*** MILITARY MEMORABILIA ***

CHARGE OF THE LIGHTHORSEMEN
THE BATTLE OF BEERSHEBA

The Australian Light Horse
Australian Light Horse were mounted troops with characteristics of both cavalry and mounted infantry. They served during the Second Boer War and World War I. The “Mounted Service Manual for Australian Light Horse and Mounted Infantry” was authorised for publication by Major General ETH Hutton in July 1902 in which it stated the Light Horse had the following responsibilities;
• Fight on foot in the offensive and defensive;
• Perform duties classified as information gathering and reconnaissance and screening;
• Afford “protection” from surprise for all bodies of troops both halted and on the march
Australian Light Horse were like mounted infantry in that they usually fought dismounted using horse holders to increase mobility. To engage with their enemy the light horsemen would dismount and hand their reins to a horse holder who would direct the horses away from the combat area. A highly skilled horse holder could handle as many as 5 extra horses. A famous exception to this rule though was the charge of the 4th and 12th Light Horse Regiments at Beersheba on 31 October 1917.

The Capture of Beersheba
From the crest, Beersheba, with its Mosque in patent view, offered the most desirable treasure, the ancient wells of water. Between them lay the enemy defences. Beersheba was a southern outpost of Turkey’s Ottoman Empire, today it is a city in Israel. It was defended by Turks, who were Imperial Germany’s eastern allies. The mission was to secure the 17 water wells of Beersheba as water was vital for the welfare of the desert mounted corps and their horses, many of whom had been without
water for several days. Without this attack the whole Sinai and Palestine campaign would seize and the Gaza Beersheba line would remain unbroken. A conquest over the Turks would help avenge the defeat of Gallipoli. Behind a ridge overlooking Beersheba the 4th (Victorian) and 12th (New South Wales) regiments formed what was soon to be a thundering line of charging Light Horsemen who would be followed by a second and then third squadron.

The Last Successful Charge
On 31 October 1917 the Australian 4th Light Horse Brigade charged more than four miles at the Turkish trenches with
force and power not to be reckoned with. This battle is now said to be ‘The Last Successful Cavalry Charge In History’. Just on sunset the ‘crazed’ charge began. In an atmosphere of urgency every man knew that only a wild and frantic charge could grasp Beersheba before nightfall. They deployed at a trot in artillery formation leaving five yards between horsemen and five hundred yards between squadrons, they quickened into a gallop. As the trenches neared, 800 Aussie Horsemen swore, yelled and waived bayonets around their heads. The Turks opened fire with heavy artillery, machine gun and rifle fire; this however only intensified the speed of the charge. The bewildered enemy taken back by the sheer audacity and roar of 800 horses were soon firing aimlessly as they had failed to adjust the
sights on their rifles and the clouds of dust made selecting targets near impossible. The 4th took the trenches and the 12th rode straight through an opening into the town of Beersheba. The conflict at the trenches was to only last for a very short time, some Turks surrendered, some fled into the nearby Judean Hills and were pursued and others refused to give up until large numbers had been bayoneted or shot. In less than one hour it was over, with a total of 738 prisoners taken.

Charge of the 800
The heroics at Gallipoli is one of the ANZACS best known battles in military history, yet the Battle of Beersheba, is one of Australia’s greatest military triumphs. Armed with their greatest weapon of sheer bloody audacity 800 ANZACS defeated 4,000 Turks and against fearful odds losses were 31 dead, 36 wounded and 70 horses killed. This remarkable and decisive victory changed the history of the Middle East and helped create The Australian Light Horse Legend. The 4th Light Horse Brigade charged over the Turkish trenches and into immortality.

Lest we Forget
Limited Edition of 1917

Framed item $350 + $35 S&H.

Click on the Thumbnail below for a large version of the Battle of Beersheba print.

Click Thumbnail for a larger view.

Military Memorabilia

This Limited Edition Print of ”The Spirit Of Anzac” was recently launched for 2008 Anzac Day memorials.

It is a framed print 69cm x 76cm, printed on high quality 250gsm glossy paper and is a limited edition of 1915 pieces, remembering the year this famous photo was taken.
If you need to know more please contact us on 03-52298007 and ask for Ron.

Framed piece is $595 plus $35 S&H.

Includes medallion containing actual sand from Gallipoli as well as embellished metallic Lest We Forget emblem.

Click on thumbnail image below to see larger image of the Anzac print.

The 11th Battalion at the Great Pyramid of Cheops, Egypt

In 1903 the Perth Rifle Volunteers were renamed the 11th Australian Infantry Regiment. At this stage the only permanent soldiers in Australia were Engineers, Coastal Defence Gunners and a handful of Staff Officers.

On the outbreak of WWI, Australia had a militia of about 100 000 people. The Defence Act 1903 stipulated that the Australian Militia Forces were only to be employed in the Defence of Australia. Hence the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF) was raised for service overseas. This is commonly referred to as the 1st AIF. The term of enlistment was for “the duration of hostilities plus 6 months”.

The 11th Australian Infantry Battalion AIF was raised at Black Boy Hill Camp on 17 August 1914 and recruited from the militia units. The now famous picture of the 11th Bn AIF at the Cheops pyramid in Egypt in 1915 is shown throughout military history displays and books the world over. The picture was taken just before the landing at Anzac Cove. Not many of the soldiers in this picture survived the 8 month campaign.

After the Campaign on the Gallipoli Peninsula, the 11th Battalion AIF went on to serve with distinction in France and Belgium from 1916-18. They returned to Australia at the end of the war and disbanded on the 5 February 1919. The Battalion was awarded a Kings Colour for it’s service during the war which was held in the of custody the Militia 2/11th Battalion.

The 11th Battalion was among the first infantry units raised for the AIF during the First World War. It was the first battalion recruited in Western Australia, and with the 9th, 10th and 12th Battalions it formed the 3rd Brigade.

The battalion was raised within weeks of the declaration of war in August 1914 and embarked for overseas after just two weeks of preliminary training. It arrived in Egypt to continue its training in early December. The 3rd Brigade was the covering force for the ANZAC landing on 25 April 1915 and so was the first ashore at around 4:30 am. Ten days after the landing, a company from the 11th Battalion mounted the AIF’s first raid of the war against Turkish positions at Gaba Tepe. Subsequently, the battalion was heavily involved in defending the front line of the ANZAC beachhead. In August, it made preparatory attacks at the southern end of the ANZAC position before the battle of Lone Pine. The 11th Battalion continued to serve at ANZAC until the evacuation in December.

After the withdrawal from Gallipoli, the 11th Battalion returned to Egypt. It was split to help form the 51st Battalion, and then bought up to strength with reinforcements.

In March 1916, the battalion sailed for France and the Western Front. From then until 1918, the battalion took part in bloody trench warfare. Its first major action in France was at Pozières in the Somme valley in July. After Pozières, the battalion manned trenches near Ypres in Flanders before returning to the Somme valley for winter.

In 1917 the battalion took part in the brief advance that followed the German Army’s retreat to the Hindenburg Line. During a German counterattack at Louverval, France, in April 1917 Lieutenant Charles Pope was killed performing the deed for which he would be awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross. The battalion subsequently returned to Belgium to participate in the offensive that became known as the Third Battle of Ypres.

The battalion helped to stop the German spring offensive in March and April 1918, and later that year participated in the great Allied offensive launched east of Amiens on 8 August 1918. This advance by British and empire troops was the greatest success in a single day on the Western Front, one that German General Erich Ludendorff described as “the black day of the German Army in this war”

The 11th Battalion continued operations until late September 1918. At 11 am on 11 November 1918, the guns fell silent. This armistice was followed by a peace treaty, signed at Versailles on 28 June 1919.

In November 1918 members of the AIF began to return to Australia. In February 1919, the 11th and 12th Battalions were amalgamated due to steadily declining numbers in both battalions. They remained so linked until their last members returned home for demobilisation and discharge.