The Wellington
Mounted Rifles Regiment was formed on the 8th day of August, 1914
and it concentrated at Awapuni Racecourse on the 12th, its composition being one squadron each from
the following
2nd Queen Alexandra’s Wellington-West Coast Mounted
Rifles Regiment, the 6th Manawatu Mounted Rifles Regiment, and the 9th East Coast Mounted Rifles Regiment.
The other units which concentrated at Awapuni were.—
The Wellington
Infantry Battalion,
the New Zealand Field
Artillery,
Field and Signal Troops of the New Zealand Engineers,
Company
of Divisional Signallers, and
the Mounted Field Ambulance.
The establishment of the Wellington Mounted Rifles Regiment (including attached
troops) was as follows:
26 officers, 1 warrant officer, 37 staff sergeants and
sergeants, 22 artificers, 6 trumpeters, 457 rank and file—making a total personnel of 549.
Horses (including attached)
: 528 riding, 74 draught, 6 pack—total, 608.
The attached were: Medical
officer, one veterinary officer, one artificer, three other ranks, 18
horses (including 14 for interpreters’) and four bicycles. A chaplain
with batman was also included. The above does not include Base details.
The full strength of each
of the three squadrons was as follows:
Six officers, 10 staff sergeants and
sergeants, six artificers, two trumpeters, 134 rank and file total, 158. Horses: 153 riding, 14 draught, 2 pack total, 169.
The Machine-Gun Section
comprised: One officer, one sergeant, 25 rank and file.
Horses: Riding 20, draught 16: and two guns with the
necessary transport.
The personnel of the Regiment was complete in a few days, and all ranks quickly accustomed themselves to
camp life at Awapuni. Here the troops were equipped, horses were
selected. and steady training was carried out
under efficient instructors, the majority of the latter being members of
the New Zealand Staff Corps.
The Officers of the Regiment were as
follows:
Headquarters, Lieutenant Colonel W. Meldrum
6th (Manawatu) Regiment, (in command),
Adjutant-Captain V. A. Kelsall,
Quartermaster-Captain A. H. Wilkie, Signal
Officer-Lieutenant R. Logan,
Machine-gun
Officer-Lieutenant H. T. Palmer, Attached Major
P. M. Edgar, N.Z. Veterinary Corps,
Captain H. J. McLean, N.Z.M.C., and
Major W. Grant, N.Z. Chaplains’ Department.
2nd Squadron
Major J. Elmslie (in
command), Captain W. Hardham, V.C. (second
in command), Lieutenants W. Jansen,
T. P. James, W. Risk, and B. F. Joll.
6th Squadron
Major C. Dick (in command), Captain W. F.
Hastings (second in command), Lieutenants J. Sommerville,
H. P. Taylor,
J. B. Dais, and G. P. Mayo.
9th Squadron
Major S. Chambers (in command), Captain C. R. Spragg (second in command), Lieutenants W. D. Cameron,
P. J. Emerson, H. B. Maunsell, and A. F. Batchelar.
Lieutenant C. Watt was in charge of the 1st
Reinforcement draft. |
The Wellington Mounted Rifles 
