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| Category: Conflicts
& periods |
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History of the Army
in WA
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Late in 1826, the Governor of NSW,
Ralph Darling, sent Maj Edmund Lockyer with a detachment of soldiers
from the 39th Dorsetshire Regiment and a party of convicts to King
Georges Sound, where Albany now stands. They established a secondary
penal colony, discovering that Durmont d'Urville had already visited the
area and surveyed the Sound.
| Captain Charles
Stirling at the foundation ceremony of Perth WA. Uniforms left to
right are Victorian Rangers, Victorian Infantry Brigade and Victorian
Mounted Rifles. |
Capt James Stirling, of HMS Success,
was not satisfied that Darling's action was sufficient, and obtained his
permission to look for a more suitable site on the west coast. In 1827
Stirling explored the Swan River, reporting on its great strategic
value. On 2 May 1829 Capt Charles Fremantle, of HMS Challenger, arrived
and took possession of not just the west coast, but the rest of New
Holland not already included in territory claimed by the British
Stirling was appointed
Lieutenant-Governor of the new colony of Western Australia, establishing
Perth as capital in 1829.
Capt F.C. Irwin, of the 63rd West
Suffolks was appointed to command a detachment of the regiment,
consisting of one other officer and 66 men. As a further defence
measure, all men between 15 and 50 had to enrol for military service.
Prior to Federation, the only Army in
WA was a part-time volunteer force
consisting of eight infantry companies:
two at Perth, two at Fremantle and one each at Guildford, Geraldton,
Albany and Northampton, plus an artillery field battery. The total
strength was between 500-600.
More than 1200 West Australians
volunteered for the Boer War in South Africa (1899-1902). On Tuesday 1
January 1901, the armed forces of all six Australian States came under
control of the Commonwealth Government.
Sir John Forrest (known as the
"emperor of the west") took control of all defence forces on 1
March 1901 - a date accepted by historians as the birthday of the
Australian Army. It was not until
1902, however, that a military leader was selected to command all
Australian land forces - Maj Gen Sir Edward Hutton, a former British
soldier with experience in NSW, Canada and the Boer War.
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To
see the badges of some of these units 
- Bold blue print indicates units which were officially sanctioned.
- Light red print those which were not.
- Light black print indicates units proposed
but not raised.
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The 1st Infantry Volunteer Regiment
The Albany Defence Rifles
The Albany Volunteer Garrison Artillery
The Albany Rifle Volunteers
The Bunbury Rifle Volunteers
The Bunbury Rifle Volunteers Mounted Infantry
The Bunbury Volunteer Corps, proposed 1883
The Bunbury Volunteer Corps, proposed 1885
The Cadet Units
The Carnarvon Volunteers, proposed 1885
The Coolgardie Cyclist Corps, proposed 1896
The Coolgardie Infantry Volunteers, proposed 1897
The Fremantle Artillary Volunteers, refer to
The Fremantle Naval Volunteers
The Fremantle Infantry
The Fremantle Mounted Artillery, proposed 1870
The Fremantle Naval Volunteers
The Fremantle Rifle Volunteers
The Fremantle Volunteer Rifle Corps
The Geraldton Artillery, proposed 1896
The Geralldton Mounted Infantry, refer to the
The Western Australian Mounted Infantry
The Geralldton Rifle Volunteers
The Gin Gin Rifles, proposed 1878
The Goldfields Battalion of Infantry
The Greenough Volunteers, proposed 1885
The Guildford Infantry
The Guildford Rifle Volunteers
The Headquarters Band
The Headquarters Staff
The Highland Volunteer Corps, proposed 1901
The Honorary Chaplains
The Irish Volunteer Corps, proposed 1900
The Kalgoorlie Volunteer Corps, proposed 1897
The Medical Staff
The Metropolitan Civil Service Battalion
The Metropolitan Rifle Volunteers
The Metropolitan Volunteer Rifle Corps
The Mines Volunteer Corps, proposed 1881
The Naval Artillery Volunteers, refer to
The Fremantle Naval Volunteers
The Naval Brigade, proposed 1900
The Newcastle Mounted Troop, proposed 1872
The Northam Infantry Volunteers, proposed 1898
The Northam Volunteer Corps, proposed 1878
The Northampton Rifle Volunteers
No. 1 Battery, Field Artillery, refer to
The Union Troop of Western Australian Mounted Volunteers
No. 2 Battery, Field Artillery, refer to
The Fremantle Naval Volunteers
The Permanent Engineers, refer to The Permanent Force
The Permanent Force
The Permanent Artillery, refer to The Permanent Force
The Perth Artillery Volunteers, refer to
The Union Troop of Western Australian Mounted Volunteers
The Perth Infantry
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The Perth Mounted Rifle Volunteers
The (Perth) Mounted Rifles, proposed 1899
The Perth Rifle Battalion, proposed 1900
The Pinjarra Mounted Infantry, refer to
The Western Australian Mounted Infantry
The Pinjarrah Mounted Volunteers
The Plantaganet Rifle Volunteers
Raison's Volunteers, proposed 1885
The Roebourne and Cossack Volunteer Corps, proposed 1887
The South African War Contingents
The Southern Cross Engineer Volunteer Corps, proposed 1892
The Sussex Volunteer Rifle Corps
The Swan Volunteer Rifle Corps
The Toodyay Mounted Volunteer Corps, proposed 1861
The Union Troop of Western Australian Mounted Volunteers
The Wellington Mounted Volunteers
The Wellington Volunteers, proposed 1861
The Western Australian Infantry Brigade
The Western Australian Mounted Infantry
The Western Australian Troop of Volunteer Horse
Artillery, refer to The Union Troop of Western Australian
Mounted Volunteers
The York Infantry, refer to The York Infantry Volunteers
The York Infantry Volunteers
The York Rifle Volunteers
The York Volunteers
The York Volunteers, proposed 1874
The York Volunteers, proposed 1876 |
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Lineage of Units |
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Units which did not become part of the Commonwealth Forces |
| Albany Defence Rifles |
6.5.1885 |
to |
2.5.1888 |
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| Albany Rifle Volunteers |
26.6.1878 |
to |
31.3.1885 |
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| Fremantle Volunteer Rifle Corps |
4.9.1861 |
to |
8.2.1870 |
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| Metropolitan Volunteer Rifle Corps |
12.9.1861 |
to |
22.2.1872 |
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| Northampton Rifle Volunteers |
1.7.1884 |
to |
21.1.1899 |
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| Perth Mounted Rifle Volunteers |
15.5.1894 |
to |
30.6.1897 |
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| Plantagenet Rifle Volunteers |
6.5.1888 |
to |
29.4.1897 |
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| Pinjarrah Mounted Volunteers |
Oct 1861 |
to |
3.11.1882 |
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| Swan Volunteer Rifle Corps |
30.9.1861 |
to |
Jan 1863 |
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| Sussex Volunteer Rifle Corps |
Aug 1861 |
to |
Jun 1863 |
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| Wellington Mounted Volunteers |
25.6.1877 |
to |
30.11.1882 |
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| York Rifle Volunteers |
8.11.1878 |
to |
20.9.1886 |
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Units which became part of the Commonwealth Forces |
| Date of change |
Original Unit
followed by the Units it became |
| 10.10.1899 |
Albany Volunteer Garrison Artillery |
| 1.7.1903 |
No 1 Western Australian Company, A.G.A. |
| 4.12.1911 |
No 12 Coy, Australian Garrison Artillery. |
| 1.7.1912 |
11th Garrison Artillery. |
| * |
* |
| 24.10.1892 |
Bunbury Rifle Volunteers |
| 3.9.1900 |
"C" Coy 3rd Battalion, Infantry Bde. |
| 1.7.1903 |
"B" Coy 1st Bn, Western Australian Infantry Regiment |
| 25.11.1903 |
"B" Coy Western Australian Infantry Regiment |
| 1.7.1912 |
"B" Coy 86th Infantry |
| 1.10.1918 |
"A" Coy 2nd Bn. 28th Infantry Regiment |
| * |
* |
| Jan. 1900 |
Bunbury Rifle Vols. Mounted Infantry |
| 7.6.1900 |
Western Australian Mounted Infantry |
| * |
* |
| 10.2.1879 |
Fremantle Naval Volunteers (Naval
Artillery Volunteers) |
| 18.2.1888 |
Fremantle Artillery Volunteers |
| 24.5.1897 |
No 2 Battery, Field Artillery |
| 1.7.1903 |
No 2 Western Australian Battery, A.F.A. |
| 4.4.1908 |
No 2 Western Australian Coy, A.G.A. |
| 4.2.1912 |
No 13 Coy, A.G.A. |
| 1.7.1912 |
12th Garrison Artillery. |
| * |
* |
| 22.8.1872 |
Fremantle Rifle Volunteers |
| Nov 1893 |
"C" and "D" Companies, 1st Infantry Regt. |
| 3.9.1900 |
2nd Battalion, Infantry Bde. |
| 1.7.1903 |
"D" and "E" Coys 11th Australian
Infantry Regt. |
| 1.7.1912 |
'T' Coy 86th Infantry |
| 1.10.1918 |
"A" and "B" Coys 2nd Bn. 16th Infantry Regt. |
| * |
* |
| 10.10.1876 |
Geraldton Rifle Volunteers |
| 3.9.1900 |
"B' Coy 3rd Battalion, Infantry Bde. |
| 1.7.1903 |
"A" Coy 1st Bn. Western Australian
Infantry Regt. |
| 25.11.1903 |
"A" Coy Western Australian Infantry Regiment |
| 1.7.1912 |
"H" Coy 88th Infantry |
| 1.10.1918 |
"D" Coy 2nd Bn. 11th Infantry Regiment. |
| * |
* |
| 7.6.1900 |
Goldfields Battalion of infantry |
| 3.9.1900 |
5th Battalion, Infantry Bde. |
| 1.7.1903 |
2nd Bn. Western Australian Infantry Regiment |
| 25.11.1903 |
Goldfields infantry Regiment |
| 1.7.1912 |
84th Infantry |
| 1.10.1918 |
2nd Bn. 2nd Pioneer Regiment |
| * |
* |
| 22.1.1874 |
Guildford Rifle Volunteers Regt. |
| Nov 1893 |
"E" and "F" Companies, 1st Infantry |
| 3.9.1900 |
"A" Coy 3rd Battalion, Infantry Bde. |
| 1.7.1903 |
"F" Coy 11th Australian Infantry Regiment |
| 1.7.1912 |
"F" Coy 88th Infantry |
| 1.10.1918 |
"D" Coy 2nd Bn,
11th Infantry Regiment |
| * |
* |
| 7.12.1899 |
Metropolitan Civil Service Battalion |
| 3.9.1900 |
4th Battalion, Infantry Bde. |
| 1.7.1903 |
"C' and "D" Coys 1st Bn. Western Australian Infantry Regiment |
| 25.11.1903 |
"C" and "D" Coys Western Australian Infantry Regiment |
| * |
* |
| 17.6.1872 |
Metropolitan Rifle Volunteers |
| Nov 1893 |
"A" and "B" Companies, 1st Infantry Regt. |
| 3.9.1900 |
1st Battalion, Infantry Bde. |
| 1.7.1903 |
"A", "B" and "C" Coys
11th Australian Infantry Regiment |
| 1.7.1912 |
"A", "B" and "C" Coys 88th Infantry |
| 1.10.1918 |
2nd Bn. 11th Infantry Regiment |
| * |
* |
| 1.3.1900 |
Pinjarra Mounted Infantry |
| 7.6.1900 |
Western Australian Mounted Infantry |
| 1.7.1903 |
18th Australian Light Horse |
| 1.7.1912 |
25th Light Horse |
| 1.10.1918 |
10th Light Horse |
| * |
* |
| 19.7.1870 |
Union Troop of Western Australian Mounted
Volunteers. |
| 21.1.1873 |
Western Australian Troop of Volunteer Horse
Artillery. |
| 21.3.1882 |
Perth Artillery Volunteers |
| 24.5.1897 |
No 1 Battery, Field Artillery |
| 1.7.1903 |
No 1 Western Australian Battery, Australian Field Artillery |
| 4.2.1911 |
No 14 Battery, Australian Field Artillery |
| 1.7.1912 |
Split to form 14th and 20th Batteries, A.F.A. |
| * |
* |
| 11.10.1893 |
York Infantry Volunteers |
| 20.2.1899 |
York Infantry |
| 3.9.1900 |
"D" Company, 3rd Battalion, infantry Bde. |
| 27.3.1902 |
Unit disbanded |
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