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Wyola

The tugboat Wyola was built on Tyneside in 1912 for the Swan River Shipping Co. Ltd, and registered in Fremantle in 1912. She was broken up 1970. There is a full history with excellent photos on the Tyne Tugs website.

The Wyola Club in High Street Fremantle was named after the ship (Pam Harris, personal communication). There was a location near Cunderdin in Western Australia called Wyola, so it's possible the tugboat was named after that. (Thanks for Pam Harris for finding that also.) The name lives on in the Wyola North Road, running north-south between Cunderdin and Tammin.

Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882- 1950), Wednesday 8 January 1908, page4
MURDER.
THE WYOLA TRAGEDY.
INQUEST OPENED.
The sensational news published In the city yesterday of the double tragedy of Wyola, near Cunderdin, followed only a few hours later by the callous murder of Wm. Clinton at Day Dawn, created quite a sensation. At present the State appears to be suffering from a cycle of serious crime.
Yesterday the bodies of M'Guigan, the murdered man, and Hart, who shot him and then committed suicide, were brought into Northam, where an inquest was formally opened and adjourned. The bodies were brought down by Constable Cahill, who at the time was travelling down in the train to his headquarters at Meckering. At Wyola a man spoke to the constable, and told him that M'Guigan had been shot. He immediately left the train and after making inquiries found the bodies of the two men, both dead, and lying about a quarter of a mile apart. M'Guigan, who was a big powerful man, had been shot through the stomach. Hart was a man of much smaller build, and had, in shooting himself, first shot himself through his left side, and then through the centre of his breast.
At the inquest, Robert Selby, working mate of Hart, gave evidence of identification, and also of the conversation which took place between the two dead men. Ho recognised a double-barrelled breach-loading gun in court as the one Hart had used. When he had shot M'Guigan, Hart, addressing witness and two other men present sold, "I may as well do for the three of you." Hart then walked towards the bush and shot himself. The witness rode away and reported the matter. Tho inquest was adjourned till Tuesday morning next.
National Library of Australia
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/77314345

References and Links

Tyne Tugs and Tug Builders website page for this ship, whence the photo above, courtesy of Richard Cox.


Garry Gillard | New: 17 April, 2021 | Now: 3 May, 2024