Australian Army Museum of Western Australia > Records

World War 1, South West Asia, Sinai, 10 Light Horse, 1917

« Prev Item Next Item »

Overview

Led horses of Light Horse Machine Gun section

Historical information

10 Light Horse was raised as a squadron, then a regiment in October 1914.and formed part of the 3rd Light Horse Brigade in Egypt. The Regiment served dismounted in Gallipoli and fought at the charge at the Nek on 7 August 1915, and at Hill 60 on 29-30 August. The only Victoria Cross awarded to a Light Horseman recognised the valour of Lieutenant Hugo Throssell at Hill 60.
After Gallipoli the Regiment was bought up to strength to defended Egypt from the Ottoman Army advancing on the Suez Canal. Through 1916 they drove the Turks across the deserts of Sinai, participating in the battles of Romani and Magdhaba.
In 1917 as part of the Desert Column they advanced into Palestine and participated in the bloody battles to break the Gaza-Beersheba line and helped capture Jerusalem. They participated in the Es Salt Raid in May 1918. In August they were equipped with swords and retrained as cavalry. In this role they took part in the rout of the Ottoman army in the Jordan Valley, a campaign the light horse referred to as "The Great Ride". In September the 10th was the first formed regiment to enter Damascus.
Turkey surrendered on 30 October 1918. After the end of the war, the regiment saw action in putting down the Egyptian uprising of 1919. The Regiment was one of the few to return home as a formed unit.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-32-55-967

Inscriptions and markings

Light horsemen mostly fought dismounted. They were considered to be 'mounted infantry' instead of 'cavalry'. The soldiers rode horses to a battlefield where they engaged with the enemy on foot and then left quickly on horseback when disengaging. The use of horses made the force more mobile and faster than infantry units and horse-drawn artillery.

During combat, they rode in sections of four light horsemen. One soldier held the reins of all four horses. The other three men in his section dismounted and went forward to fight on foot. The horse handler had a dangerous job because enemy aircraft could target him

Contextual Information

From currently unattributed album of 10 Light Horse photographs with contemporary and post war annotations

Australian Army Museum of Western Australia

Organisation Details
View Collection
Item Feedback