88 
G.B. Trot(, 
er 
on the Eulie in mid 1877 as well as the surplus 
Enrolled Pensioner Force arms selected by Harvest. 
Only the new arms would have required marking, 
the E.P.F. arms being Imperial arms on loan, are 
thought prohibited from alteration. Perhaps these 
1877 "second order" arms are those referred to in 
the debit charge, as the corps is listed as having 52 
Sniders on issue in 1880. 105 A Minute dated 15th 
January 1884 lists the G.R.V. as having "46 Long 
Snider rifles, four Short Snider rifles and 50 lots of 
accoutrements". These accoutrements are 
described as "Old and unfit for daylight Parade". 106 
The Commandants Report for 1886 shows that 
the Geraldton Rifle Volunteers were armed with 60 
Martini-Henry rifles in that year. 107 In 1896 the 
G.R.V. were issued with 70 Martini-Metford rifles 
and in 1898 they were issued with 89 Martini- 
Enfields, 108 the Martini-Metfords presumably being 
re-issued to another corps, most likely including 
their mounted detachment. The Martini-Enfields 
were Mark I W.A. Pattern rifles, part of a lot 
ordered in 1897 and received in 1898. 109 These arms 
were marked on the butt "W A over number", 
possibly including the suffix "D" (see Figure 15)’ 
The arm in Figure 15 is from the W.A. Army 
Museum Collection (Item 082.90). 
The G.R.V. are the only volunteer rifle corps 
known to have been issued any of these imported 
Martini-Enfields, which can be seen in a 
photograph in Trotter 76 , (p. 302). These W.\ 
Pattern Martini-Enfield rifles are consider^ 
unique among Australian colonial Martini-Enfield 
rifles as they alone fixed the Pattern 1888 swoy 
bayonet. With the exception of a number 
Queensland arms set up to take a side-mounted 
sword bayonet, all other Australian Martini-Enfield 
rifles took the Pattern 1895 socket bayonet, (s ee 
Figure 16). The G.R.V. retained these arms ev^ n 
after they became B company, 3rd Battalion 
Western Australian Infantry Brigade in 1900. 
In 1884, the Geraldton corps raised a detachment 
at Northhampton. It was a half-company known a s 
the Northhampton Rifle Volunteers. They wer e 
armed with 40 stand of Sniders handed down to 
them by the Metropolitan Rifle Volunteers wh? n 
this latter corps was issued with new Martirii- 
Henrys. They retained these Sniders until replaced 
by 40 Martini-Henrys in 1887. 110 Th e 
Northhampton Rifle Volunteers had become totally 
inefficient by 1899 and were disbanded that year. 
The Wellington Mounted Volunteers were 
raised in 1877. It is recorded that "rifles" were 
shipped to Bunbury for them on 16th December 
1878, 111 and they were reported as having used 
Enfield rifles in a "hot and windy" shooting match 
later in the month. 112 These rifles were probably not 
Figure 16 The distinctive nose cap feature which makes the W.A. issue Martini-Enfield rifles unique. These rifles are 
the only Australian Martini-Enfield rifles which fix the Pattern 1888 sword bayonet. The upper rifle is the 
Martini-Metford Mark 1, W.A. Pattern, the first W.A. service rifle to fix the Pattern 1888, the lower is the 
Martini-Enfield Mark I, W.A. Pattern. (Photo R. Sinclair). 
