4th February 2022

More Vintage Uniforms from the State Library of Victoria collection.

Victorian Rifle Brigade

In 1860 the British regiments in Victoria were removed to New Zealand to fight the Maori Wars, with the volunteers becoming responsible for the whole defence of the state. Training encampments were initiated; the first during April 1861 at Werribee. In October that year an encampment was held at Sunbury for the first time, as this was a better location for some of the country groups.

# H6289. 1866 Sunbury Encampment

Leader (Melbourne), 31st March 1866 page 8.

The Australian News for Home Readers (Vic), 25th April 1866 page 10. Spectators viewing explosions and mock battles.

 

Australian Commonwealth Military Forces

# 1809351. Army Rifle Champions 1909.

http://www.austbuttonhistory.com/defence-forces-uniform-buttons/1901-ww2/

 

Royal Navy

# 2324143 Sailors of the HMS Psyche 1911

HMS Psyche was commissioned in 1899. She served at the Australian Station from December 1903 until the Australian Fleet took over naval duties in 1913. Therefore these men were members of the Royal Navy, not the Royal Australian Navy.

The various colonial navies were combined post Federation into the Commonwealth Naval Force,  renamed the Royal Australian navy in 1911. At first it was only given jurisdiction of Australian territorial waters. The Royal Navy did not want us to have our own ‘blue water’ fleet (a fleet capable of operating globally, essentially across the deep waters of open oceans), charging us with maintaining the ‘Australia Squadron’ based at the ‘Australian Station’, and vetoing all but a small fleet.

Please leave any comments or queries via the contact page.