Topic: Militia - LHW - WA
Western Australian Militia
York Rifle Volunteers
The following is an extract from the book written in 1962 by George F. Wieck called The Volunteer Movement in Western Australia 1861-1903, p. 45:
York Rifle Volunteers
A meeting of York citizens held on 30 June 1861 favoured the raising of a Volunteer corps, preferably Cavalry.
Tentative approval was given for the loan of muskets. Differences arose between the Committee and the Military Commandant and so the proposal was dropped. On 30 September 1874 the Commandant received a memorial bearing the names of 60 persons desirous of forming an Infantry Volunteer corps at York. The reply was "no funds available". A fresh memorial dated 26 November 1875 evoked the reply "the required sum of £100 was not available and the matter must remain in abeyance". In reply to a further approach made on 2 October 1876 the Military Commandant said it was then too late to have an amount included in the 1876-77 Estimates. The next memorial reached the Commandant on 20 June 1877; this was refused on the score that no suitable person to Command or a drill-instructor was available.
Eventually, authority for raising a corps to be designated the "York Rifle Volunteers" appeared in the Government Gazette of 8 November 1878. Capt. J. W. Hope was appointed to Command.
The corps strength was 40 in 1879, 38 in 1882, and 36 in 1885. The dwindling numbers suggest that the Commandant's earlier doubts were justified and that the district could not maintain a corps of the desired strength. Disbandment of the corps was ordered as from 20 September 1886.
Officers of the York Rifle VolunteersCaptain JW Hope, 30 September 1878
Captain R Hardman, 12 June 1883
Lieutenant JRM Thompson, 12 June 1883
Lieutenant C Edwards, 12 June 1883
Previous: Albany Rifle Volunteers
Next: Naval Artillery Volunteers
Further Reading:
Western Australian Militia, Light Horse
Western Australian Militia, Infantry
Citation: The Volunteer Movement in Western Australia, York Rifle Volunteers
Posted by Project Leader
at 12:01 AM EADT
Updated: Friday, 4 September 2009 10:25 PM EADT
