Australian Commonwealth Horse
Encyclopedia
The Australian Commonwealth Horse (ACH) was a mounted infantry
unit of the Australian Army
formed for service during the Second Boer War
in South Africa
in 1902 and was the first expeditionary military unit established by the newly formed Commonwealth of Australia following Federation in 1901. Over 4,400 men enlisted in the ACH in three contingents, with troops and squadrons raised in each state and combined to form battalions. Eight battalions were formed, with the first arriving in Durban
in March 1902. The 1st and 2nd battalions saw limited active service, conducting patrols against the Boer
s during the last great drives that ultimately ended the war. The war ended before the remaining battalions arrived to see action, and by the time peace came on 31 May 1902, the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th battalions still remained at sea bound for South Africa. The ACH suffered no fatal casualties in action, although 28 men died from illness.
! style="text-align: left; "|Unit
! style="text-align: left; "|Strength
! style="text-align: left; "|Composition
! style="text-align: left; "|Commanding Officer
|-----
| First
||1st Battalion
2nd Battalion
Australian Army Medical Corps||560
613
183 || NSW, QLD, TAS
VIC, SA, WA
NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, WA || Lieutenant Colonel Lyster
Lieutenant Colonel McLeish
Major Green and Major Howse
|-----
| Second
||3rd Battalion
4th Battalion||615
492|| NSW, QLD, TAS
VIC, SA, WA || Lieutenant Colonel Wallack
Lieutenant Colonel Wallace
Lieutenant Colonel Johnston
|-----
| Third
||5th Battalion
6th Battalion
7th Battalion
8th Battalion||487
489
490
485 || NSW
VIC
QLD
SA, WA, TAS|| Lieutenant Colonel MacArthur-Onslow
Lieutenant Colonel Irving
Lieutenant Colonel Chauvel
Lieutenant Colonel Le Mesurier
|-----
colonies into the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901, the new Federal government alone had the power to raise military forces and dispatch them overseas. As such it now took over the military establishments of the States and as a consequence, following an approach by the British government, the Australian Prime Minister Edmund Barton
agreed to provide a contingent of 1,000 mounted infantry to the continuing conflict in South Africa. This commitment was endorsed in the House of Representatives on 14 January 1902 and the size of the contingent grew over the coming months as more volunteers rushed to join the new force, to be known as the Australian Commonwealth Horse. The formation of the ACH was overseen by the newly appointed General Officer Commanding, Australian Military Forces, Major General
Edward Hutton, and was Australia's first expeditionary force. More than 4,400 men ultimately enrolled, and they were formed into troops and squadrons based on their state of origin, before being combined into battalions. Eight battalions were formed in three separate contingents, whilst a medical team from the Australian Army Medical Corps (AAMC) was also raised. Artillery was not required.
Recruits had to pass tests of elementary riding and shooting, as well as medical tests, amid considerable competition for limited places. Most volunteers were young, single and worked with their hands. Motivations for joining varied, with many seeking to escape from a worsening drought, high unemployment and a heat wave which was gripping Australia at the time. Men from the colonial contingents already in South Africa were also encouraged to join. Competition for commissions and battalion commands was also fierce and the decision was made to appoint all officers in Australia in order to avoid some of the previous problems of 'importing officers' to positions of command. Hutton was also keen to reserve positions for senior permanent force officers so that they may get experience in leadership and staff work, and five of the eight battalion commands were initially allocated to permanent force officers. This had its own draw backs with a number of appointments later disputed, and one—Wallack—was later dismissed amid claims of inefficiency and ill discipline. Training commenced at a high tempo, with Hutton keen to instil professionalism and a high level of discipline in the new force.
The first contingent of 1,300 men sailed between 12–26 February 1902, with the second of 1,100 departing between 26 March – 8 April and the third contingent of 2,000 men leaving between 16 May – 2 June. Included among them were Brudenell White
and Julius Bruche, both of whom would later rise to become Chief of the General Staff. They were the first Australian troops to wear the Rising Sun badge
, a design chosen for the unit by Hutton.
, Elandslaagte and Dundee to Newcastle
. By 22 March over 1,000 Australians moved into camp with another 1,000 New Zealanders in the vicinity of Mount Majuba. The brigade subsequently took part in the great Eastern Drive which aimed to encircle de Wet
and Louis Botha
in northern Natal
, however severe weather allowed the Boers to escape. At any rate the ACH played only a secondary role in the drive, consigned mainly to holding the Drakensberg ranges
. During late March and early April the ACH were deployed to outposts to block the mountain passes, whilst a large column drove the Boers towards a line of blockhouses. Apart from minor skirmishes with unseen Boer snipers the Australians saw little action.
The Australians were subsequently sent to western Transvaal
, joining Colonel Thornycroft’s Field Force at Klerksdorp. The column—which was predominantly Australian and included the Third New South Wales Bushmen, Haslee’s Scouts (an irregular unit composed of Australians), the AAMC, the Eighth New Zealand Brigade and Thornycroft’s own regular mounted infantry—advanced as part of General
Ian Hamilton’s
force numbering 20,000 men in the great Western Drive. The advance aimed to drive de la Rey
back against a chain of blockhouses between Klerksdorp–Ventersdorp and proved to be the last of the war. The drive began on 19 April, but halted soon after, following news that peace negotiations were progressing. On 21 April the ACH moved out of camp and turned away from the blockhouse line towards the western railway, with orders to destroy crops and mealie fields and to push the Boers back towards the railway barrier.
On 7 May the Australians again advanced, driving forward over four successive days across dry and open country over a large front. Ultimately the drive succeeded with few incidents, significantly diminished the Boer supplies in the area, and leading to the capture of thousands of head of livestock, nearly 200 wagons and 7,000 rounds of ammunition. Although hundreds escaped, 367 Boers were captured after becoming trapped, although only one was killed. There were no Australian casualties.
The continued success of the blockhouse system, coupled with the approaching winter and shortages of food and clothing forced the Boer leaders to re-open peace negotiations. As such with the war all but over the ACH set up camp along the Klerksdorp-Ventersdorp blockhouse line, and although they continued to send out patrols they had little to do but await the inevitable peace. Despite seeing limited combat, Australian conduct in the field was considered to have been of a high standard, both in terms of military efficiency and discipline. Indeed the ACH showed a level of professionalism perhaps unseen in previous Australian contingents.
Negotiations continued, with the Boer leaders again meeting their British counterparts at Vereeniging, between Pretoria
and Kroonstad
. Meanwhile at Elandsfontein the second contingent of the ACH was concentrating after having landed at Durban in late April. On 31 May the Treaty of Vereeniging
was signed and the war came to an end, even as the men of the third contingent of the ACH remained at sea, bound for South Africa.
on 7 August with 2,043 troops aboard, five men were already dead from measles
and influenza
, while another 12 died within weeks. Neglect and unsanitary living conditions aboard the vessel were found to be to blame for the deaths, following a Royal Commission
into the matter.
Mounted infantry
Mounted infantry were soldiers who rode horses instead of marching, but actually fought on foot . The original dragoons were essentially mounted infantry...
unit of the Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
formed for service during the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in 1902 and was the first expeditionary military unit established by the newly formed Commonwealth of Australia following Federation in 1901. Over 4,400 men enlisted in the ACH in three contingents, with troops and squadrons raised in each state and combined to form battalions. Eight battalions were formed, with the first arriving in Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
in March 1902. The 1st and 2nd battalions saw limited active service, conducting patrols against the Boer
Boer
Boer is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for farmer, which came to denote the descendants of the Dutch-speaking settlers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 18th century, as well as those who left the Cape Colony during the 19th century to settle in the Orange Free State,...
s during the last great drives that ultimately ended the war. The war ended before the remaining battalions arrived to see action, and by the time peace came on 31 May 1902, the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th battalions still remained at sea bound for South Africa. The ACH suffered no fatal casualties in action, although 28 men died from illness.
Organisation
! style="text-align: left; "|Contingent! style="text-align: left; "|Unit
! style="text-align: left; "|Strength
! style="text-align: left; "|Composition
! style="text-align: left; "|Commanding Officer
|-----
| First
||1st Battalion
2nd Battalion
Australian Army Medical Corps||560
613
183 || NSW, QLD, TAS
VIC, SA, WA
NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, WA || Lieutenant Colonel Lyster
Lieutenant Colonel McLeish
Major Green and Major Howse
Neville Howse
Major General Sir Neville Reginald Howse VC, KCB, KCMG, KStJ was a British-born Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest decoration for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that can be awarded to members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces...
|-----
| Second
||3rd Battalion
4th Battalion||615
492|| NSW, QLD, TAS
VIC, SA, WA || Lieutenant Colonel Wallack
Lieutenant Colonel Wallace
Lieutenant Colonel Johnston
George Johnston (general)
Major General George Jameson Johnston CB, CMG, VD was an Australian Army general in World War I.-Early life and career:...
|-----
| Third
||5th Battalion
6th Battalion
7th Battalion
8th Battalion||487
489
490
485 || NSW
VIC
QLD
SA, WA, TAS|| Lieutenant Colonel MacArthur-Onslow
Lieutenant Colonel Irving
Godfrey Irving
Major General Godfrey George Howy Irving was an Australian Army Major General in World War I.- Early life and career :...
Lieutenant Colonel Chauvel
Lieutenant Colonel Le Mesurier
|-----
Raising and training, January 1902
Following the federation of the AustralianFederation of Australia
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed one nation...
colonies into the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901, the new Federal government alone had the power to raise military forces and dispatch them overseas. As such it now took over the military establishments of the States and as a consequence, following an approach by the British government, the Australian Prime Minister Edmund Barton
Edmund Barton
Sir Edmund Barton, GCMG, KC , Australian politician and judge, was the first Prime Minister of Australia and a founding justice of the High Court of Australia....
agreed to provide a contingent of 1,000 mounted infantry to the continuing conflict in South Africa. This commitment was endorsed in the House of Representatives on 14 January 1902 and the size of the contingent grew over the coming months as more volunteers rushed to join the new force, to be known as the Australian Commonwealth Horse. The formation of the ACH was overseen by the newly appointed General Officer Commanding, Australian Military Forces, Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Edward Hutton, and was Australia's first expeditionary force. More than 4,400 men ultimately enrolled, and they were formed into troops and squadrons based on their state of origin, before being combined into battalions. Eight battalions were formed in three separate contingents, whilst a medical team from the Australian Army Medical Corps (AAMC) was also raised. Artillery was not required.
Recruits had to pass tests of elementary riding and shooting, as well as medical tests, amid considerable competition for limited places. Most volunteers were young, single and worked with their hands. Motivations for joining varied, with many seeking to escape from a worsening drought, high unemployment and a heat wave which was gripping Australia at the time. Men from the colonial contingents already in South Africa were also encouraged to join. Competition for commissions and battalion commands was also fierce and the decision was made to appoint all officers in Australia in order to avoid some of the previous problems of 'importing officers' to positions of command. Hutton was also keen to reserve positions for senior permanent force officers so that they may get experience in leadership and staff work, and five of the eight battalion commands were initially allocated to permanent force officers. This had its own draw backs with a number of appointments later disputed, and one—Wallack—was later dismissed amid claims of inefficiency and ill discipline. Training commenced at a high tempo, with Hutton keen to instil professionalism and a high level of discipline in the new force.
The first contingent of 1,300 men sailed between 12–26 February 1902, with the second of 1,100 departing between 26 March – 8 April and the third contingent of 2,000 men leaving between 16 May – 2 June. Included among them were Brudenell White
Brudenell White
General Sir Cyril Brudenell Bingham White KCB, KCMG, KCVO, DSO was a senior officer in the Australian Army, who served as Chief of the General Staff from 1920 to 1923 and again from March to August 1940, when he was killed in the Canberra air disaster.-Early Life and career:White was born in St...
and Julius Bruche, both of whom would later rise to become Chief of the General Staff. They were the first Australian troops to wear the Rising Sun badge
Rising Sun (badge)
The Rising Sun badge, also known as the General Service Badge or the Australian Army Badge, is the official insignia of the Australian Army. The badge is worn on the brim of a slouch hat or the front of a peaked cap and is readily identified with the spirit of ANZAC, the legend of the Australian...
, a design chosen for the unit by Hutton.
Active service in South Africa, March – April 1902
The 1st and 2nd Battalions, Australian Commonwealth Horse arrived in Durban in March 1902 and together with the AAMC were formed into an Australian Brigade. From Durban the Australians were sent north by train via LadysmithLadysmith, KwaZulu-Natal
Ladysmith is a city in the Uthukela District of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is north-west of Durban and south of Johannesburg. Important industries in the area include food processing, textile and tyre production...
, Elandslaagte and Dundee to Newcastle
Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal
Newcastle is the third largest city and urban center in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Newcastle is located in the North West corner of the province along the Ncandu River and is moderately industrial....
. By 22 March over 1,000 Australians moved into camp with another 1,000 New Zealanders in the vicinity of Mount Majuba. The brigade subsequently took part in the great Eastern Drive which aimed to encircle de Wet
De Wet
De Wet is the name of:* Jacob Willemszoon de Wet , Dutch painter*Christiaan de Wet , Boer general, rebel leader and politician*De Wet Decoration, South African military medal named after the above...
and Louis Botha
Louis Botha
Louis Botha was an Afrikaner and first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa—the forerunner of the modern South African state...
in northern Natal
Colony of Natal
The Colony of Natal was a British colony in south-eastern Africa. It was proclaimed a British colony on May 4, 1843 after the British government had annexed the Boer Republic of Natalia, and on 31 May 1910 combined with three other colonies to form the Union of South Africa, as one of its...
, however severe weather allowed the Boers to escape. At any rate the ACH played only a secondary role in the drive, consigned mainly to holding the Drakensberg ranges
Drakensberg
The Drakensberg is the highest mountain range in Southern Africa, rising to in height. In Zulu, it is referred to as uKhahlamba , and in Sesotho as Maluti...
. During late March and early April the ACH were deployed to outposts to block the mountain passes, whilst a large column drove the Boers towards a line of blockhouses. Apart from minor skirmishes with unseen Boer snipers the Australians saw little action.
The Australians were subsequently sent to western Transvaal
South African Republic
The South African Republic , often informally known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer-ruled country in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century. Not to be confused with the present-day Republic of South Africa, it occupied the area later known as the South African...
, joining Colonel Thornycroft’s Field Force at Klerksdorp. The column—which was predominantly Australian and included the Third New South Wales Bushmen, Haslee’s Scouts (an irregular unit composed of Australians), the AAMC, the Eighth New Zealand Brigade and Thornycroft’s own regular mounted infantry—advanced as part of General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Ian Hamilton’s
Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton
General Sir Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton GCB GCMG DSO TD was a general in the British Army and is most notably for commanding the ill-fated Mediterranean Expeditionary Force during the Battle of Gallipoli....
force numbering 20,000 men in the great Western Drive. The advance aimed to drive de la Rey
Koos de la Rey
General Jacobus Herculaas de la Rey , known as Koos de la Rey, was a Boer general during the Second Boer War and is widely regarded as being one of the strongest military leaders during that conflict....
back against a chain of blockhouses between Klerksdorp–Ventersdorp and proved to be the last of the war. The drive began on 19 April, but halted soon after, following news that peace negotiations were progressing. On 21 April the ACH moved out of camp and turned away from the blockhouse line towards the western railway, with orders to destroy crops and mealie fields and to push the Boers back towards the railway barrier.
On 7 May the Australians again advanced, driving forward over four successive days across dry and open country over a large front. Ultimately the drive succeeded with few incidents, significantly diminished the Boer supplies in the area, and leading to the capture of thousands of head of livestock, nearly 200 wagons and 7,000 rounds of ammunition. Although hundreds escaped, 367 Boers were captured after becoming trapped, although only one was killed. There were no Australian casualties.
The continued success of the blockhouse system, coupled with the approaching winter and shortages of food and clothing forced the Boer leaders to re-open peace negotiations. As such with the war all but over the ACH set up camp along the Klerksdorp-Ventersdorp blockhouse line, and although they continued to send out patrols they had little to do but await the inevitable peace. Despite seeing limited combat, Australian conduct in the field was considered to have been of a high standard, both in terms of military efficiency and discipline. Indeed the ACH showed a level of professionalism perhaps unseen in previous Australian contingents.
Negotiations continued, with the Boer leaders again meeting their British counterparts at Vereeniging, between Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
and Kroonstad
Kroonstad
Kroonstad is the third-largest town in the Free State province of South Africa, and lies two hours drive from Gauteng. In the 1991 census it had a population of 110,963...
. Meanwhile at Elandsfontein the second contingent of the ACH was concentrating after having landed at Durban in late April. On 31 May the Treaty of Vereeniging
Treaty of Vereeniging
The Treaty of Vereeniging was the peace treaty, signed on 31 May 1902, that ended the South African War between the South African Republic and the Republic of the Orange Free State, on the one side, and the British Empire on the other.This settlement provided for the end of hostilities and...
was signed and the war came to an end, even as the men of the third contingent of the ACH remained at sea, bound for South Africa.
Return to Australia, August 1902
Although many men remained in South Africa to start a new life after discharge, the bulk of the contingents began to return to Australia by ship between July and August 1902. Misfortune followed them however, and when the SS Drayton Grange arrived in MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
on 7 August with 2,043 troops aboard, five men were already dead from measles
Measles
Measles, also known as rubeola or morbilli, is an infection of the respiratory system caused by a virus, specifically a paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus. Morbilliviruses, like other paramyxoviruses, are enveloped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA viruses...
and influenza
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
, while another 12 died within weeks. Neglect and unsanitary living conditions aboard the vessel were found to be to blame for the deaths, following a Royal Commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
into the matter.