In 1883, the colony's military became subject to British military law in the event of war, although under the provisions of the " Volunteer Force Regulation Act 1883" a number of limitations were placed on its application. Around 1884, the colony's volunteer infantry were grouped into five battalion-level organisations: the Western Australian Volunteers, the Metropolitan Rifle Volunteers, the Albany Rifle Volunteers, the Geraldton Rifle Volunteers and the Fremantle Rifle Volunteers. That same year, the first annual continuous training camp took place. Held over the Easter weekend, camps took place at Albion and Geraldton. By 1885, the size of the colony's military force was just 578 men, although this increased to just over 700 in 1890. During the Russian war scare of 1885, however, Western Australia's mobilisation was small compared to other the colonies and limited only to an Easter muster of under 400 men. At King George's Sound, strategically important as a coaling station, the local force, the Albany Rifles, had disbanded due to "disorganisation and inefficiency" and although another unit, the Albany Defence Rifles, was raised at this time to fill the void, it was disbanded shortly after the crisis abated.