Guide to the Manuscripts of Dorset Military Museum (as filmed by the AJCP), 1830-1930
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Collection context
Summary
- Collection number:
- M1172
- Creator:
- Dorset Military Museum
- Extent:
- 4 items
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
-
Acknowledgement of use of this material should refer to the location of the original material and to the Australian Joint Copying Project.
Items from this collection should include references to the location of the original material and to the AJCP nla.obj number, which serves as the online identifier for the digital copy.
Example: M Series: Journal of Capt. James Cook, 18 February 1770, British Library Add. MS 27885 (AJCP ref: http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1234)
- Availability:
- Available
- Access conditions:
- Available for reference.
Background
- Content Summary:
- Papers relating to the service of the 39th (Dorsetshire) Regiment in New South Wales in 1827-32. They comprise two diaries of expeditions into the interior in 1830 and 1832, and a manuscript and newspaper cuttings on the life of the explorer Capt. Charles Sturt.
- Biographical / Historical:
-
The Dorsetshire Regiment was formed in Ireland in 1702 by Richard Coote, 1st Earl of Bellomont, and was originally known as Richard Coote's Regiment of Foot. In 1751 the traditional system of naming a regiment after the name of the current colonel was replaced by a numerical system and Richbell's Regiment became the 39th Regiment. Later county titles were added in order to encourage recruitment and in 1805 the 39th Regiment became the 39th (Dorsetshire) Regiment (usually known as 'the Dorsets').The 39th Regiment served in the Peninsular War (1808-14), the Gwalior Campaign in India (1843), the South African War (1900-3) and the First and Second World Wars. From 1825 to 1832 it was deployed in New South Wales. Detachments were sent out as guards on convict ships and it took over two years for the entire regiment to reach Australia. Police duties were one of the responsibilities of the troops and Captain J.D. Forbes organised and trained the mounted police. The headquarters of the regiment was in Sydney, but detachments were widely dispersed, extending from Parramatta, Bathurst and Norfolk Island to Hobart. In December 1826 Captain Joseph Wakefield and a detachment of 20 soldiers accompanied Major Edmund Lockyer when he founded a settlement at King George's Sound in Western Australia. In June 1827 Captain H.G. Smyth and 30 soldiers accompanied Captain James Stirling when he took possession of Raffles Bay on the north coast of Australia. Captain Collet Barker of the 39th Regiment took over from Smyth as commandant in 1828 and in the following year took over command at King George's Sound. Barker was one of several officers of the Regiment who undertook exploring journeys in Australia, the most famous being Captain Charles Sturt. In July 1832 the Regiment received orders to transfer to India. In 1881 the 39th Regiment amalgamated with the 54th (West Norfolk) Regiment, retaining the name Dorsetshire Regiment. In 1958 it amalgamated with the Devonshire Regiment to become the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment.The Dorset Military Museum is housed in The Keep, which was originally the gatehouse of the Regiment's Depot Barracks at Dorchester.
Access and use
- Conditions Governing Access:
- Available for Access.
- Conditions Governing Use:
- Many of the records digitised as part of the AJCP are still in copyright. Readers wishing to publish or reproduce documents should seek permission, in the first instance, from the owner of the original material.
- Preferred citation:
-
Acknowledgement of use of this material should refer to the location of the original material and to the Australian Joint Copying Project.
Items from this collection should include references to the location of the original material and to the AJCP nla.obj number, which serves as the online identifier for the digital copy.
Example: M Series: Journal of Capt. James Cook, 18 February 1770, British Library Add. MS 27885 (AJCP ref: http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1234)
- Location of this collection:
-
Parkes PlaceCanberra ACT 2600, Australia
- Contact: