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William Diggory Barnett (1875–1940)

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William Diggory [or Digaree] Barnett (1875-1940) miner check inspector, printer, trade union leader, butcher 

Birth: 18 September 1875 in Kadina, South Australia. Son of Samuel Barnett, butcher, and Louisa Jane, née Lean. Marriage: 10 December 1902 at St James Church, South Broken Hill, NSW, to Edith Emily Spencer (1880-1969). They had two daughters and two sons. Death: 29 July 1940 at Royal Adelaide hospital, Adelaide. Religion: Anglican. 

  • 1896(?), to Broken Hill. Check inspector at Central mine. Secretary, Amalgamated Miners’ Association (AMA), 1905-1921, including the 1909 lockout period.
  • Printer and publisher of Barrier Truth, in Broken Hill. Fined three times under War Precautions Act in 1916-1917 for publishing statements likely to prejudice recruiting. Two convictions quashed on appeal.
  • 1921-1934, joined Compensation Commission.
  • 1933, following allegations of “defalcations”, moved to Adelaide and managed butchery business.
  • Died of myocardial degeneration.

Resources
Brian Kennedy, Silver, sin and sixpenny ale; a social history of Broken Hill (Melbourne, 1978), pp.120, 138, 158; George Dale, The industrial history of Broken Hill, (Melbourne, 1918), pp.126, 226

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Citation details

'Barnett, William Diggory (1875–1940)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/barnett-william-diggory-32052/text39615, accessed 17 April 2024.

© Copyright People Australia, 2012