Armour of the Kelly gang

In 1879, Australian bushranger and outlaw Ned Kelly devised a plan to create bulletproof armour and wear it during shootouts with the police.

He and other members of the Kelly gang—Joe Byrne, Steve Hart, and brother Dan Kelly—had their own armour suits and helmets crafted from plough mouldboards, either donated by sympathisers or stolen from farms.

Byrne died from a stray bullet that hit his groin through a small gap in the armour, and in an attempt to rescue Dan and Hart, Ned donned his suit during a fifteen-minute exchange of gunfire with the police.

Although the armour protected his head and torso, he received several bullet wounds to the hands and legs, causing significant blood loss and resulting in his capture.

It has become a widely recognisable image and icon, inspiring many cultural depictions and cementing Ned Kelly as one of Australia's most well-known historical figures.

The suits of armour ended up in both private and public hands; Ned Kelly's, for instance, is held by the State Library of Victoria.

[3] The gang's armour was made of iron 6 mm thick, each consisting of a long breast-plate, shoulder-plates, back-guard, apron and helmet.

After heating, the mould boards were likely beaten straight over a green log before being cut into shape and riveted together to form each individual piece.

[6][7] The Hobart Mercury reported that Glenrowan district blacksmith Joe Grigg had made the armour from parts of ploughs and harvesting machines while watched by Ned and Dan Kelly.

In June 1880, the outlaws wore the armour during the Glenrowan siege and ensuing gunfight, which lasted for around eleven hours and involved over 40 policemen.

During Kelly's last stand, in the mist and dim light of dawn, the size and outline of his armour made a number of policemen question whether he was even human, and his apparent invulnerability caused onlookers to react with "superstitious awe".

Constable Gascoigne, who recognised Kelly's voice, told Superintendent Sadleir he had "fired at him point blank and hit him straight in the body.

The police announcement to the Australian public that the armour was made from ploughshares was ridiculed, disputed, and deemed impossible even by blacksmiths.

Hare gave Ned Kelly's armour to Sir William Clarke, and it was later donated to the State Library of Victoria (SLV).