NSWL

New South Wales Lancers

History, 1912 to 1919

New South Wales Lancers [1885 - 1903]
1st (New South Wales Lancers) Australian Light Horse [1903-1912]
7th (New South Wales Lancers) Australian Light Horse [1912-1919]
1st (New South Wales Lancers) Australian Light Horse [1919-1929]
1/21st Australian Light Horse [1929-1935]
1st (Royal New South Wales Lancers) Light Horse Machine Gun Regiment [1936-1942]
1st (Royal New South Wales Lancers) Armoured Regiment [1942-1948]
1st Royal New South Wales Lancers [1948-1956]
1/15th Royal New South Wales Lancers [1956- ]

[The elephant's head used on the badges is taken from the family crest of Lord Carrington, Governor of New South Wales from 1885 - 1890 and was appointed Honorary Colonel of the Regiment from 1885 until 1928.] 

Tenax in fide - Steadfast in Trust

 South Africa 1899 - 1900

Allied with: King Edward's Horse (The King's Overseas Dominions Regiment).

The following history is extracted from Vernon, PV, ed., Royal New South Wales Lancers 1885 to 1985, Sydney 1986, pp. 63 - 79.

Chapter 5 The Regiment 1912 to 1919

Following Lord Kitchener's report on his inspection of the Commonwealth's defences, universal training, often referred to as "compulsory training", was introduced -for cadets from January 1911, and for citizens between the ages of 18 and 26 from July 1912, with exemption for those living in sparsely settled areas.

One of Lord Kitchener's recommendations was the maintenance of 28 regiments of light horse, with a peace establishment per regiment of 29 officers and 350 other ranks and a war establishment of 29 and 470. Except during the Great War period, 1914 to 1918, the percentage of universal trainees in the light horse was small, right up to the suspension of the system in 1929. All other arms were maintained by annual quotas of universal trainees, but in the light horse enrolment was not compulsory, since each recruit was required to provide his own horse, and, while encouragement was given to trainees to enrol, most light horsemen were voluntarily enlisted personnel not liable for compulsory service.

The new system led to the reorganising of most units and the raising of some additional ones. In New South Wales a new regiment, the 28th (Illawarra) Light Horse, was formed, its nucleus being Nos 3 and 5 Squadrons of the N.S.W. Lancers and the Canterbury Half-Squadron of the Mounted Rifles. The designations of all the old regiments were changed, as shown under:

2nd Light Horse Brigade:

Hunter River Lancers: 1903-12 - 4th A.L.H. Regiment; 1912-18 - 6th L.H.
N.S.W. Northern Rivers Lancers: 1903-12 - 5th A.L.H. Regiment; 1912-18 - 4th L.H.
New England Light Horse: 1903-12 - 6th A.L.H. Regiment; 1912-18 - 5th L.H.

3rd (formerly 1st) Light Horse Brigade:

N.S.W. Lancers: 1903-12 - 1st A.L.H. Regiment; 1912-18 - 7th L.H.
N.S.W. Mounted Rifles: 1903-12 - 2nd A.L.H. Regiment; 1912-18 - 9th L.H.
Australian Horse: 1903-12 - 3rd A.L.H. Regiment; 1912-18 - 11th L.H.

The 4th Light Horse was placed antler the 1st Military District, Queensland, for administration and training, and the 28th was attached to the 3rd Light Horse Brigade.

Captain McMahon became second-in-command of the 7th Light Horse (N.S.W. Lancers) on July 1 1912, Captain Vernon taking over Sydney Squadron. Parramatta Squadron at that time was under Captain Stowe. In that same year a Maxim gun section replaced the Colt gun section, and was raised in Sydney under Lieutenant T. R. P. Howard. The first appearance of the gun in the regiment was one day at Victoria Barracks. It was duly placed on the pack-horse and the horse was led to Moore Park Road by the back gate, but on emerging from the barracks it took fright at a milk cart, got out of control and galloped along the road, cannoning into several carts and a telegraph pole, much to the amusement of the onlooking Lancers, and providing material for the wits in the Sydney Squadron for a long time.

As from December 1912 the squadrons of the regiment were designated as follows:

Sydney - "A" Squadron;
Parramatta - "B" Squadron; and,
Windsor, Penrith and Luddenham - "C" Squadron.

The camp of the 3rd Light Horse Brigade in 1913 was at Canberra in order to have the brigade present at the ceremony of the laying of the foundation stone of the Commencement Column by the Governor-General, and the naming of the city, on March 12. The ceremony took place between the sites of the Capitol and. Parliament House, with the four regiments, the 7th, 9th, 11th and 28th, drawn up to form three sides of a hollow square.

In February 1914 the brigade encamped at Tirranna, near Goulburn, the four regiments and detachments of army service corps and army medical corps being present. The brigade was commanded by Colonel J. A. K. Mackay, C.B., and it has been said that this camp was perhaps the best thought out and organised and the most fruitful in results of any in which the regiment had participated up to that time. Generally speaking, the men throughout the brigade had absorbed their previous training, and they now put it into fullest effect.

The next significant occurrence was the advent of the Great War in August 1914. Australia promptly made available naval and military forces to help Great Britain. An expeditionary force, the Australian Imperial Force, was raised. It was a completely separate force from the existing army which was known as the Australian Military Forces, and the two (A.I.F. and A.M.F.) existed as separate and parallel forces until the former was  disbanded at the end of the war. Most of the A.M.F. units, including the New South Wales Lancers, remained unchanged in organisation and designation, but the A.I.F. drained from them those men who volunteered and were fit for war.

At the end of August 1914 Major Mackenzie was compelled through ill health to relinquish command, though he offered his services again in any capacity in 1915 and was appointed acting adjutant in April of that year. From September 1914 until March 1921 Major McMahon was in command of the regiment. Although many members left to join the A.I.F., a number of experienced veterans remained, who formed a strong nucleus to train the new recruits brought in to keep up the strength of the regiment, many of the latter being universal trainees. Also, the Lancers, typical of a number of units, provided instructors to assist at light horse training camps for the A.I.F. Early in the war saddlery and some of the rifles were called in as they were required for equipping the A.I.F., and members of the Lancers then had to provide their own saddlery.

The peacetime system of annual eight-day camps lapsed. Public utilities, such as water supply pipelines and bridges, had to be guarded and the regiment did its share with other units in taking up patrol stations. Thus in 1915 the Sydney and Parramatta Squadrons, in turn, each camped for about three weeks at St Ives and patrolled along the coast from Manly to Pittwater. Other mounted regiments also provided detachments to make this patrolling continuous until it was considered unnecessary. In 1916 sub-units were sent in turn to Prospect for three weeks at a time to patrol the water supply pipeline. In 1917 a regimental camp was held at Menangle; horses were not taken but there was some mounted training as remounts were provided. The squadron leaders were: "A", Lieutenant J. Milling; "B", Major F. E. Stowe; "C", Lieutenant R. V. Moore. In "C" Squadron, Windsor Troop was under Lieutenant Molesworth, Penrith Troop under Squadron Quartermaster Sergeant W. R. Veness, and there was no officer at Luddenham. Most of the rank and file were, by now, in age groups called up for universal service. There was no camp in 1918.

From early in the war, regimental full dress fell into disuse, of course. The light horse service dress continued partly in use up to about 1918, but a brown woollen shirt gradually superseded the tunic with white facings and a plain brown hatband replaced the puggaree with white fold. Lancer badges were called in and replaced by oxidised Commonwealth Military Forces badges.

The regimental band was dismounted about the beginning of 1915, and so it remained for ever after. Its grant from the Government was decreased during the war from £150 to £75 per year.
 

Previous: New South Wales Lancers, Reorganised 1900 to 1912

Next: 1st/7th/1st (New South Wales Lancers) Australian Light Horse

Further Reading:

1st/7th/1st (New South Wales Lancers) Australian Light Horse

New South Wales Lancers, Boer War Contingent

Militia Light Horse, New South Wales

Australian Militia Light Horse

Posted by Project Leader at 12:01 AM EAST

Updated: Thursday, 1 July 2010 2:00 PM EADT

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AH

Australian Horse

Birth of a Regiment, 1897

 Hearth and Home

 South Africa 1899 - 1902

Allied with: King Edward's Horse (The King's Overseas Dominions Regiment).

The following article about the Australian Horse and the Birth of a Regiment 1897 was written as Chapter 1 in the booklet produced by the Centenary Publications, Harden, August 1997 and produced by Clarion Editions at Binalong called, The Boys in Green - A Centenary History of the 1st Australian Horse and the Light Horse Units of Harden and Murrumburrah, New South Wales, and this extract is from pp. 3 - 4.

Chapter 1, Part 1

Birth of a Regiment, 1897

The right to wear a uniform of green was first bestowed on a British regiment of foot in 1800 when an elite formation of riflemen - the 95th Regiment - was formed to fight as skirmishers, similar to the German "jaegers" and French chasseurs (hunters). More lightly equipped than the slow-moving red-coated Regiments who were armed with muskets, the Riflemen marched at a brisker pace and carried the rifle, a weapon accurate at 400 metres (four times the range of a musket). The "greenjackets" had no colours - no richly embroidered king's and Regimental Colours to rally behind in battle; they were trained to fight in extended order to commands from bugle horn and whistle and to be the first into battle and the last to retire. At the end of the Napoleonic Wars their record was so outstanding that by order of the King the 95th were taken out of the Line and made a separate entity - The Rifle Brigade - an honour granted previously only to the King's household troops, the Brigade of Guards. From that date the green jacket, with its burnished buttons and black leather accoutrements, was more highly esteemed than the scarlet and gold of the Line infantry and was rapidly adopted throughout the Empire by many of the volunteer militia regiments, both mounted and foot, that sprang into being from the 1860s on, particularly by those whose men saw themselves as elite.

Not least among the attractions of the simple uniform of rifle green was the fact that it was relatively inexpensive - an important factor for militia officers who had to provide their own uniform and horses.

When the last British garrison regiment left Australia in 1870 the colonies began a belated programme of defence spending, their efforts intensified by the periodic "war scares" of the period - the possibility of war between Great Britain and Russia in 1884 was directly responsible for the purchase of gunboats galore by the colonies, and the raising of a militia regiment of cavalry at Parramatta in 1885, the now famous New South Wales Lancers. In the same year James Alexander Kenneth Mackay, an outstanding rider and the son of a grazier, formed a cavalry troop of volunteers from the men in the Camden district who provided their own horses and uniforms, The Mist Camden Light Horse. Mackay stood successfully for election for the Boorowa seat in 1895 as a Protectionist and in 1.891, when the volunteer component of the New South Wales Military Forces was being revived, set out to raise a regiment of cavalry in the rural areas of the Colony. The regiment would wear green uniforms and be known as the First Australian Horse. He chose to form its first troop in his electorate, at the twin towns of Harden and Murrumburrah.

Captain Mackay visited Harden-Murrumburrah on Saturday 28 August 1897 for the purpose of recruiting and enrolling members to start the 1st Australian Horse in the region. About 80 horsemen mustered on the local racecourse of which 60 were picked to form the local half squadron.
On Saturday 6 November 1897 the Harden-Murrumburrah Half Squadron of the 1st Australian Horse held a parade for final selection, all were passed by Lieutenant and Adjutant Thompson as fit for military purposes.

On 18 February 1898 the Adjutant, 1st Australian Horse, wrote from Headquarters in Sydney (9 Richmond Terrace, Outer Domain) to inform his officers of the following:

"A. In formulating his scheme for the formation of a distinctly Bush Force, Major Mackay aimed at utility - not show or unnecessary expense - but serviceable, inexpensive, and at the same time practical uniform suitable for the local conditions, and in keeping with the requirements of Officers located in Country districts.

"Perusal of the Dress Regulations and the original circular notifying the Governor's authority for the formation of the Australian Horse, will show that no gold or silver lace (always very expensive items in all other uniforms) is introduced in the Regimental Kit of our Bush Force.

"Bearing in mind the incidental expenses to which Officers are put in the way of providing and keeping a suitable charger for drills; loss of time from business in organizing and maintaining their respective units to full strength; annual attendances at camp, and being responsible for the drill, discipline, arms, uniform and Government property on issue to their men, the Major Commanding intends - of course subject to the approval of the General Commanding - to supply all Officers from the annual Capitation grant with Field Service uniform (hat, caps, jacket, pants, etc). Belts, sword, spurs, bridle, bit, stirrups, breastplate, headrope etc), to be issued as Regimental Property to Officers while serving in the regiment.

"Officers to supply themselves at present with a Full Dress Tunic, Gloves, and the necessary boots for parades (the men must also supply boots) and subsequently, when decided by the Officers as a whole, with a mess jacket and vest. The present uniform therefore should not be much above 10 guineas per uniform.

"B. The Major Commanding from his previous experience at Encampments, proposes to keep the expense of the Mess down to the lowest minimum cost; recognizing as he does that the days of junketting, when Officers assembled for Military training, are exploded in this utilitarian
period."

Some of the names that can be found from early records are:

1897 Nominal Roll - Harden and Murrumburrah

 

1. W. Affleck

2. F. Allsopp

3. T. Allsopp

4. G. Allsopp

5. R. Aiken

 

6. A. Barnes

7. T. Barnes

8. Sergeant Baxter

9. W. Black

10. A. Brown

11. J. Brown

12. Brown

13. Boreland

14. J. Bradford

15. Lieutenant J.K. Bourke

 

16. J. Callen

17. J. Chamberlain

18. E. Clarke

19. Cullen

 

20. P. Drum

21. Duke

 

22. J. Ellis

23. Edmonds

 

24. Farrier Sergeant R.S. Fallan

25. Flanery

26. Ford

27. J. Futter

 

28. Garland

29. W. Cannon

30. J. Gordon

31. H. Grant

 

32. Hayes

33. Hobson

34. Hodgson

35. L. Hunt

36. T. Hunt

37. Hutchinson

 

38. G.R. Irving

 

39. Kelly

40. Sergeant Kendall

41. Kinnar

 

42. G. Long

 

43. Martin

41. Corporal D. Macansh

45. Mitchell

46. A.L. Murphy

 

47. Sergeant O'Connell

 

48. Prest

49. Peterson

50. Dr. Parry, Medical Officer

 

51. J. Quinn

 

52. E. Reardon

53. T. Reid

54. T.R. Reid

55. CW. Russell

56. J. Rose

 

57. J. Shields

58. Bugler W. Simpson,

59. Smart

60. Spillane

61. Smith

 

62. Tout

63. Thompson

 

64. Watts, Sergeant

65. Wilson

66. J. Walsh

67. Whitty

 

Previous: 3rd/11th/7th Australian Light Horse 

Next: Australian Horse, Training Begins, 1898 - The Boys in Green, Part 2

Further Reading: 

3rd/11th/7th Australian Light Horse

Militia Light Horse, New South Wales

Australian Militia Light Horse

Posted by Project Leader at 12:01 AM EAST

Updated: Friday, 2 July 2010 10:52 PM EADT

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2nd LHFA, AIF

2nd Light Horse Field Ambulance

Embarkation Roll, 26th Reinforcement

2nd Light Horse Field Ambulance, AIF, 26th Reinforcement, embarked from Melbourne, Victoria on board HMAT A42 Boorara 10 May 1917.

The HMAT A42 Boorara weighed 5,923 tons with an average cruise speed of 10.5 knots or 19.44 kmph. The Boorara was previously a captured German vessel called Pfalz. It was manned by Australia officers and crew and transferred to Commonwealth Government Line, 24 June 1919.

The ensuing individual soldier's embarkation information contains the following details:

Rank on embarkation;

Full name of the soldier

Declared age of the soldier;

The last occupation held;

The last address as a civilian;

Enlistment Date; and,

Fate.

Finding more about a service person.

See: Navigating the National Archives Service File 

Embarkation Roll

 

16998 Private John Charles DEACON, a 20 year old Clerk from West End Townsville, Queensland. He enlisted on 6 March 1916; and at the conclusion of the war Returned to Australia, 3 July 1919.

 

16997 Private William John McCONAGHIE, a 21 year old Ambulance man from Atherton via Cairns, Queensland. He enlisted on 18 March 1916; and at the conclusion of the war Returned to Australia, 28 January 1919.

 

16999 Private Cornelius James McLOUGHLIN, a 23 year old Clerk from Brisbane, Queensland. He enlisted on 20 February 1916; and at the conclusion of the war Returned to Australia, 2 August 1919.

 

Previous:  25th Reinforcement

Next: 27th Reinforcement

Sources Used:

National Archives Service File.

Embarkation Roll, AWM8, Class 10, Light Horse.

Nominal Roll, AWM133, Nominal Roll of Australian Imperial Force who left Australia for service abroad, 1914-1918 War.

Collected Records of Steve Becker.

Acknowledgement: Many thanks to Steve Becker who provided much of the raw material that appears in this item.

Further Reading:

2nd Australian Light Horse Field Ambulance, AIF

2nd Australian Light Horse Field Ambulance, Roll of Honour 

Battles where Australians fought, 1899-1920

Posted by Project Leader at 12:01 AM EAST

Updated: Monday, 29 March 2010 8:04 PM EADT

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New South Wales Mounted Rifles

History, Part 6, 1895

New South Wales Mounted Rifles [1888 - 1903]
2nd (New South Wales Mounted Rifles) Australian Light Horse [1903 - 1912]
9th (New South Wales Mounted Rifles) Australian Light Horse [1912 - 1918]
6th (New South Wales Mounted Rifles) Australian Light Horse [1918 - 1941]
6th (New South Wales Mounted Rifles) Motor Regiment [1941 - 1943]
6th Australian Armoured Car Regiment [1941 - 1943]
6th (New South Wales Mounted Rifles) Motor Regiment [1948 - 1949]
6th New South Wales Mounted Rifles [1949 - 1958]
Royal New South Wales Regiment [1958 - 1960]

Toujours pret - Always Ready

March - The Kynegad Slashers

 South Africa 1899 - 1902

Allied with: King Edward's Horse (The King's Overseas Dominions Regiment).

The following is the sixth extract from a manuscript written by an anonymous author. The hand written manuscript outlines the history of the 2nd ALHR NSW Mounted Rifles from commencement in 1888, until 5 April 1899, when history ceases. From the internal evidence of the manuscript, it appears to have been composed sometime from July 1903 to 1904.

The sixth extract from the manuscript.

Campbelltown ½ Company disbanded 1 February 1895

On the 1st February 1895, the No. 1 Campbelltown Half Company of the Mounted Rifles was disbanded.

No. 1 Molong ½ Company formed 1 July 1895

On 1st July 1895 "H" Molong Company, of the 3rd Infantry Regiment, was transferred to the Mounted Rifle Regiment, with Captain Clause Smith in command; and formed part of No. 1 Company.

Liverpool ½ Company disbanded 30 June 1895

On the 30th June 1895, the No 1 Liverpool Half Company of Mounted Rifles was disbanded.

Bathurst ½ Company formed 13 August 1895

On the 13th August 1895, a Half Company was raised at Bathurst, with Captain Machatti in command, which was to form part of No. 1 Company, vice Liverpool disbanded.

Major Lassetter to Lieutenant Colonel, 12 October 1895

On the 12th October 1895, Major HB Lassetter, Officer Commanding the Mounted Rifle Regiment, was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Duff and Hutton Competition 1895

On the 25th and 26th October 1895, the "Duff Challenge Cup" and "Hutton Shield" were competed for on the Randwick Rifle Range, with the following results:-

The "Duff Challenge Cup" competed for and won by a section from No. Bega Half Squadron Mounted Rifles commanded by Quartermaster Sergeant Underhill. The first six places in the competition being secured by teams from the Mounted Rifle Regiment.

Hutton Shield won outright by No. 4 Company

On the following day 26th October, the "Hutton Shield" was competed for, this competition was won by a team from No. 4 Tenterfield Half Company Mounted Rifles commanded by Captain Thomas. The "Hutton Shield" thereby became the property of No. 4 Company, Mounted Rifles. This company won the competition three times in succession or four times in all by the same company. The Regiment was successful in securing the first five places in this competition.

Previous: New South Wales Mounted Rifles, History, Part 5, 1894

Next: New South Wales Mounted Rifles, History, Part 7, 1896

Further Reading:

2nd/9th/6th Australian Light Horse

Militia Light Horse, New South Wales

Australian Militia Light Horse

Posted by Project Leader at 12:01 AM EAST

Updated: Monday, 19 July 2010 5:49 PM EADT

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2nd LHFA, AIF

2nd Light Horse Field Ambulance

Embarkation Roll, 27th Reinforcement

2nd Light Horse Field Ambulance, AIF, 27th Reinforcement, embarked from Sydney, New South Wales on board HMAT A15 Port Sydney 8 May 1917.

The HMAT A15 Star of England, later renamed Port Sydney, weighed 9,136 tons with an average cruise speed of 13.5 knots or 25.00 kmph. It was owned by the Commonwealth & Dominion Line Ltd, London, and leased by the Commonwealth until 22 September 1917.

The ensuing individual soldier's embarkation information contains the following details:

Rank on embarkation;

Full name of the soldier

Declared age of the soldier;

The last occupation held;

The last address as a civilian;

Enlistment Date; and,

Fate.

Finding more about a service person.

See: Navigating the National Archives Service File 

Embarkation Roll

 

17229 Private Alexander BUTTER, a 20 year old Joiner from Red Hill, Queensland. He enlisted on 17 April 1916; and at the conclusion of the war Returned to Australia, 13 January 1919.

 

17226 Private Edward John McMAHON, a 37 year old Barman from Lismore, New South Wales. He enlisted on 24 October 1916; and subsequently Returned to Australia, 26 December 1918.

 

17227 Private Reginald Adam PERRETT, a 21 year old Bank Clerk from Bundamba, Queensland. He enlisted on 26 February 1916; and at the conclusion of the war Returned to Australia, 18 December 1919.

 

17228 Private James RYAN, a 21 year old Clerk from Toowoomba, Queensland. He enlisted on 20 March 1916; and at the conclusion of the war Returned to Australia, 28 June 1919.

 

Previous:  26th Reinforcement

Next: 28th Reinforcement

Sources Used:

National Archives Service File.

Embarkation Roll, AWM8, Class 10, Light Horse.

Nominal Roll, AWM133, Nominal Roll of Australian Imperial Force who left Australia for service abroad, 1914-1918 War.

Collected Records of Steve Becker.

Acknowledgement: Many thanks to Steve Becker who provided much of the raw material that appears in this item.

Further Reading:

2nd Australian Light Horse Field Ambulance, AIF

2nd Australian Light Horse Field Ambulance, Roll of Honour 

Battles where Australians fought, 1899-1920

Posted by Project Leader at 12:01 AM EAST

Updated: Monday, 29 March 2010 8:02 PM EADT

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