Illustration by Norm Aisbett
Albert Jesse ‘Tommy’ Talbot was born on a farm in Holcombe-Rogus, Hawkworthy in Devonshire in England on March the 9th, 1869. His eldest son and eldest daughter were also born on March the 9th, an unusual coincidence. Talbot came to WA in 1887. In 1891 he was working for a farmer at Northam and from there he went to Southern Cross. His first job was hod carrying for I J K Cohen on the construction of the Club Hotel, from where he went on to Fraser’s Mine. In July/August of 1892, Arthur Bailey had returned from a prospecting trip east of Southern Cross to sell gold and replenish supplies for himself and his mate William Ford. The men on Fraser’s mine were on strike at the time and Tommy Talbot and his two mates, Harry Baker and Dick Fosser, decided that as Bailey had not stayed longer than necessary in Southern Cross he must be onto something good. They procured a riding horse to be ridden turn about, a pack horse, and a native boy to guide them.
There is evidence to indicate that the men were inexperienced and ill-equipped. Nevertheless, they set out and after a couple of days of travel, their native guide deserted them. He was out of his tribal territory. Talbot and his mates followed Bailey’s tracks and eventually reached the Gnarlbine Soak, a water supply of limited capacity established by explorer CC Hunt. They moved on north of the soaks and camped adjacent to where the reservoir is now at Coolgardie and obtained water from a small soak in the vicinity of the present hospital.
They met Bailey and Ford on what is now known as Fly Flat, where apparently both parties had found some alluvial gold. Later, Talbot and his mates found a quartz reef carrying a rich gold close by, and in their excitement left it late in the afternoon to return to their camp but became lost. Evidence of their inexperience can be gauged by the fact that one at least of the three, did not stay at the site of the find to ensure their right to peg the claim.
Albert Jesse ‘Tommy’ Talbot – Photo Find a Grave
