The sea forts of Victoria – Forts that never were!
In 1859 Britain was swept with an anti-French fever whipped up by the Press as a result of the construction of the French warship La Gloire, the first armoured steam […]
Black Men in the Victorian Naval Forces
The Victorian Navy came into being in 1855 when Her Majesty’s Colonial Ship (HMCS) Victoria was manned for the delivery voyage to Australia. This article just scratches the surface of […]
The early muzzle-loaders in the Victorian Volunteer Forces
There was a proliferation of various types of rifles used by both the Volunteer Forces from 1860. We can eliminate a few of these from this review, namely the short-barrelled […]
Octavius Skinner Burton (1823-1895): Cavalry Staff Officer and Police Inspector
Quintessential cavalryman and Victorian Police Inspector Octavius Skinner Burton was born in Wales in 1823, the eighth (hence Octavius) of ten children. Burton was a descendent of well connected and […]
Black Beasts of War: The Russian Cannon at Victoria Barracks, Melbourne
Sitting unobtrusively astride the front entrance stand two black beasts of war. There was time when they were prized weapons in chaotic massed infantry and cavalry battles of the 19th […]
