students, men who would in later life become priests and engineers, schoolteachers and accountants. Charles Montague Ormsby (1376), for whom the Ormsby Medal is named, was a dental student at the time of his second enrolment in 1900.
The Defence Act of 1909 xix abolished the volunteer units and the Christ’s College Rifles were incorporated into the newly established Territorial Force.
Throughout the nineteenth century various individuals proposed reforms to the Volunteer Forces. Some were implemented, others were not. The decision to reduce the number of military districts to five, meant that in 1895 the Christ’s College Rifles became the B company of the North Canterbury Battalion.
i An Ordinance for raising a Militia within the Colony. http://www.nzlii.org/nz/legis/hist_act/ma18458v1845n1207.pdf See Crawford, J. 2011 Volunteer Force in McGibbon, I. (ed) The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Military History . Oxford University Press. pp 566–571 ii An Act for raising a Militia within the Colony http://www.nzlii.org/nz/legis/hist_act/ma185821a22v1858n8223/ iii An Act for the Regulation of the Volunteer Force http://www.nzlii.org/nz/legis/hist_act/vfa186529v1865n53306/ XV. Every officer shall on receiving his commission and every volunteer shall on his enrolment in the muster roll of his corps or in either case as soon afterwards as may be take the following oath of allegiance before some Justice of the Peace or an officer of the corps who has taken such oath "I, A. B. do sincerely promise and swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Victoria and that I will faithfully serve in the Volunteer Force until I shall be lawfully discharged". Provided that any person objecting from conscientious scruples to take an oath may make a solemn affirmation to the same effect as the oath. iv The Press 23 October 1882; Lyttelton Times 24 October 1882. v Crawford, J ibid ; for the tender for 60 tunics see Lyttelton Times 15 June 1885 vi Lyttelton Times 15 January 1883; Lyttelton Times 17 January 1883. vii Christ’s College Sports Register May 1884. This source records that Henry Cotterill was a lieutenant not a sub lieutenant. viii A full list of all men enrolled in the Christ’s College Rifles is available from the Christ’s College Archives ix Lyttelton Times 13 October 1892 x Christ’s College Sports Register September 1884. This was the same site as the King Edward Barracks, erected 1905.
The uniforms of the Christ’s College Rifles as part of the North Canterbury Battalion can be seen in this photograph taken in 1981 to mark the centennial of the cadet corps.
xi Lyttelton Times 8 June 1883 xii The Press 16 October 1883 xiii The Press 18 October 1883
xiv Lyttelton Times 24 January 1885. The barracks were the quarantine barracks. xv Cooke, P and J Crawford. 2011. The Territorials: The History of the Territorial and Volunteer Forces of New Zealand . Auckland. Random House. xvi https://www.atojs.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/atojs. xvii Corps rolls are held by both the Christ’s College Archives and the Canterbury Museum. In the latter they are part of the Canterbury Regimental Association records. The Museum also holds the Christ’s College Rifles Minute Book 30 December 1893–11 April 1911. Catalogue number 80/86 Bo6 Folder 16 Item 216. Capitation rolls are also held by National Archives, Wellington, Series ARM 14. xviii Cooke and Crawford, ibid; Crawford, J. 1986 The Role and Structure and the New Zealand Volunteer Force 1885–1910 MA History, Canterbury University.. xix The Defence Act 1909 http://www.nzlii.org/nz/legis/hist_act/da19099ev1909n28149/
Certificate of Life Membership for Edward Parkerson (40). He was a land agent and joined the Christ’s College Rifles in January 1883. He was 36 years 6 months old and 5’9” tall.
Christ’s College Canterbury
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