Topic: Militia - LHS - SA
South Australian Mounted Rifles
1903 Reorganisation
1903 Reorganisation of the South Australian Mounted Rifles.
South Australia presented few problems with integrating the Light Horse force structure into the Commonwealth Defence Forces. The Machine Gun Corps, together with the South Australian Mounted Rifles, both the Active and Reserve Forces, were amalgamated and then split to form two descrete Light Horse regiments, the 16th and 17th Australian Light Horse Regiments (South Australian Mounted Rifles) with one independent squadron to be used as the Brigade Squadron.
16th Australian Light Horse Regiment
Hat and collar badge for 16th Australian Light Horse
The 16th Australian Light Horse Regiment was formed from the following squadrons from the South Australian Mounted Rifles:
No. 1 Squadron - Active
No. 2 Squadron - Mounted Rifles Reserve Force
No. 4 Squadron - Mounted Rifles Reserve Force
No. 5 (Half) Squadron, Narracoorte - Mounted Rifles Reserve Force
Machine Gun Corps
The 16th Australian Light Horse Regiment was envisaged to contain both full time Light Horsemen from No. 1 Squadron, some 72 men including officers and other ranks and three reserve squadrons composed of parrt time soldiers. The other half of No. 5 (Half) Squadron was based at Blackwood but was not incorporated into the 16th Australian Light Horse Regiment for reasons explained below.
17th Australian Light Horse Regiment
Hat and collar badge for 17th Australian Light Horse
The 17th Australian Light Horse Regiment was formed from the following squadrons from the South Australian Mounted Rifles:
No. 3 Squadron - Mounted Rifles Reserve Force
No. 6 Squadron - Mounted Rifles Reserve Force
No. 7 Squadron - Mounted Rifles Reserve Force
Machine Gun Corps
It was clearly the intention to create the 17th Australian Light Horse Regiment as a purely part time formation.
No. 5 (Half) Squadron, Blackwood
The former No. 5 (Half) Squadron, Blackwood (Mounted Rifles Reserve Force) was formed into an independent squadron of the Australian Light Horse and attached to the 16th Australian Light Horse Regiment for training purposes.
Further Reading:
16th Australian (South Australian Mounted Rifles) Light Horse, December 1903
17th Australian (South Australian Mounted Rifles) Light Horse, December 1903
Militia Light Horse, South Australia
Australian Militia Light Horse
Citation: 1903 Reorganisation, South Australia
