.jpg)
The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Canterbury Provincial District]
[Canterbury Militia and Volunteer District]
The Canterbury Militia and Volunteer District is coterminous with the provincial district of Canterbury. Its military organisation embraces the Permanent Militia, New Zealand Militia, the Unattached Active List, Honorary Unattached List, and the Volunteers. There is a Reserve Corps, composed of officers who have served a period of at least seven years in the Volunteers. Officers passing to this corps retain their rank, and are liable to be called upon for active service in case of emergency, for seven years from the date of their joining it. The New Zealand Militia comprises practically the whole colony's adult manhood capable of bearing arms in the defence of the country. It is divided into the following classes: Class one, unmarried men between seventeen and thirty years of age; class two, married men between seventeen and thirty years of age, and unmarried men between thirty and forty years; class three, married men between thirty and forty years of age, and unmarried men between forty and fifty-five. This force would be called out only in case of the direst necessity. The New Zealand Army List gives the names of all officers of the Militia.
In the following list the official state of the whole of the Canterbury volunteer district is given in accordance with the latest available information; but changes taking place between the date of writing and that of publication cannot, of course, be noted in this section. However, everything appertaining to the volunteer force of Canterbury has, as far as possible, been brought together here, and there are articles, also, on many of the officers. It has not been possible to obtain particulars concerning all these in time for insertion here, and in cases where articles have come to hand too late for this purpose, they have been classified under other sections.
| Canterbury District Permanent Staff: |
Officer commanding, Colonel W. H. Webb, New Zealand Militia, late H.M. 109th Foot; district adjutant, Major A. G. E. Bingley (posted to Staff, South Africa); acting-district adjutant, Captain H. S. E. Hobday, Unattached Active List, New Zealand Volunteers; Officer Commanding South Canterbury Sub-District, Lieutenant-Colonel C. S. Bailey, late Devon Regiment. |
| District Staff Officers: |
Lieutenant-Colonel, Henry Slater, V.D.; surgeonmajor, Walter Thomas, P.M.O.; lieutenant, Henry Harwod Browne, Instructor Mounted Rifles. |
| Drill Instructors: |
Staff Sergeant-Majors, T. Jones, F. Farthing, J. Coleman, E. Crespin. |
| Storekeeper: |
J. T. Morgan |
| Brigade Troops—Headquarters: |
Lyttelton Naval Artillery: Lieutenant commanding, H. S. Hewlett; E Battery Field Artillery: captain, Y. W. J. Donald; N Battery Garrison Artillery, captain, J. T. Brice; Canterbury Engineer Volunteers: captain, J. J. Dougall; Christchurch Bearer Corps: surgeon-major, H. Compton Parsons. |
| 1st Battalion North Canterbury Mounted Rifles: |
Major R. Snow, commanding; adjuatant, Capt. Thomas Maude; A. Company, Canterbury Yeomanry Cavalry: Capt. R. H. Rhodes; B Company, Canterbury Mounted Rifles: Capt. R. Macartney (acting); C Company, Ellesmere Mounted Rifles: Capt. J. Boag; D Company, Malvern Mounted Rifles: Capt. J. Deans; E Company, Waimakariri Mounted Rifles; Capt. J. Parkinson. |
| 2nd Battalion North Canterbury Mounted Rifles: |
Major Ralph A. Chaffey, commanding; adjutant, Capt. P. H. Johnson; A Company, Kaikoura Mounted Rifles: Capt. C. Wood; B Company, Amuri Mounted Rifles: Lieut. M. Bethell; C Company, Cust Mounted Rifles: Capt. E. B. Milton; D Company, North Canterbury Mounted Rifles: Lieut. A. Horne; E Company, Cheviot Mounted Rifles: Capt. T. Gee. |
| 1st Battalion South Canterbury Mounted Rifles: |
Major J. T. M. Hayhurst, commmanding A Company, South Canterbury Mounted Rifles: Capt. G. P. Wood; B Company, Ashburton Mounted Rifles: Capt. G. A. McL. Buckley; C Company, Mackenzie Mounted Rifles: Capt. Bruce Gillies; D Company, Studholme Mounted Rifles: Capt. A. Garland; E Company, Geraldine Mounted Rifles: Capt. I. J. Maling. |
| North Canterbury Infantry Battalion: |
Lieut.-Colonel W. A. Day, commanding; major, F. B. Cresswell; adjutant, Capt. G. H. Merton; honorary chaplain, Right Reverend Churchill Julius, Anglican Bishop of Christchurch.—A Company, Christchurch City Guards: Capt. F. W. Sandford; B Company, Christ's College Rifles: Capt. G. Harper; C Company, Christchurch City Rifles: Capt. C. G. Foster; D Company, Kaiapoi Riffles: Capt. E. E. Papprill; E Company, Rangiora Rifles: Capt. C. F.D'Auvergne; F Company, Imperial Rifles: Capt. W. T. Charlewood; G Company, Sydenham Riflea: Capt. G. J. Smith; H Company, Linwood Rifles: Capt. A. F. Drayton; I Company, Civil Service: Capt. F. M. B. Fisher; J Company, Canterbury Highland Rifles: Capt. D. McBean Stewart; L Company, Ellesmere Guards: Capt. T. Burns; M Company, Canterbury Natives: Capt. J. P. Oakes; Cycle Corps: Lieutenant W. C. Finnis. |
| South Canterbury Infantry Battalion: |
Lieut-Colonel W. M. Moore, commanding; major, Thomas Jowsey, C.M.G.; adjutant, W. H. Foden; quarter-master, Capt. E. Cutten; honorary chaplain, Ven. Archdeacon H. W. Harper.—A Company, Timaru City Rifles: Capt. John Gillies; B Company, Temuka Riffes: Capt. E. Richardson; C Company, Ashburton Rifles; Capt. W. E. Dolman; D Company, Port Guards Rifles: Capt. Frank A. Raymond; E Company, Timaru Rifles: Capt. W. Beckingham; F Company, Waimate Rifles: Capt, H. C. Barclay; G Company, Geraldine Rifles: Capt. Kenneth Mackenzie; H Company, Ashburton Guards Rifles: Capt. E. F. Nichols. |
| Garrison Band: |
Bandmaster, A. J. Merton. |
| Cadet Corps: |
Christ's College; Boys' High School; Queen's; Kaiapoi; Lyttelton; Timaru High School; Timaru Main School. |
| Defence Rifle Clubs: |
Chorlton; Le Bon's Bay; Duvauchelles Bay; Lincoln. |