Australian Light Horse

Throughout history, mounted troops have been known as elite men of arms, and the Australian Light Horse is a part of that legendary tradition. After the Gallipoli campaign, most of the Australian Light Horse, commanded by Major General Harry Chauvel, remained in Egypt to defend the Suez Canal. After thwarting the Turkish advance at Romani in August 1916, the Australian Light Horse led the advance into Palestine with sparkling victories at Magdhaba and Rafa. They then broke the stalemate at Gaza after the legendary charge at Beersheba in October 1917. The fall of Jerusalem, the trials of the Jordan Valley, and the final breakthrough to Damascus followed before Turkey surrendered on October 30, 1918.Part cavalry and part infantry and often recognized by the emu feathers in their slouch hats, the Australian Light Horse troops were described by the official historian, H.S. Gullet, as "in body and spirit the true product of the Australian countryside." They remain, today, the embodiment of the digger ethos. In Australian Light Horse their story is brought to vivid life through the diaries, letters, and photographs of the men who took part in the bloody battles of the desert campaigns of the Sinai and Palestine from April 1916 to October 1918.