Light Horse – The Story of Australia’s Mounted Troops

“Moonlight glittered and shone on the metalled road that ran between the hills, glinted on guns, on the white tops of ambulances. The Anzac Mounted Division were marching forty kilometres from Asluj, the Australian Mounted Division were marching from Khalasa, the ith Mounted Brigade were going from Esani, all to meet in their appointed places for battle… And all night long the guns roared in front of Gaza…”

This was the prelude to the battle of Beersheba, one of the greatest actions recorded in the history of Australia’s Light Horse regiments, a history studded with heroism and gallantry. But the story of the Light Horse began not on Palestine’s hot, dry wastes in World War I, but on the plains of South Africa before the turn of the century.

The early contingents of Australian mounted troops at the Boer War laid strong foundations for the legendary endurance and courage of the Light Horse at Gallipoli, Romani, Gaza, Jerusalem, Gilead and Damascus.

Tracing the story of Australia’s mounted troops, Elyne Mitchell has captured the excitement and unsurpassed bravery of the Light Horsemen’s fighting style: the magnificence of sheer numbers of men and horses riding into battle; and the unique relationship which grew between the men and their beloved charges; the magic and mystery of the desert itself; the raw boldness and panache of the men who remained undaunted even in the face of appalling odds.

Elyne Mitchell is the daughter of General Sir Harry Chauvel and drew on her family’s large collection of letters, photographs and other memorabilia, as well as personal interviews with men formerly under General Chauvel’s command, and wide personal research, to compile the material for Light Horse. She has written a number of books including Australia’s Alps and Speak to the Earth, also the Silver Brumby Series and other books for children, and lives in the Upper Murray below the Snowy Mountains.