Thunderbolt, Captain (1835-1870), was a bushranger—that is, an outlaw operating in the remote countryside of Australia. He operated mainly in the New England region of northern New South Wales from 1864 to 1870. He became known as a horse thief. His birth name was Frederick Ward.
Ward was born in 1835 in Windsor, New South Wales, to British parents. From a young age, he worked with horses as a station (ranch) employee. In 1856, Ward and his nephews stole about 45 horses from nearby stations. Ward was arrested and convicted for his part in the theft. He was sentenced to 10 years of hard labor and imprisoned on Cockatoo Island, in Sydney Harbour, New South Wales.
Ward was released on parole in 1860, but he was not allowed to leave the Mudgee region of New South Wales. Ward then began a relationship with Mary Ann Bugg. Through her mother, Bugg was a member of the Worimi Aboriginal people. As Ward’s partner, she became known as one of the few women bushrangers in Australian history. In 1861, Ward and Bugg left the Mudgee region for the birth of their first child. After returning to Mudgee, Ward was sent back to prison for breaking his parole. In addition, his sentence was increased by three years.
In September 1863, Ward escaped from prison and fled to the New England region. In December, he committed an armed robbery near what is now Maitland, New South Wales. He used the name Captain Thunderbolt during this robbery, which marked the start of his bushranging career.
Ward avoided capture for nearly seven years. Unlike most bushrangers, he rarely used violence during his robberies and never killed anyone. Most historians believe that a police constable shot and killed Ward on May 25, 1870, after Ward committed several robberies around Uralla, New South Wales. However, some people believe that the constable killed a different bushranger and that Ward fled to North America.
