106 
G.B. Trotter 
Rifle Volunteers (40) and the Guildford Rifle 
Volunteers (20). 200 These seem to be the last 
purchases of Martini-Henrys made. Even though 
the demand for arms continued to increase, 
obsolete "reserve" Sniders were re-issued instead 
of further purchases of the Martini-Henry being 
made. The W.A. government attempted to obtain a 
gift of 1000 Martini-Henry rifles and bayonets from 
the Imperial government in 1892 201 but by 1893 it 
had become obvious that the British Government 
would not accede to this request. W.A. therefore 
commenced the procurement program of the new 
smallbore .303 inch calibre Martini arms. In an 
Annual Report to England in 1888 the total number 
of Martini-Henrys in W.A. was given as 574. 202 This 
total is repeated ten years later in the 
Commandant's Report for 1898-99, 203 the rifles 
having been called in in 1896-97. 
In 1893 the W.A. government began to procure 
what was to become a unique series of W.A. 
Pattern Martini .303 inch arms. This program 
began with the arrival of 700 Martini-Metford 
Mark I rifles in 1895. These arms were issued to the 
the entire volunteer corps, the Martini-Henrys 
being retired. A further 200 Martini-Metford Mark 
IIs arrived in 1897-98, followed by 900 Martini- 
Enfields in 1898. 200 more Martini-Enfields arrived 
in 1900 with 50 more, the last, arriving ind.901. A 
further lot of around 251 - 284 Martini-Enfield 
arms were converted locally in Perth in 1899 - 
1900. The imported M-Es were issued throughout 
the mounted corps, with some of them going t 0 the 
rifle volunteers at Geraldton and the W.A. Artm er y 
company at Albany. The 251 - 284 local Unofficial 
Conversions went to the Civil Service corp s j n 
1899-1900, and thence to the W.A.M.I. Many of 
these arms (272 M-Ms and c.606 M-Es), went to 
South Africa with the Boer War Mounted Inf antrv 
Contingents and possibly never returned. 204 After 
the war Army General Order 296 of 24th December 
1903 directed that all Martini-Enfield, Martini- 
Metford and Martini-Henry rifles still held in 
country areas were to be boxed and sent by rail to 
the central ordnance store in Perth. This was the 
final " call in " of the .303 inch Martini arms, as 
soon after. Army General Order 26 of 18th 
February 1904 began to offer for sale to the local 
rifle clubs " Martini-Henry, old 10/-, Martini- 
Enfield, new 40/- without bayonet." 203 
W.A. is known to have purchased 1000 Magazine 
Lee-Speed rifles in 1900. All specimens of these 
rifles noted were made by the Birmingham Small 
Arms company. These arms were issued to the 
Volunteers in W.A. only, and thus survived 
through to 1904 when they were recorded in the 
Dominion Returns as still numbering 1000. From 
1901 onwards arms purchases were a 
Commonwealth responsibility. 
The arms of the early Cadet Corps 1883 - 1888 
were few in number and were limited to shortened 
Enfields and short Snider rifles. In 1889 the Morris 
tubes were issued which allowed the use of 
Figure 40 A Western Australian Contingent to the Boer War embarking with their Martini-Metford Mark I rifles at 
Fremantle wharf. These arms, and the Martini-Enfields, went to South Africa and possibly never returned 
(Photo courtesy of Battye Library. 5272P). 
