Anzac Day: Queensland Imperial Cycle Corps

This week, Australia and New Zealand commemorated ANZAC day. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.

ANZAC Day is a national annual public holiday honoring the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War.

On this blog last year, we looked at the Fitzpatricks’ (2011) book ‘The bicycle in wartime’ which is an impressively well researched and detailed account of how bicycles feature in the military. The year before, we looked at The Australian Cycling Corps and what kinds of bikes were used in World War 1.

This year, I saw an Instagram photo of the Queensland Imperial Cycle Corps. It was uploaded by Space4Cycling Brisbane. Here is what was uploaded:

Our illustration of the Queensland Imperial Cycle Corps prior to their departure for South Africa in the steamer Templemore has a special interest for all Australians. The cycle corps here depicted consists of 51 men, commanded by Lieutenant Wynyard Joss, who has an able second in Lieutenant Koch ; these two gentlemen are to be seen in the foreground. The photograph was taken on the wharf, the troopship Templemore making a befitting background.

Apart from the interest attached to the fact that this is the first military cycle corps established in Australia, it is interesting to note that, the whole corps is mounted upon Massey-Harris bicycles.

Previous to the selection of a wheel for the contingent the bicycles were subjected to very severe tests, through which the Massey-Harris came with flying colours. The purchase of Masseys for the Queensland soldiers is justified by the fact that the Victorian Government have used this machine with much success in the hard service of postal work.

Content from: The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser, Sat 23 March 1901, covering the Departure of Australian Imperial Troops for South Africa (the Boer War)].

So what happened to the Queensland Cyclist Corps?

After I saw that post, I wanted to know what became of the cyclist section once they left Australia on the Templemore. So, I went searching online and I found the following details on the Anglo Boer website. It was interesting to read the recount of Lieutenant Joss of the 5th Queensland (Cyclist Corps) engagement with the enemy at the end of this article. Below is the article in full:

This contingent, 500 strong, with a cyclist section, was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel J F Flewell-Smith. They sailed on the Templemore on 6th March 1901, and arrived in South Africa in the beginning of April. They at once took the field.

The appendix to the despatch of 8th July 1901 shows that the 5th QIB (strength in May about 340, with 361 horses) took the place of the 4th in the column of General Plumer—a body which did very fine service in practically all parts of the seat of war.

The work of Plumer’s column during the time the 5th Queensland were with him has already been briefly sketched under the 6th New Zealand Contingent. The 5th Queensland took their full share of that work, and quite their full share of the captures. On 15th June Lieutenant Halse was severely wounded in the difficult country about Piet Retief.

On 15th August 2 men were killed and several wounded at Kopjesfontein, in the Orange River Colony. In September the column was doing good work in the southeast of that country, and was constantly in touch with the enemy.

At a drift on the Caledon River on 27th September there was a sharp fight, in which this contingent had Lieutenants A E Pooley and L E Caskey and 2 men killed, and several wounded. Lieutenant Pooley had served as a sergeant with the 4th contingent.

The corps was present at the hard-fought engagement known as Onverwachte, in the south-east of the Transvaal, on 4th January 1902, when they suffered very severely,—about 12 being killed and 20 wounded, the latter including Captain H R Carter and Lieutenant Higginson, both severely wounded.

According to the Press Association correspondent with General Plumer, Lieutenant Joss of the 5th Queensland (Cyclist Corps) did a smart piece of work in the Warmbaths district soon after the corps took the field. When riding with despatches, and accompanied by only 10 men, he captured 9 Boers with 3 waggons.

Some details of the regiment were with a convoy which was fiercely attacked on the Bethel Road on 25th May 1901. The detachment lost 1 killed and 5 wounded.