Dear Listers Wondering if anyone knows about militia units which may have existed in the goldfields (Bendigo region) in the late 19thC or early 20thC. I have an old photo of a group of men, including my grandfather, all in what appears to be a cavalry uniform. One of the men has sergeant's stripes and another has corporal's stripes. The group is standing in front of a tent. Someone has hand written on the front of the tent the words "First Prize Tent". There are horses in the background. Grateful for any clues. Norma Researching BETTS, DOWER, TIPPETT in the goldfields

"Wondering if anyone knows about militia units which may have existed in the goldfields (Bendigo region) in the late 19thC or early 20thC." Hi Norma :) I may be way off base here, but since no one else has replied yet, I'll jump in anyway at the risk of foot in mouth disease! ;D I vaguely remember my ex-husband having to head up to Bendigo from Melbourne with Prince of Wales Lighthorse Brigade. From memory they had a branch up there, but I could be remembering wrong. Might be worth looking into. Otherwise, the only place I can think of which MAY have information is the War Memorial site, their military history section to be precise ... http://www.awm.gov.au/atwar/conflict.htm Take care, Rob.

Perhaps they were Victorian Rangers or Victorian Mounted Riflemen...? see http://users.netconnect.com.au/~ianmac/rangers.html > Wondering if anyone knows about militia units which may have existed in > the goldfields (Bendigo region) in the late 19thC or early 20thC. > I have an old photo of a group of men, including my grandfather, all in > what appears to be a cavalry uniform. One of the men has sergeant's > stripes and another has corporal's stripes. The group is standing in > front of a tent. Someone has hand written on the front of the tent the > words "First Prize Tent". There are horses in the background. > Grateful for any clues. > > Norma