Hussars recalled in Russian threat
They feared a Russian threat so they formed their own Southland Hussars – dashing horsemen who looked like something out of War and Peace, intent upon defending the OtagoSouthland coast.
With busby fur or pillbox hat, tunic, jodhpurs, dress riding pants and breeches, they were stylishly equipped to beat back the enemy that never was between 1870-1885. There’s an example of this ornate uniform made in 1880, and donated to Te Hikoi Museum collection at Riverton, complete with ammunition shoulder pouches, braid, a leather wallet and a fabric hat cover.
The Southland Hussars uniform was highly decorative and ordered from Messrs Hobson and Sons, Military Tailors and Outfitters, of London. It is linked to Captain James Gardner (1837-1907), who owned Birchwood Station in Western Southland, a social mecca where parties lasted for days; the Birchwood Hunt was formed in 1887 as a tribute to Gardner and still exists today.
He briefly commanded the Southland Hussars before they disbanded in July 1888. They were a volunteer calvary corp formed out of a sense of militarism and the ‘‘Russian scare’’ that produced much sabre-rattling. They modelled
On February 17, Aucklanders awoke to the alarming news a Russian warship had entered Auckland Harbour and landed troops.
themselves on the dashing hussars of European armies and at their height comprised up to 170 men.
History tells us about the time of this perceived threat when a cry rang out in 1873: The Russians are coming!
On February 17, Aucklanders awoke to the alarming news a Russian warship had entered Auckland Harbour and landed troops. For many readers, this confirmed their worst fears about Russian invasion. AngloRussian conflicts during the 19th-century prompted many New Zealanders to view the Russians as potential aggressors.
During the aftermath of the Crimean War of the 1850s, unannounced visits to the South Pacific by Russian warships created alarm in New Zealand.
However, it was hoax and publicity stunt staged by Daily Southern Cross editor David Luckie, who exploited this fear to boost newspaper sales.
He published a report that a Russian cruiser Kaskowiski (bastardised to ‘‘cask of whisky’’) had invaded Auckland, that marines had seized gold and taken the mayor hostage. Then a full-blown Russian scare blew up in 1885 that grew out of AngloRussian rivalry in Afghanistan and led to the building of fortifications to protect New Zealand’s coastal cities.
Out of a decade of scaremongering, the hussars also known as the Otago Hussars, and also the Dunedin Cavalry, were formed.
The were described by those in the military know as the best volunteers corps in any country because of their horses and equipment. The Otago Hussars sent 27 men with the various contingents to South Africa during the Boer war (1899-1902).
The hussars gave way to the 5th Mounted Rifles formed on March 17, 1911, and were part of the Otago Mounted Rifles Regiment that saw service during the Battle of Gallipoli and Egypt in World War I. They later served in France with the New Zealand Division and were the only New Zealand Mounted troops to serve in France.