Sandilands Murder: Part I: Herbert Curnow and Eleanor Bockmann

Sandilands Murder: Part I:

 Herbert Curnow and Eleanor Bockmann

At 18 years old Herbert Cyril Curnow was a troubled young man from Moonta, South Australia. His father had been prone to explosive outbursts of anger that led to physical violence in the home. At the age of fourteen, Herbert had gone out on his own and found a job. He also played football in a local team. His other interest was reading about bushrangers and robberies, he studied these stories, and often imagined himself as a bushranger.

He had met the Bockmann’s only a few months previously through playing football and had started visiting the house to practice with the Bockmann brothers. While practising, he met 17-year-old Eleanor Bockmann. Within the coming weeks, the two became friendly, with Curnow accompanying Bockmann to Sunday School, Church and local dances.
Curnow fell hard for Bockmann, but she didn’t feel the same for him. Two months into their relationship they had begun to argue after Curnow saw Bockmann becoming friendly with other

Artist's impression of 18 year old
Herbert Cyril Curnow

young men.
Curnow saw Bockmann walking along a local street with a drunk young man. The young man had his arm around Bockmann, which enraged Curnow. He confronted Bockmann, and she replied, “If you don’t like it, you can lump it!”
The family went to church on September 3rd, with Curnow joining them. After church, Curnow and Bockmann had another argument. Bockmann broke off their relationship then and there, leaving Curnow devastated.
Bockmann then began to ignore Curnow at every opportunity. Curnow, on the other hand, could not stop thinking about her and found himself unable to sleep.

In the first week of September 1922, during local football finals, Curnow arranged to stay with the Bockmann family at Sandilands, near Maitland on the Yorke Peninsula. He shared the bedroom of the Bockmann brothers for the week and ate dinner with the family, including Eleanor.

His love for Eleanor had not subsided and only intensified by sharing the same house as her. On Friday the 8th of September, he ate lunch with the family and waited for Eleanor’s father to head back out to work, then he took his opportunity.
He took her father's shotgun, entered the room, and shot her in the neck. Curnow then ran into the scrub, but eventually gave himself up to the police.

Next Week: Sandilands Murder Part II: Wilful Murder

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2019

References in the final post.