The Western Australian Mounted Infantry in the 2^nd Boer War

Phase 1: 1899-1900

Western Australia’s first military contribution to the empire in South Africa began even before the war began. In October 1899 it was clear that war was inevitable and the 1^st WAMI was created and arrived in South Africa the following month, the 2^nd WAMI departed not long after. These initial 2 contingents were made up primarily of former soldiers from across Australia and were a squadron each in size. They saw a great deal of action in primarily between May-Jul 1900 against coherent enemy forces but after this they began to face a commando insurgency. Both contingents arrived back in Western Australia by December 1900, ending the first phase of Western Australia’s contribution. Casualties: 6 Killed, 54 Wounded. *The 1^st WAMI has a Maxim gun section.

Phase 2: 1900-1901

The second phase of the WAMI was the creation of 2 Bushmen contingents. These Bushmen contingents were made up primarily of Western Australians from the country and were often older than the 1^st & 2^nd WAMI (Primarily men in their thirties). Most of them had no previous military service and rather than having the elegant uniforms of the 1^st & 2^nd WAMI they wore tacky bush gear. They departed for the front between Apr-Jun 1900. The 3^rd & 4^th WAMI were limited to fighting the commando insurgency with the one exception being the big Battle Of Koster’s River (as well as a small platoon of men at the siege of Eland’s River). These squadrons suffered more from disease then enemy action. Both contingents were back home by Jul 1901. A small nursing contingent of 11 women was also sent. Casualties: 9 Killed, 27 Wounded.

Phase 3: 1901-1902

The third and largest phase of the Western Australian military contribution to the 2^nd Boer War was the deployment of the 5^th & 6^th WAMI. Each of these contingents was 2 squadrons strong. They were made up of a mixture of former veterans from the 1^st wave, experienced military personnel and raw recruits, all of whom were mostly from Western Australia. They wore a khaki uniform. These 2 contingents consisted of more men than the first 4 contingents combined. The 5^th & 6^th WAMI were merged together upon arrival in April 1901 as a full battalion and were immediately engaged in brutal ambushes by the commando insurgency. They spent the next year in the Transvaal taking part in counter-insurgency and returned home by April 1902. Casualties: 24 Killed, 21 Wounded.

(Note: The black armband worn is due to the recent death of Queen Victoria)

Phase 4: 1902

The final phase of the war saw the creation of 3 squadrons in the Commonwealth Battalion of Horse, a federal unit. These all arrived too late to see any real action. Casualties: None.

Units

Unit	Officers	Men	Commanding Officer	Tour Of Duty
1^st Western Australian Mounted Rifles	5	125	Major Moor	27^th November 1899-13^th December 1900 (381 Days)
2^nd Western Australian Mounted Infantry	10	93	Lieutenant Colonel Pilkington	24^th February 1900-7^th November 1900 (256 Days)
Western Australian Nurses Contingent	0	11	Sup Nicolay	April 1900-~Early-Mid 1901
3^rd Western Australian Imperial Bushmen	8	108	Lieutenant Colonel Vialls	18^th April 1900-1^st April 1901 (348 Days)
4^th Western Australian Citizen’s Bushmen	9	118	Major Rose	19^th June 1900-5^th July 1901 (382 Days)
5^th Western Australian Mounted Infantry	16	205	Captain Darling	28^th March 1901-7^th April 1902 (376 Days)
6^th Western Australian Mounted Infantry	14	214	Captain Campbell	29^th April 1901-7^th April 1902 (344 Days)
E Company, 2^nd Battalion, Australian Commonwealth Horse	2	58	Lieutenant Davies	14^th March 1902-5^th July 1902 (114 Days)
D Company, 4^th Battalion, Australian Commonwealth Horse	5	115	Captain Robertson	29^th April 1902-30^th July 1902 (93 Days)
D Squadron, 8^th Battalion, Australian Commonwealth Horse	4	116	Captain Roberts	19^th June 1902-30^th July 1902 (42 Days)

Casualties

Unit	Deaths	Wounded
1^st Western Australian Mounted Rifles	Killed In Action: 3 Died of Wounds: 3 Died of Disease: 0 Died of Injuries: 0 Total: 6	Wounded: 22 Injured: 3 Sick: 2 Invalided: 10 Total: 37
2^nd Western Australian Mounted Infantry	Killed In Action: 0 Died of Wounds: 0 Died of Disease: 0 Died of Injuries: 0 Total: 0	Wounded: 14 Injured: 1 Sick: 0 Invalided: 2 Total: 17
3^rd Western Australian Imperial Bushmen	Killed In Action: 0 Died of Wounds: 2 Died of Disease: 3 Died of Injuries: 1 Total: 6	Wounded: 10 Injured: 1 Sick: 0 Invalided: 1 Total: 12
4^th Western Australian Citizen’s Bushmen	Killed In Action: 3 Died of Wounds: 0 Died of Disease: 0 Died of Injuries: 0 Total: 3	Wounded: 10 Injured: 1 Sick: 4 Invalided: 0 Total: 15
5^th Western Australian Mounted Infantry	Killed In Action: 7 Died of Wounds: 0 Died of Disease: 2 Died of Injuries: 0 Total: 9	Wounded: 9 Injured: 0 Sick: 1 Invalided: 2 Total: 11
6^th Western Australian Mounted Infantry	Killed In Action: 8 Died of Wounds: 2 Died of Disease: 4 Died of Injuries: 1 Total: 15	Wounded: 9 Injured: 1 Sick: 0 Invalided: 0 Total: 10
Total	Killed In Action: 21 Died of Wounds: 7 Died of Disease: 9 Died of Injuries: 2 Total: 40	Wounded: 74 Injured: 7 Sick: 7 Invalided: 15 Total: 103

Some of the wounded men of the 1st WAMI back in Western Australia

Back Row L to R: Pte J Cunningham (1st WAMI, severely wounded, Slingersfontein 7/2/00), Gnr Manly (?), Cpl W Callicot (1st WAMI, invalided 3/6/00), Cpl G Loane (1st WAMI, invalided 31/9/00).
Middle Row L to R: Pte T McFarlane (1st WAMI, severely wounded, Zand River 11/5/00), Pte A Green (2nd WAMI, severely wounded, Vet River 5/5/00), Pte G Jones (1st WAMI, invalided 31/7/00), Pte C Scott (1st WAMI, severely wounded, Vet River (9/5/00).
Front Row L to R: Pte A Zeitch (2nd WAMI, invalided 31/7/00), Pte A Baker (1st WAMI, severely wounded, Achterlang 4/3/00), Pte A Kelly (1st WAMI, invalided 31/7/00), Pte P Jones (1st WAMI, invalided 31/7/00), Pte A McLean (2nd WAMI, wounded, Vaal River 5/5/00).

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Overview

The Western Australian Mounted Infantry in the 2nd Boer War