Western Australian Defence Forces (WADF) from 1861 to 1901

Part of a photograph of the last full dress parade of the 11th Australian Infantry Regiment in scarlet uniform.  >>>

INTRODUCTION

The Queen's Birthday Parade in Perth May 1869, note the Pinjarrah Mounted Volunteers in the rear rank on the left hand side of the photograph. (Courtesy of the Battye Library, ref 24562P)

The first phase

Western Australia raised and maintained its own defence forces for forty years. The motivation for raising the volunteer corps in 1861 was the imminent departure of the last British soldiers from the colony. The various settlements were contacted, through their Resident Magistrates, in the middle of the year and asked to convene meetings of the settlers to discuss the raising of corps of volunteers for local defence. A number of towns achieved this aim i.e. Perth, Fremantle and Pinjarrah, and these corps were subsequently gazetted; but others in Guildford, Toodyay, York and the Sussex District failed to overcome their initial problems and were disbanded.

Official documentation concerning the units is scarce and often fragmentary, with reference to correspondence not now available; however the newspapers of the day covered most of their activities and it is from these sources that the picture emerges. Throughout this period the members of the corps had virtually only their enthusiasm and sense of responsibility to sustain their efforts. Due to the poor financial position of the colony the Government was initially unable to give more than moral and token practical support. Fortunately many prominent citizens, in both government employ and in private enterprise, were members of the corps and their influence and support enabled the units to function.

Initially there were few editions of the newspapers which did not make at least a brief mention of each event or forthcoming activity, although this naturally changed as volunteer fever died down. The attitudes of the citizens of Perth and Fremantle to the volunteers' activities  as reflected in the newspapers, varied considerably throughout their existence in accordance with the fluctuating fortunes of the corps.

Participants and spectators at a shooting match between the 1st Infantry Regiment and a team from H.M.S.Walleroo sometime in the late 1890s. (Courtesy of the Army Museum of Western Australia (Inc))

It comes across at times that the officers and NCOs could have been more professional in their approach to the various problems of the corps but it has to be remembered that few had been trained for the positions which they held, and, that under the unit by-laws there was no way of compelling the men to attend parades or other unpopular activities. 

Many of the volunteers belonged to other organisations, so on any given occasion a percentage of them would be attending the same function in an alternative capacity and thus would be unable to be present as a soldier. Consequently, when numbers temporarily fell below the minimum required, rather than recommend the disbandment of the corps, which was the only course of action open to the officers they continued to persevere with the reduced numbers available and hope for a revival of interest at a later date.

It was not until January 1869 that the Government issued definite regulations relating attendance at parades to the payment of the capitation grant for efficient volunteers, i.e. those who had attended at least the minimum number of parades in any one year. It was this lack of conventional military control that was the most glaring deficiency in the system but it was the only one likely to work in the social climate of the period.

	<<< NCOs and men of the 1st Infantry Regiment, probably at Karrakatta Camp circa 1896.  Front row, L to R, Pte GWH Birch, Pte Angus Ross, Pte W Persher & Pte George Pike.  Back row, L to R, Pte C Bryant, Cpl Smith, Pte J Boyd, Pte Angus Crawford & Sgt W Caple. (Courtesy of the Army Museum of Western Australia (Inc))
The 1st Infantry Regiment forming up in Perth as a Guard of Honour, circa 1897. (Courtesy Battye Library) >>>
	<<< Artillery Infantry & bands of the Western Australian Defence Force parading at the Perth Esplanade, May 1896. (Courtesy of the Battye Library, ref 721P)

From 1875 onwards officers were required to take examinations to prove their suitability for appointment and promotion and training of all ranks extended beyond the parade ground and into field situations. Where possible corps were brought together annually, usually at Easter, to practice manoeuvres at a higher level than was normally possible by individual companies. From 1893 to 1898 an annual camp was held in the vicinity of Perth and many country units, who could not travel to Perth, held their own. This may not have given them experience of operating within a larger group but it did allow for a period of continuous training lasting more than the few hours duration of a drill night.

Camps at Perth were also scheduled for 1899 and 1900 but these were cancelled, the latter as a result of the need to train the contingents going to South Africa.

The artillery officer on the far right is Major J J Talbot Hobbs, who retired in 1927 as a Major General, KCB, KCMG after a distinguished career in both military and civilian life. The infantry officer is Major John C Strickland. (Courtesy of Mr. Arthur Mc Grath)

The Perth and Fremantle Artillery Volunteers were brought under the control of a centralized Field Artillery Branch. and were then issued with the equipment to bring them up to full field standards. Finally the deficiency in mounted troops was rectified by the formation, in June 1900, of the Western Australian Mounted Infantry.


And so at the hand over of the Western Australian Defence Force to Commonwealth control on the 1st March 1901 a small but balanced force of one mounted infantry regiment, two field batteries, one garrison artillery company and an infantry brigade comprising five battalions was available for the defence of the west. In addition, the colony had despatched four companies to fight in the South African War and was preparing two more to join them.

• The Perth Infantry, by then three companies strong, was designated the 1st Battalion, Infantry Brigade, and a fourth company was raised in Subiaco. 
• The Fremantle Infantry, likewise of three companies, became the 2nd Battalion and it too formed a fourth company. 
• The 3rd Battalion consisted of 
  • "A" Company, formerly the Guildford Infantry, 
  • "B" formerly the Geraldton Rifle Volunteers, 
  • "C" formerly the Bunbury Rifle Volunteers and 
  • "D" formerly the York Infantry. 
• The Metropolitan Civil Service Battalion became the 4th Battalion 
• The Goldfields Battalion of infantry became the 5th Battalion.

The outbreak of the war in South Africa increased interest in the W.A.D.F. and attracted additional volunteers to the colours. There was however difficulty in arming and equipping these men due to the need to support the units in the field.

Uniform Buttons of Military Units in the Colony of Western Australia

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A History of The Western Australian Defence Force from 1861 to 1901