remember.
After reading the book when first published, I thought the story would make a very good film, and I took some steps to that end, but the film-producing firm said that the police department would object to such a film as it would cast a reflection on the police of the time for not identifying correctly the man whom they stated was Thunderbolt, &c.
I should like to have a chat with you sometime about the matter. You book publisher gave me your address on my inquiry.
I have been Hon. Secretary of the Royal Australian Historical Society for a number of years, but I would like to do what I can to dispel any discredit regarding to the main fact of your book.
Hoping to hear from you soon,
Believe me, with my best regards, -
Yours truly
Alfred E. Stephen
P.S. You could get me on the telephone B.U. 1158 almost any morning before 10.30 a.m.
Son of the late Judge Stephen.
[Subsequent comment by Annie Rixon circa 1970?:
Mr Stephens came to my house the following Sunday and we discussed this story thoroughly. I told him the names of both the Pelican and black Harry, about which he was curious.
The new edition is very nicely produced but I have not read it through yet.
Annie Rixon, Studdert.
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#6 - Typescript of 1970 text entitled The Rocky Road for the Author, by Annie Rixon. The text was roughly typed, with frequent use of capitalization and later typed inserts on the page. It has been edited here by the present author to enhance comprehension. No material has been deleted. It is likely that this transcript is the record of an interview with Annie Rixon, possibly by Harold White.
The Rocky Road for the Author. Annie Rixon
When Mr. A.G. Stephens was editor of the Red Page in the Bulletin years ago I was persuaded by a friend of his to pay him a visit. I had a writer's itch at that time, and still have.
He had an office in Rowe Street then. I saw him, was introduced by letter. I submitted a couple of items. He was helpful and told me to call again when I had some more material. After the third visit he gave his verdict.
"I can't advise you" he said staring at the ceiling. I waited, my heart sinking. Again he said, "I CAN'T ADVICE YOU."
"Isn't my work of value?" I gasped.
"Your work is full of action; the material that picture producers will want. IT WILL BE STOLEN" he said.
There was a long silence, then he said.
"How does this suit; I will write with you on a fifty fifty basis. What do you say to that?"
WHAT AN UTTER FOOL I WAS. I refused his offer. I want to be the BIG NOISE, all by myself. DID I LIVE TO REGRET MY STUPID DECISION.
It took me twelve year to collect the THUNDERBOLT STORY. I have written and written it six times. I have yet another edition ready right now, including a fine episode told me by an 82 year old lady whose Grandfather knew THUNDERBOLT well and should be written up and placed in every school in NEW SOUTH WALES.
Did you see The Documentary on CHANNEL 9, on TUESDAY MAY 26th .70.?. concerning the OUTLAW CAPTAIN THUNDERBOLT.
Believe it or not, my name was among the rest.
This is what happened previously. I live at LEICHHARDT, alone. At that time my two sisters were visiting me, but leaving in a short time.
There was a knock at the door. I answered. A youngish man was there said he was ALLAN McCULLOCH; he said that he wanted to make a documentary on the Bushranger THUNDERBOLT. He said that he believed that I had written the book on that subject, and asked would I allow him to use the story. I said No. He argued I still said NO.
I had been stung by the COLIN SCRUMGEOUR -- CECIL HOLMES = etc, people some years before.
My sister made morning tea in which our visitor joined.
Again he argued; why wouldn't I allow him to use that story. In any case he had the book. At last he took himself off.
I was happy to think I had my two sisters here, who left that day for their home, at Windang.
The next day ALLAN McCULLOCH returned with a document he had himself written, saying that I, ANNIE RIXON would allow my story to be used, etc, etc, which he asked me to sign. Again I said no.
McCULLOCH and another man had already made the documentary, a year before.
There was no mention of his Company paying for my story, though I was told that McCULLOCH had won the AMPOL AWARD of $5,000 a short time previously. He again argued and said that he had the old book, THREE YEARS WITH THUNDERBOLT, and would use it.
I told him that was mine.
I bought my story from MR W. MONCKTON who as a youth lived with the OUTLAW for three years; the book THREE YEARS WITH THUNDERBOLT was included in the deal.
I paid Mr W. MONCKTON £25 for that story.
I have had my registered COPYRIGHT CERTIFICATE ever since 1935. I still have the copy of that book, and it was I who took his photograph, taken at ARMIDALE after we had made the deal. TOM Monckton, his nephew, arranged the meeting.
(Tom died on Mar 1, this year, 70)
I told McCULLOCH all this, and he still wanted me to sign that document.
Then I got frightened. Here I was alone, some horrible things had happened to older people living alone. How did I know he was the person he said he was. His entry might be an excuse to get into my house. At last I signed the document. I wanted to get him out of the house.
As he rose to depart I said,
"HOW MUCH DO I GET FOR ALL THIS?"
"OH YOU'LL get your share he replied.
I asked him what was his address and he said something that sounded like the number I could not get. He was walking away with his back to me I thought he said Jersey St. PADDINGTON. I looked in the phone book but could not find it. I HEARD NO MORE.
THE THUNDERBOLT FILM WAS SHOWN ON CHANNEL 9 on the evening of the 26th of MAY 1970. My name was among those who had given permission.
AFTER FORTY YEARS HARD SEARCH
ANNIE RIXON
Mrs Rixon Studdert
34 MARY ST. LEICHHARDT. 2040. NEW SOUTH WALES. AUSTRALIA.
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WELL: WE'VE seen the THUNDERBOLT FILM and what a feeble thing it was.
FRED BRITTEN who loved to dance and sing, who was so courteous to all women; loved little children, and was respected even by certain member of the police force who might have earned big money by killing him. No woman had cause to fear him. White sheets were flow from the clotheslines to greet him; red blankets to warn him if Troopers were near. Once he was hidden in a Box ottoman, and nearly smothered, but was brought back to life with massage and a kitchen bellows. Once he was hidden up a chimney. Once a shepherd hid him in his dog box; the troopers came bu Thunderbolt crawled beneath their sheep bellies and was not seen. Next day the old shepherd helped him climb into a mistletoe where he hid. He was cared for by sleeper cutters, timber men. He went to rob the pub at CURRABUBULA, stayed nearly all night to dance & sing, was almost caught in a shepherd's hut, thought he'd end his life but the old shepherd's wife made him lie beside her and she passed him off as her very deaf husband. He joined the mob at BLANCH'S at KENTUCKY to celebrate QUEEN VICTORIA'S BIRTHDAY and stayed to sing and dance all night. Found ALBERT BLAKE his step brother very ill and wounded; nursed him. Albert had been in DARLINGHURST GAOL for 7 years and was dying of consumption. Thunderbolt went with him to BLANCH'S to get provisions [and] met CAPISOTTI whom he robbed, but later returned the money. CAPISOTTI hurried to URALLA to tell Con Walker who sent a messenger on horseback to get Sgt MULJALL to help whose horse bolted at the wrong moment leaving WALKER to do the rest. He chased ALBERT BLAKE, shot him and then bashed in his skull. Walker was promoted and given the reward. BRITTEN'S friends sent him to AMERICA. He stayed five years. He returned, went with MONCKTON to see his own supposed grave; met his old sweetheart, now a widow. Was warned not to remain. Went back to AMERICA. Late died in CANADA.
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#7 - Undated (circa 1970?) thank you note from Annie Rixon to Harold White.
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3. Chronology
The following chronology refers to aspects of the life of Annie Rixon, with special emphasis on her association with the character of Captain Thunderbolt.
1885
* 21 November 1885 - Annie Louisa Rixon is born at Spring Valley, Armidale, to David Rixon and Maria Clews Rixon. Sister of Georgina Russel; John David Rixon; Moses Frederick Rixon; Catherine Cornelia Ditton; Edith Emily Muriel Johnson; Hannah Priscilla Rixon; Joseph Charles Rixon; Samuel James Rixon; Ruby Mildred Pike; Mabel Pearl Rixon and Martha Jane O'Connor.
1903
* 2 November 1903 - Annie and Elsie Rixon recite the song Dolly at the monthly meeting of the Muswellbrook Band of Hope, in the Methodist Church.
1904
* 21 July 1904 - Annie Rixon recites the song Billy Spider at the monthly meeting of the Muswellbrook Band of Hope, in the Methodist Church.
1912
* 11 August 1912 - Annie Rixon, a student of the Sisters of Mercy, Muswellbrook, was successful in the elementary grade music examination.
1914-18
* Dear Anzac Pal (A song of remembrance), arranged by Alice B. McDonald; melody and words by Annie L. Studdert, The Southern Song Service, Gore, Southland, New Zealand, n.d., 2p.
1920
* The Armidale Express and New England General Advertiser, 12 October 1920. She is listed elsewhere as married to Richard D. Studdert.
RIXON—STUDDERT.
A quiet but beautiful wedding was celebrated on Wednesday last at "Holly Bank," Black Mountain, when Annie Louisa (Nurse) Rixon, one of Mr. D. Rixon's daughters, was united "for better, for worse," to Mr. B. de C. Studdert, second son of the late Mr. W. Studdert and Mrs. Studdert, of Croydon, Sydney. The bridesmaids were the two younger sisters of the bride, and the best man was Mr. B.V. P. Studdert, of Armidale. Rev. H. E. Andrews officiated.
* Cradle Song, words and music by Annie L. Studdert, arranged by A.W. Dennis, The Southern Song Service, Gore, Southland, New Zealand, n.d., 2p.
1939
* Annie Rixon, The Scarlet Cape, George M. Dash, Sydney, 1939, 287p.
1940
* Sydney Morning Herald, 12 March 1940.
GIFT FOR RED CROSS APPEAL FUND.
MRS A.L. STUDDERT, of Marsh Street, Armidale, has offered the proceeds of the first edition of her book The Scarlet Cape as a gift to the Lady Gowrie Red Cross Appeal Fund. The book deals with the experiences of two nurses during the last war and follows the life of one of the characters to the present time. The book which Mrs Studdert has written under the pen name of Annie Rixon is her first published work By arrangement with the publisher Mr George M Dish copies of the book will be on sale on Red Cross Day March 15. In the proof state Mrs Studdert has a second book tilted Yesterday and To-day which is to be followed by another, Truth About Thunderbolt.
* Annie Rixon, Yesterday and Today, George M. Dash, Sydney, 1940, 247p.
* Annie Rixon, The Truth about Captain Thunderbolt, Australia's "Robin Hood", Sydney, 1940, 158p.
1945
* Annie Rixon, Thunderbolt: The true story of the beloved outlaw, Frank Johnson, Cumberland Newspapers, Parramatta, Magpie Series #53, 1945, 125p.
1948
* Annie Rixon, Captain Thunderbolt, Edwards & Shaw, Sydney, 1948, 248p.
1950
* Harry Dale the Drover, [music], poem by Henry Lawson, music by Annie Rixon, 2p.
1951
* Approached by producers of the Captain Thunderbolt film regarding copyright release. Granted.
* The Real Captain Thunderbolt, Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate, 15 December 1951.
The Real Captain Thunderbolt
Few figures in Upper Hunter-New England land history have become so legendary as Captain Thunderbolt, daring and chivalrous bush ranger who roamed the area in the wild colonial days. Many colourful stories of his adventures are told by Valley residents. Some, though told in good faith, may not be of Thunderbolt at all, but of men who impersonated or were mistaken for him. His identity has been argued by people who assert that the man who was buried at Uralla in the name of Fred Ward, alias Thunderbolt, was neither.
Annie Rixon, in her newly published book, "Captain Thunderbolt," seems to prove beyond doubt that the Uralla grave (on which stands a tin in which visitors may leave messages of admiration or otherwise) is not that of the bushranger. She reveals him as Fred Britten - a lifelong friend of Ward - and produces in her story appended statutory declarations and newspaper extracts, substantiating evidence. The authoress highlights the romantic air that gradually grew around Britten and pictures him as a strange composite - an innocent forced to the path of crime; a dashing, rather heroic figure; a good fighter and expert horseman, reckless enough to ride (safely) over a 20ft. waterfall, sentimental enough to cry at sad news. His reputation for chivalry developed from his habits of never robbing a woman, never harming his victims (except the Pelican, a thoroughly unpleasant cattle-duffer who was responsible for his serving a term of imprisonment), of guiding women-travelers on their journey, and of returning what he had stolen in hold-ups if he found the people he had robbed were in poor circumstances.
Annie Rixon calls him Australia's Robin Hood. She tells how people felt so keenly for him that it became custom through the country-side for women to hang red blankets outside their homesteads to warn him if troopers were in the neighbourhood, and white sheets when it was safe to approach. Yet he was frequently in tight corners. Once, when troopers called at a homestead where he was playing cards, he crawled into the chimney and balanced over the burning embers till they made their unsuccessful search and departed.
One of his typical deeds happened when he was on his way to rob a man who had informed on him. He met the man's wife, carrying a baby. Learning that the child was sick, he lifted both on to his horse and, though it meant risking his life by appearing in a town, took them to a doctor and went on without carrying out his original intention.
The book makes the most of the bushranger's adventures and the telling is well done, in fiction style, though its manufactured conversations do not always ring true. A good deal of research and the result of many interviews must have gone into its making. The result is absorbing. One reaches the last page wishing the authoress could have gone on.
* Captain Thunderbolt, Guyra Argus, 20 December 1951.
CAPTAIN THUNDERBOLT
Mr. Cyril Evans, of Black Mountain School, writes to the Editor:—
Sir,— Recently I was, the surprised recipient of a book, "Captain Thunderbolt," written by an ex-pupil of the Black Mountain School. The author Annie Rixon, now Mrs. Studdert, of Leichardt, Sydney, attended this school some 40 years ago, and has presented this book as an addition to the library. You may recall Thunderbolt was a famous bushranger who roamed the district of New England in the early days. The following is an extract from the frontispiece to the book: "This book is the only documented version of the legend of Thunderbolt, Australia's Robin Hood, told in fiction style, and illustrated with photographs. The material has been collected, by the author over many years and from unimpeachable sources, enabling her to explode the common misconceptions of Thunderbolt's identity, life and character. From it emerges the picture of a man of extraordinary abilities, condemned by misfortune to the life of an outlaw." "Captain Thunderbolt" will be in demand, especially when the film is released. In her letter Mrs. Rixon mentions some interesting features of the beginning of the Black Mountain School, built in 1884. This was demolished and a new school erected in 1941.
1952
* "Thunderbolt" not Fred Ward, Windsor and Richmond Gazette, 6 February 1952.
'Thunderbolt' Not Fred Ward - Claim in novel of local interest
Was 'Thunderbolt' really Fred Ward? Who was the bushranger shot by Constable Walker at Kentucky and buried in Uralla cemetery? These queries are revived by a new novel of considerable local interest, 'Captain Thunderbolt,' by Annie Rixon, a copy of which we have received for review. It is based on considerable research and documentary evidence tending to prove that 'Thunderbolt' was not Fred Ward. Further, it claims that the bushranger who was shot, and buried as 'Thunderbolt,' was not that person, either!
NEW VERSION
It has been generally believed, of course, from official records, that this 'gentleman bushranger,' who never robbed a woman (even when she was carrying the payroll for her husband's sawmill staff) or — with one exception — fired on a policeman, was a Wilberforce native named Fred Ward, a likeable young chap who was embittered by being wrongfully imprisoned, and 'took to the road.' The documentary evidence and sworn statements on which this novel is based claim that 'Thunderbolt' was actually Fred Britten, a close friend of Ward's from his boyhood days at Windsor, and the man who was shot and buried as 'Thunderbolt' was Britten's half brother, Albert Blake, who was identified at the inquest as Ward so that both Ward and Britten, the real 'Thunderbolt,' would not be hampered by police pursuit in getting away from the State.
STRONG EVIDENCE
This statement is claimed to have been made by Ward's mother to a friend after the inquest, and other evidence shows that Ward was of fair complexion, in marked contrast to the real 'Thunderbolt.' Will Monckton, whose three years' association with the bushranger as a youth formed the basis of Ambrose Pratt's popular novel of years ago, 'Three Years With Thunderbolt,' and who died at Howell, N.S.W. in 1942, in a sworn statement claimed that he knew the bushranger intimately, but had never met Fred Ward. Equal interest for Hawkesbury readers in this book is provided by the opening chapters, in which the story begins in Windsor, and includes vivid descriptions of the lusty life and pastimes of the residents of the old town around the 'forties, showing a good deal of careful research on these aspects also.
WORTH BUYING
The romantic interest in the story is ingeniously introduced, and, though neither the plot nor the writing entitles the book to high rating as an Australian novel, the particular local interest is sufficient to entitle it to a place on the bookshelves of Hawkesbury readers.
* Captain Thunderbolt, Bowen Independent, Queensland, 15 February 1952.
"CAPTAIN THUNDERBOLT”.
We have received a copy of the new Australian novel “Captain Thunderbolt,’ by Annie Rixon (author of "The Scarlet Cape,” "Yesterday and Today"). The book tells the human story of a beloved outlaw—the man about whose life the film “Captain Thunderbolt” has been made and is to be released shortly throughout Australia. The book is the only documented version of the legend of Thunderbolt, Australia’s Robin Hood, told in fiction style, and illustrated with photographs. The material has been collected by the author over many years and from unimpeachable sources, enabling her to explode the common misconceptions of Thunderbolt's identity, life and character. From it emerges the picture of a man of extraordinary abilities, condemned by misfortune to the life of an outlaw. “Captain Thunderbolt" will be in demand, especially when the film is released.
* Captain Thunderbolt, Daily Examiner, Grafton, 16 October 1952.
Captain Thunderbolt
Sir,—I am the author of "Captain Thunderbolt," by Annie Rixon. The story concerns the well-known Australian outlaw, who lived in the Grafton district for some time and was well known to many old-timers there. The selling price is 15/. I will donate 2/ per copy to the carnival fund for every copy of "Captain Thunderbolt" sold during carnival week at Grafton. I will autograph copies if desired. If there are any booksellers in Grafton who would care to sell the book at the usual discount, I would be glad to hear from them. Wishing the carnival all success.
Annie Studdert. 34 Mary St., Leichhardt.
1957
* The Bulletin, vol.78, no.4501, 2 October 1957.
Some information on Thunderbolt the bushranger?
Most authorities on the bushrangers agree that “Captain Thunderbolt,” self-titled, was Fred Ward, who operated in N.S.W. north of Newcastle from Dec., 1864. Usually with one or more various companions (who regularly were captured), he stuck-up and robbed mail-cars, inns and travellers over a period of 5 1/2 years; early in 1866 he operated for a time in Queensland. His end came in May, 1870, when, after sticking-up a Uralla publican named Blanche, he was shot and fatally wounded by Constable Walker as he was trying to get away. With his death, bush-ranging practically ceased in N.S.W. In opposition to this viewpoint, Annie Rixon, in The Truth about Thunderbolt (1940), claimed that “Captain Thunderbolt” was not Ward at all but was one Fred Britten, a “gentleman” bushranger associated with Fred Ward in one or two of his exploits, and who left Australia for U.S.A. and oblivion soon after Ward’s death.
1963
* Neil Williams performs songs by Annie Rixon, 1 tape reel, 9 November 1963, National Library of Australia. Songs: Ghosts of Ilalong; My Sweetheart; The Banks of the Ready Lagoon; A Drover's Lullaby.
1965
* 8 March 1965 - Letter from Elizabethan Theatre Trust thanking Annie Rixon for sending a manuscript copy of Captain Thunderbolt.
8th March, 1965
Mrs. A. Rixon-Studdert, 34 Mary Street, Leichhardt
Dear Mrs· Rixon,
Thank you very much for allowing us to see the manuscript of your book, "Captain Thunderbolt". The theme is indeed one which Australian playwrights and librettists might well use. In fact there have been several attempts to deal successfully with this legendary story in this form, but so far none of the efforts have been really suitable for theatrical production. Unfortunately we do not employ commercial writers of plays or musicals, but will certainly keep your address and the relevant information on file for recommendation to those dramatic writers who may be able to undertake an adaptation of your novel. We are returning your manuscript under separate cover.
Yours sincerely. Robin Lovejoy.
* Herbert J. Rumsey letter + Frederick Ward death certificate, photocopies presented 26 March 1965 by Mrs. A.L. Studdert.
1970
* Annie Rixon, Captain Thunderbolt, Rewritten with additions, Quality Press, Leichhardt, 1970, 267p.
* Annie Rixon, The Rocky Road for the Author (manuscript), Harold White Papers, National Library of Australia.
1975
* 20 February 1975 - Death of Annie Rixon.
1996
* Brian McDonald, Bushrangers: Separating Fact from Fiction, Biblionews and Australian Notes and Queries, The Australian Book Collectors Society, 21(2), June 1996, 47-64.
2001
* Annie Louisa Rixon Papers, presented to State Library of New South Wales by R.A. (Tony) Studdert, 2001.
Undated
* Literary manuscripts and music, National Library of Australia, NLA MSS 2227. Contents:
- "The Happy Wanderer", 240 typescript pages (also two copies of synopsis).
- "No Monuments", 410 typescript pages.
- "Captain Thunderbolt", 371 typescript pages.
- "Interrupted Honeymoon", 180 typescript pages.
- Short stories, typescript.
- "A Queen there is", manuscript operetta in three acts. Libretto and music by Annie Rixon.
- One manuscript volume of Australian songs written and collected by Annie Rixon.
- Song: "The Toast is Captain Cook", words and music by Annie Rixon.
- Band score: "Christmas Bells".
- Song: "Harry Dale the Drover", words by Henry Lawson, music by Annie Rixon.
- Three songs about "Captain Thunderbolt", words and music by A.R.
- Scrapbook containing letters, documents, photographs, etc. relating to "Captain Thunderbolt".
- Typescript extracts from various newspapers concerning the Chinese in Australia.
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4. Discussion
It would appear that the aforementioned collection of material was passed on to Harold White by Annie Rixon sometime around 1970. It concerns the ongoing controversy surrounding her books on Captain Thunderbolt and, due to the first-hand account therein by William Monckton, the assertion that the person the police claimed to have killed was not Frederick Ward, but actually his off-sider Albert Blake, whilst the read Captain Thunderbolt was Frederick Britten. This controversy remains in place, despite a number of rebuttals and the general belief that Ward was Thunderbolt, as presented in the 1951 film.
In 2012 an article was published in the Journal of Australian Studies by archivist David Roberts and historian Carol Baxter related to the mystery around the death of Captain Thunderbolt. The abstract to that article reads as follows:
In March 2010, the NSW Legislative Council passed a remarkable motion demanding the release of archival records relating to the death of the bushranger, “Captain Thunderbolt”, who was shot by police in the New England (NSW) in May 1870. The interest in this 140-year-old episode from the colonial past reflects a suspicion that the police shot the wrong man in 1870 and that the colonial authorities engaged in a high-level conspiracy to conceal this from the public. More seriously, it has been alleged that the NSW government actively maintained a strict censorship over secret documents that reveal the true circumstances of the bushranger's death. Even more remarkable is the fact that the Legislative Council motion was employed to advance the claims made in an historical novel. This article considers the alternative account of Thunderbolt's death presented in Gregory Hamilton and Barry Sinclair's Thunderbolt: Scourge of the Ranges (2009), and investigates the allegations concerning the censorship of historical records in the service of an ongoing state and police conspiracy. We demonstrate that the case made in the novel, and promoted in the NSW Parliament, has been built on a misrepresentation of the nature and practice of state record-keeping in NSW. (Roberts and Baxter 2012)
The present writer is not aware whether the contents of the Thunderbolt folder in the Harold White Papers described above were included in any studies concerning Captain Thunderbolt prior to the writing of the present article in July 2025. The contents are useful in adding to the story of Annie Rixon, however they do not address or change the controversy to any significant degree.
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5. References
Arnold, Vivian, The Man Called Thunderbolt [libretto], Wirripang, Wollongong,1988, 304p.
Baillie, Adam, Riding with Captain Thunderbolt, Scholastic Press, 2013.
Baxter, Carol, Captain Thunderbolt and his lady, Allen and Unwin, Sydney, 2011.
-----, Bushranger Thunderbolt and Mary Ann Bugg [website], 2011.
Belshaw, Jim, The Making of Captain Thunderbolt, New England Story [blog], 13 August 2010.
Brouwer, David, Captain Thunderbolt: horse breaker to bushranger, CB Alexander Foundation, Tocal, 2005.
Butler, Eoin, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, the highwaymen who raised hell in New England (United States), The Irish Times, 28 January 2017.
Captain Thunderbolt [webpage], National Film and Sound Archive, Canberra, 2011.
Captain Thunderbolt, $2 coin, Cook Islands, 2003.
Couzens, Andrew, Cinematic visions of Australian colonial authority in Captain Thunderbolt (1953), Robbery Under Arms (1957) and Eureka Stockade (1949), Studies In Australasian Cinema, 10(2), June 2016, 1-13.
Danks, Adrian, Captain Thunderbolt, in Ben Goldsmith & Geoff Lealand (editors), Directory of World Cinema: Australia & New Zealand, Intellect, Bristol and Chicago, 2010, 25-26.
-----, Hard Labour: Cecil Holmes's Captain Thunderbolt, Senses of Cinema, 94, April 2020.
Death of Thunderbolt, the Bushranger, Evening News, Sydney, 28 May 1870.
Donaldson, David, Looking for Captain Thunderbolt (Cecil Holmes 1953), Senses of Cinema, 2014.
-----, Captain Thunderbolt film, Facebook, accessed 18 October 2023.
Hamilton. C. James and Barry Sinclair, Thunderbolt: Scourge of the Rangers, Phoenix Press, 2009. A work of historical fiction which suggests it is presenting a "true story."
Holmes, Cecil, One Man’s Way, Penguin, Ringwood, 1986.
Hobden, Jim, Captain Thunderbolt: The story of the notorious bushranger, 1988.
Jolly, Jane and Liz Duthie, Captain Thunderbolt's Recital, National Library of Australia, 2023.
Lambert, Anthony, The search for Captain Thunderbolt: An interview with David Donaldson, Studies in Australian Cinema, 5(1), 2011.
Milner, Lisa, 'We film the facts': the Waterside Workers’ Federation film unit, 1953 - 1958, PhD thesis, Communication and Cultural Studies Program, University of Wollongong, 2000.
Nelson, B.J., Captain Thunderbolt & Will Monckton, 2005, 155p.
Nelson, Jim. [The South Australian] Captain Thunderbolt, Campbelltown City Council, 2015.
Niland, Bed, The story of the Captain Thunderbolt statue in Uralla, Kangaroo Press and Uralla Multi-media, 2007.
Olivain, Claire, Magic and McCarthyism: The forgotten history of campus film societies, Honi Soit, University of Sydney, 9 November 2021.
Pike, Andrew, and Cooper, Ross, Australian Film, 1900-1977: A guide to feature film production, Melbourne University Press, 1981, 448p; second revised edition, Oxford University Press, 1998, 362p.
Pratt, Ambrose (editor), Three Years with Captain Thunderbolt, New South Wales Bookstall Company, 1905.
----- and Sydney Josephs, Thunderbolt [play], Royal Theatre, Sydney. Reviewed in the Sunday Times, Sydney, 15 October 1905.
Rixon, Annie [Annie Louisa Studdert], The Scarlet Cape, George M. Dash, Sydney, 1939, 287p.
-----, Yesterday and Today, George M. Dash, Sydney, 1940, 247p.
-----, The Truth about Captain Thunderbolt, Australia's "Robin Hood", Sydney, 1940, 158p.
-----, Thunderbolt: The true story of the beloved outlaw, Frank Johnson, Cumberland Newspapers, Parramatta, Magpie Series #53, 1945, 125p.
-----, Captain Thunderbolt, Edwards & Shaw, Sydney, 1948, 248p.
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-----, Captain Thunderbolt, Quality Press, Leichhardt, 1970, 267p.
Roberts, David Andrew and Carol Baxter, Exposing an exposé: fact versus fiction in the resurrection of Captain Thunderbolt, Journal of Australian Studies, 36(1), 2012, 1–15.
Schuttler, Brad, The Capture of Captain Thunderbolt: A Life of a Bush Ranger, Apple Books, 2022, 169p.
Shirley, Graham, Another important discovery in the search for lost films [Captain Thunderbolt 35mm trailer], National Film and Sound Archive, Canberra, 2010.
Smith, Jane, Australian Bushrangers: Captain Thunderbolt, Big Sky Publishing, 2014, 77p.
Studdert, Annie Louisa or Studdert, Mrs R. de Clare Studdert - refer under Rixon, Annie and Pratt, Ambrose.
Teasdale, Colin, Frederick Wordsworth Ward - Captain Thunderbolt: The Pirate, Publicious Pty Ltd, 24p.
The Bold, the Bad and the Ugly: Captain Thunderbolt & the Captain's Lady, $1 coil, Royal Australian Mint, Canberra, 2019.
-----, $1 counterstamp coin, Royal Australian Mint, Canberra, 2019.
Toohill, Trudy, The Reporting of Captain Thunderbolt the gentleman bushranger: His story in newspaper articles published from 1856 to 1941, 2016.
Vermont's Captain Thunderbolt: a mysterious school teacher with a secret past, History Today, n.d.
Williams, Stephan, A ghost called Thunderbolt, Popinjay, 1987.
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Captain Thunderbolt : 1951 film | 1968 documentary | Annie Rixon | Copyright | Historical References | Mary Ann Bugg | Script |
Last updated: 28 July 2025
Michael Organ, Australia
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