Military firearms in colonial Western Australia 
111 
numbers of the .303 inch Martinis, it is believed 
that in some cases at least, these arms were marked 
by different people, possibly at different locations. 
It is believed Mr. Needham may have been 
engaged to number and mark some batches of .303 
inch calibre Martinis between 1895 and 1901, when 
the Commonwealth took over. 
It is acknowledged that certain small 
discrepancies appear in the quantities of arms 
listed and inconsistencies exist in the archival 
record. The means of eliminating these anomalies 
is believed to exist. It was noted by Lt. Col. Harvest 
in a Minute to the Colonial Secretary in 1878 that, 
"Every item of Volunteers expenditure passes thro' 
my hands and is noted in a book in my office". 209 
Until a researcher is fortunate enough to locate 
Colonel Harvest's (and his successor's), book and 
the arms registers, the anomalies in the story of 
Colonial military arms will remain. It is hoped that 
in the absence of such records, this present paper 
will form a solid basis for further research. 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 
The author would like to acknowledge James 
Grant for his assistance and advice on the 
Volunteer Corps; Ron Cook, for his helpful 
criticisms on the arms themselves. Nathan 
Thompson, Sgt. R. Warburton (W.A. Police), 
Margaret Needham, Elizabeth Mansom and the 
Battye library staff are also thanked, as are those 
institutions and individuals who allowed me access 
to arms and records in their care. 
> Dennison, W., A Short History of the 63rd of Foot in Western 
Australia 1829 - 1833, Privately Published, Perth,(n.d.), p. 9. 
2 Priest, G., The Brown Bess Bayonet 1720 - 1860, Tharston Press, 
Norwich (U.K.),1986, pp. 102, 133, 156. According to R.J. 
Wilkinson Latham, British Military Bayonets 1700 - 1945, 
Hutchinson, London, 1967, p. 77, extra service arms and arms 
issued on loan for temporary purposes did not receive a corps 
mark, unless issued for active service. They only had the mark of 
the issuing depot. 
J Skennerton, I.D., Australian Service Longarms, Privately Published, 
QLD., 1976, pp. 68-99 and Halls, C, Guns in Australia, Hamlyn, 
Sydney, 1974, pp. 69-70 
4 Skennerton, I.D., A Treatise on the Snider, Privately published, 
Qld., 1977, p. 163 
5 Broomhall, F.H., The Veterans, Hesperian Press, Perth, 1990 p. 2. 
* Battye Library, CO 18/93, quoted in Broomhall, p. 2. 
7 Op cit., Broomhall, pp. 29, 48. 
" Battye L>brary, Acc. 36 513/229, 22nd May 1857. These carbines 
are mentioned again in a letter (Acc. 36 509/339), to the Colonial 
Secretary from members of the Swan Volunteer Rifle Corps which 
unsuccessfully attempted to acquire arms in 1861. The letter, 
dated October 29 requests the supply of "20 carbines, bayonets 
and accessories belonging to the Police Force to be issued to the 
Swan Rifles for drill purposes, providing they can be spared." 
The police reply of the 1st of November states "twenty carbines 
can be spared but the swords belonging to them are all served out 
to the men at the stations...the carbines are all double breached 
(sic) ones'. Technical information on these carbines may be found 
in Skennerton's Australian Service Longarms pp. 12 and 76 and 
Blackmore, H.L., British Military Firearms 1650 - 1850, Jenkins, 
London, 1969, pp. 219-220. 
9 Battye Library, Votes and Proceedings of W.A. Parliament, 1876, 
Governors Despatch No. 25, enclosure Number 1, 18/2/76. 
,0 Op cit., Skennerton, A Treatise on the Snider , p. 107. 
11 Op cit., Broomhall, p.58. In 1868 there were 190 men under arms 
on a daily basis in the metropolitan area. 65 men in the 
outstations remained armed with smoothbore muskets. 
Purdon, C.J., The Snider-Enfield Rifle, Historic Arms Series No. 
24, Museum Restoration Services, New York & Ontario, 1990, p. 
31. Quoting from a British "Schedule of Correspondence, 
compiled 1867—", the number of "Sniders" for Perth W.A. is 
given as 135 long, 15 short in 1870. 
12 Battye Library, Acc. 36 805/14. Commandants letter, 26th 
November 1875, "The Enfields now on loan were spare in the 
colony owing to the Pensioner Force being armed with Sniders". 
13 Battye Library, Acc. 144, 3rd January 1881. 67 outstation arms 
plus 7 others were auctioned by Lionel Samson. 
'* Battye Library, Acc. 144,15th December 1880. Returns of stores of 
the disbanded E.P.F. The stores official reported that the E.P.F. 
"Never had the Martini-Henry Rifle". Photographs in Broomhall 
show the final parade of the Enrolled Guard in 1887, all are still 
armed with Snider-Enfields. 
15 Battye Library, Acc. 49, Vol. 43, letter 1443. Acc. 36 509/335. The 
issue of these Colonial muskets was approved on 30th September 
1861. 
,A Battye Library, Newspaper Archives. Perth Gazette, 12th 
September 1862 indicates that the rifles arrived on the Bride on 
16th July 1862, replacing "Brown Bess" muskets. These arms were 
requested by the Executive Council on the 20th August 1861. 
(Acc. 1058, Vol. 1858-1866, p. 147). 
17 Battye Library, Acc. 36 496/9,9th August 1862 
,H Battye Library, Acc. 36 496/9, 9th August 1862. A "stand" is the 
military term for a group of arms issued to a corps and the 
identifying number put on the arm becomes the stand number by 
which it is known. The term also refers to the various 
accoutrements which accompany each firearm, these 
accoutrements also bear the stand number of the arm. 
19 Battye Library, Acc. 49 Vol. 44, Letter 519,12th August 1862. 
20 State Records, South Australia, supplied by A.F. Harris, private 
correspondence, 9th February 1994. 
21 Battye Library, Acc. 36 548/361,5th October 1864. 
22 Battye Library, Acc. 36 856/331, 5th July 1872, 29th November 
1872. 
23 Wieck, G., The Volunteer Movement in Western Australia 1861 - 
1903, Paterson Brokensha, Perth (n.d.) p. 29. 
24 ibid, Wieck, p. 29. 
25 Battye Library, Newspaper Archives, Perth Gazette, 25th July 1862. 
2h Op. cit., Wieck p. 30. 
27 Battye Library, Acc 36 548/361, CSO correspondence. The Enfield 
Rifles referred to are the 200 per the Brule in 1862. 
2H Battye Library, Acc. 36 548/361. Biographical details of this 
convict will be found in Erickson, R., Dictionary of Western 
Australians. Bond 1850 - 1868, University of Western Australia 
Press, Perth, 1979, p. 447. 
29 Battye Library, Acc. 36 805/10. Research revealed a letter dated 
29th October 1873 which indicates that the 12 swords were 
ordered that year, (Acc. 36 759/170). They were 12 Light Cavalry 
Swords, Staff Sergeants Pattern with bags and knots received from 
Wilkinsons, per the Ivy on 6th May 1874, for Pinjarrah Mounted 
Volunteers ( Acc. 36 764 pp. 48-51). 
3° Battye Library, Acc. 36 805/12. The convict ship name is probably 
Houqoumont. Fawcett appears mistaken in both the date of issue 
and the origin of these arms. They were procured especially for 
him, direct from England in 1864. This correspondence is possibly 
the source of Wicck's statement that the P.M.V. was originally 
armed from the guard of a convict ship. 
31 Battye Library, Acc. 36 805/14. 
32 Battye Library, Acc. 36 847/219. 
33 Battye Library, Acc. 36 847/248. V.R. Blakemore, Charlotte Street, 
Birmingham. 
34 Jinks, R.G., History of Smith & Wesson, Beinfeld, Hollywood, 1977, 
pp. 50 - 52, 105 - 108, and Neal, R.J. & Jinks, R.G., Smith b 
Wesson 1857 - 1945, Barncs/Yoseloff, N.Y. & London, 1975, pp. 
62 - 65, 106 - 111. Mr Jinks opined that in his view he felt it more 
likely that the revolvers supplied would have been the .38 calibre 
arms. Letter to author, 18.3.1994. 
35 Battye Library, Acc. 36 CSR 899/198. 
