1955 Wickham Terrace attack
On 1 December 1955, a bombing and shooting attack took place on Wickham Terrace in Brisbane, Australia. Targeting medical professionals, two people were killed and two others were injured before the perpetrator, 38-year-old Karl Kast, killed himself at the scene. Investigators determined that Kast had acted out of resentment over failed treatment for back pain by the victims.[1]
Incident
[edit]On Thursday, 1 December 1955, Karl Kast boarded a taxi to Wickham Terrace, carrying a .38 calibre pistol and two boxes filled with 30 kg of explosives. In Wickham House, Kast entered the office of Dr Michael Joseph Gallagher, who was shot twice in the right arm and right side of the chest. After collapsing to the ground, Gallagher asked Kast why he had shot him, to which Kast replied "It is to do with spies" or "It is to do with spines" before shooting Gallaghter a third time, striking his right leg. Before leaving the building, Kast placed some of the explosives in the building's foyer and set it on fire. A patient, George Boland, unsuccessfully attempted to extinguish the fire and lost several fingers when the explosives went off.[2][3]
In nearby Ballow Chambers, Kast left his explosives in the waiting room and successively going to the offices of Dr Arthur Vincent Meehan and Dr Andrew R Murray, who were killed with single gunshots to the chest. Kast held a few present patients at gunpoint before he entered the office of Dr John Lahz. As Kast aimed at Lahz, two nurses and a receptionist placed themselves in the line of fire, causing Kast to relent. He instead ordered everyone to leave the room, after which Lahz locked himself inside and ignited his remaining bombs. The resulting blast severely injured Kast, who then shot himself in the head with his gun. Paramedics recovered Kast alive, but he died the same day at a hospital.[2][4][5][6]
Perpetrator
[edit]
Siegfried Karl Kast was born on 28 March 1917 in the Kingdom of Bavaria. He entered Australia on 8 July 1938, while working as a fireman on the steamship Halle, which had docked at Brisbane. With the beginning of World War II, Kast was initially charged with desertion and suspected of being a German spy, but charges were dropped for lack of evidence on 28 September. He was interned at several forced labour camps until March 1944, working as a salesman in Alice Springs and obtaining Australian citizenship the same year.[7]
On 10 August 1954, while working as a pipelayer for Cairns City Council, Kast slipped during a work detail in Earlville. He subsequently complained of back pain, for which he visited the later targeted physicians at Wickham. The doctors all stated that Kast was exaggerating his injury and possibly malingering. Cairns State Government Insurance Office denied a compensation claim, as there were reports that Kast had sustained the injury in two earlier incidents in private. Kast later told a neighbour that he would plant a bomb at the office to bring attention to his case.[2][8]
Aftermath
[edit]A brown paper parcel was delivered to the Brisbane Criminal Investigation Branch containing a letter from Kast claiming that he "did not receive justice elsewhere" and listing his four victims by name. The parcel also contained correspondence detailing his attempts to receive compensation for an alleged back injury.[4]
The tragedy was reported in the Courier-Mail on Friday, 2 December, as "...a horrible crime ...[that]...sent a shock of horror through the city and all Queensland". Kast was buried in an unmarked grave at Toowong Cemetery.[9]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Patient Kills Two Doctors, Blows Self Up With Bomb". Ottawa Citizen. 1 December 1955.
- 1 2 3 Cumming, William J. (July 2009). "The Brisbane medical massacre*". ANZ Journal of Surgery. 79 (7–8): 530–532. doi:10.1111/j.1445-2197.2009.04983.x. ISSN 1445-1433.
- ↑ "Migrant Shoots Two Doctors, Then Suicides". The Canberra Times. 2 December 1955. p. 1. Retrieved 22 January 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- 1 2 "Wickham Terrace Tragedy KILLER HAD FOUR DOCTORS MARKED FOR "OBLIVION"". The Central Queensland Herald. Rockhampton, Qld. 8 December 1955. p. 11. Retrieved 22 January 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ↑ "MAN'S MURDEROUS ATTACK ON BRISBANE DOCTORS TWO SHOT DEAD, THIRD SHOT AND IN SERIOUS CONDITION; FOURTH HAD LUCKY ESCAPE". The Central Queensland Herald. Rockhampton, Qld. 8 December 1955. p. 13. Retrieved 22 January 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ↑ Hurst, Daniel (30 November 2009). "Kast-ing a shadow over Brisbane's 'Doctor Street'". Brisbane Times.
- ↑ "Tragedy at Wickham Terrace - Stories from the Archives". Queensland State Archives. 18 October 2016.
- ↑ "The unlikely setting for one of Brisbane's first acts of terrorism". Brisbane Times. 20 October 2018.
- ↑ "Brisbane City Council – Online – Grave Location Search". Brisbane City Council. Archived from the original on 5 June 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2011.