Tm 
92 
G.B. Trotter 
Figure 20 William Vernon Needham, "Armourer to the Forces", standing in front of his premises in Hay Street, 
Perth. According to the Winchester Repeating Arms Company calendar visible in the window, this 
photograph was taken in January 1894, some six months after he received his government appointment. It 
was probably taken to commemorate the event, which is noted in his new sign, "By Appointment to the 
Government of W.A., Armourer". (Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Mansom.) 
Perth and is recorded in various trade and postal 
directories as being in business in William Street in 
1887, in Hay Street between 1888 and 1895, and at 
101 Barrack Street and 44 Lincoln Street between 
1895 and 1898. From 1898 until his death in 1928 he 
worked from number 44 Lincoln Street, then 
number 68, and finally number 70. 151 Needham, a 
highly esteemed gunsmith, was appointed by the 
W.A. government as "Armourer to the 
Government Departments" 152 in 1888, and 
"Armourer to the Forces" on 9th May 1893. 153 
Operating from his Hay Street premises, (see 
Figure 20) he was retained to undertake the: 
"Examination of Rifles including stripping, cleaning, 
oiling, correcting of sights, adjusting pull-off and 
refitting of damaged portions of locks etc., with parts 
supplied by the government". 154 
During 1900 the pressures of arming the Boer 
War contingents was great, and it is thought that 
the arms of the Metropolitan Civil Service Rifle 
Volunteers may have been requisitioned for them, 
possibly leaving the M.C.S.R.V. unarmed for a 
short period, until the issue of the new Magazine 
Lee-Speeds could be arranged. In September 1900 
the corps became the four companies of the 4th 
Battalion of the Western Australian Infantry 
Brigade and are recorded as being armed with 284 
Magazine Lee-Speed rifles. 155 The Unofficial 
Conversion Martini-Enfields which were handed in 
were reissued to W.A.M.I. Contingents to the Boer 
War. The M.C.S.R.V. corps and the Fourth 
W.A.M.I. (see Trotter 76 , p.303), are the only units 
known to have received these arms. 
The Permanent Force was not a volunteer corps. 
It was established by the agreement of most of the 
colonies in 1892 as a co-operative defence scheme, 
and in fact was a foreshadowing of the Federal 
defence scheme to come later. When tire Permanent 
Force was set up it was intended that detachments 
would be posted to selected coastal defence sites in 
the various participating colonies. In W.A. Albany 
was chosen to have defensive coastal fortifications 
built and artillery installed. A crew of artillerymen 
was sent from South Australia in 1893 to man the 
guns. These men were armed with Martini-Henry 
artillery carbines (see Figure 22). In 1895 the W.A. 
Returns list 26 men for this Force and the 
Dominion Returns of 1904 list 26 Martini-Henry 
carbines in store, 156 indicating that these carbines 
remained in W.A. after they were retired. One 
