| New South Wales Imperial Bushmen | |
|---|---|
.jpg.webp) A troop of Bushmen's Contingent | |
| Active | 1900–1901 |
| Country | New South Wales |
| Allegiance | British Empire |
| Type | Mounted Infantry |
| Size | 762 men Six squadrons |
| Engagements | Second Boer War |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Kenneth Mackay |
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The New South Wales Imperial Bushmen was a mounted regiment, consisting of six rifle squadrons, raised in the New South Wales colony for service during the Second Boer War.[1]
The volunteers came from Cootamundra, Gundagai, Wagga Wagga, Young, Hay, Cooma, Moree, Cobar, Tenterfield, and Bourke.[2] Formed as the sixth contingent of Imperial Bushman, with an original strength of 762 men under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth Mackay, the unit departed Sydney for South Africa on 23 April 1900 on the transport SS Armenian. Between May 1900 and May 1901 it served in Rhodesia as part of the Rhodesian Field Force under Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Carrington and later in West Transvaal, including the capture of Koos de la Rey's convoy and guns at Wildfontein on 24 March 1901. Lieutenant Colonel Haviland Le Mesurier took over as commanding officer in November 1900. The unit departed East London on the transport Orient and returned to Australia on 17 July 1901. Casualties included 13 killed or died of wounds and nine died of disease.[3] Members of the regiment received one Companion of The Most Honourable Order of the Bath, 4 Distinguished Service Orders and 1 Distinguished Conduct Medal.[1]
Commanding officers
The following officers commanded the unit:[1]
Notes
- 1 2 3 "New South Wales Imperial Bushmen". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ↑ Murray 1911, p. 85.
- ↑ Wilcox 2002, p. 393.
References
- Murray, P.L. (1911). Official Records of the Australian Military Contingents to the War in South Africa. Melbourne: Department of Defence. OCLC 13323046.
- Wilcox, Craig (2002). Australia's Boer War: The War in South Africa 1899–1902. South Melbourne: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-551637-0.
Further reading
- Dennis, Peter; Grey, Jeffrey; Morris, Ewan; Prior, Robin; Bou, Jean (2008). The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History (Second ed.). Melbourne: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-551784-2.