Pioneers of Australian Armour

1st Australian Armoured Car Section/Battery and 1st Australian Light Car Patrol

1915–1919

1915
12 July	Lieutenant James (Reserve of Officers, 3rd Military District) writes to Minister for Defence and offers to raise and equip an armoured car section for the AIF.
14 July	Experimentation with various types of steel for armoured cars.
17 August	Designs and drawing submitted to the Department of Defence.
	Cars donated by I.S. Young and P. Cornwell. Both donors offer their services to the unit.
24 October	Work commences on the chassis at the Vulcan Engineering Works.

1916
7 February	Daimler car completed.
8 February	Mercedes car commenced.
27 February	Road trials and range practice of the Daimler car at Port Melbourne.
6 March	Lieutenants James and Cornwell mobilised at Swan Island Depot, 38th Fortress Company, Royal Australian Engineers.
16 March	Lieutenants James and Cornwell gazetted as officers in the Armoured Motor Section.
26 March	NCOs and men concentrated at the Royal Park Camp’s 24th Depot Battalion.
28 March	Lieutenants James and Cornwell proceed to Machine Gun School at Randwick, New South Wales.
4 April	NCOs and men proceed to Machine Gun School at Port Melbourne.
28 April	Armoured cars presented to Senator Pearce at Victoria Barracks, Melbourne.
10 May	Officers, NCOs and men return to Royal Park from the Port Melbourne Machine Gun School.
16 June	Armoured cars and heavy baggage sent to Port Melbourne pending embarkation.
20 June	1st Australian Armoured Car Section embarks on HMAT A.13 Katuna at Port Melbourne for overseas service.
23 June	Katuna calls at Adelaide, South Australia.
2 July	Katuna calls at Fremantle, Western Australia.
18 July	Katuna arrives at Colombo, Ceylon.
20–29 July	Katuna experiences Indian Ocean gales.
9 August	Katuna arrives at Port Tewfik, Egypt.
10 August	1st Australian Armoured Car Section attached to the 2nd Light Horse Brigade at Moascar Camp.
August	1st Australian Armoured Car Section retitled the 1st Australian Armoured Car Battery to conform to British practice.
16 August	1st Australian Armoured Car Battery entrains for Minia, southern Egypt.
17 August	1st Australian Armoured Car Battery joins 11th and 12th Light Motor Batteries.
21 August	First patrol into the Libyan Desert.
22 August	Outbreak of Nile Fever: Lieutenant Cornwell and three men hospitalised.
4 December	Armoured cars and machine-guns despatched by train to Cairo where they are returned to the stores depot.
6 December	1st Australian Armoured Car Battery proceeds to the Southern Oasis.
8 December	1st Australian Armoured Car Battery is issued Ford Light Cars and machine-guns and is retitled the 1st Australian Light Car Patrol.
9 December	Crews are trained in the operation of Lewis machine-guns.
25 December	Christmas Day is celebrated at Water Dump A (WDA) near Kharga.

1917
January	Numerous patrols into the Western Desert.
11 May	2nd Light Car Patrol arrives at WDA and relieves 1st Australian Light Car Patrol.
15 May	Lieutenant Cornwell is detached to Topographical Survey Section, Sinai, at Khan Yunus.
18 May	1st Australian Light Car Patrol entrains for Khan Yunus and taken under command of the Desert Column.
25 May	1st Australian Light Car Patrol is inspected by Lieutenant General Chauvel.
26 May	First patrols in Palestine.
30 May	1st Australian Light Car Patrol receives reinforcements (Troopers Gray, Riley, Christensen).
6 June	Attached to the Imperial Mounted Division.
11 Jun	Lieutenant Gibbs, 7th Light Horse, attached for duty.
14 June	While escorting the Divisional Commander, a patrol engages enemy aircraft with Lewis gun fire.
4 September	Drivers Harkin and Riley’s car attacked by a German aircraft.
18 September	Lieutenant Cornwell returns from detachment.
10–11 December	Exchange of vehicles for new equipment.

1918
25 April	1st Australian Light Car Patrol arrives at the Dead Sea and assists in the salvage of Turkish motor boats.
June–August	At the Dead Sea Post, the 1st Australian Light Car Patrol launches patrols on the Dead Sea using captured Turkish boats. Motor patrols also sent out from this post.
2 September	Capture of a German touring car retained for transport services.

1919
2 January	Sergeant Langley, DCM, dies of malaria.
3 March	Return of vehicles to the Stores Depot at Aleppo, Syria.
5 March	Members proceed by train to Egypt.
13 March	Captain Cornwell and remaining NCOs and men report to AIF Details Camp pending return to Australia.
	1st Australian Light Car Patrol is disbanded at Moascar.
16 May	Captain James and ten members of the 1st Australian Light Car Patrol embark on the HT Kaiser-i-Hind for return to Australia.

“THE MOTOR PATROL”

The History of the 1st Australian Armoured Car Section In Egypt, Sinai, Palestine, Syria and Asia Minor

Captain Ernest Homewood James, MVO MC & VD

1st Australian Armoured Car Section.

Engineer of Hawthorn, Vic; born Melbourne, 22nd November 1879; appointed a Lieutenant in the A.I.F. on 16/3/16; promoted Captain, 1/1/17; appointment terminated 29/10/20.

The text is presented here as originally written by Captain James with only minor editing for consistency and presentation. Place names are as written by Captain James.

2. Lieutenant Ernest Homewood James, 5th Australian Infantry Regiment, 1908 (Martin collection Martin 001).