The Governor General Lord Gowrie visited the 8th Light Horse regiment when it was in camp at the Corowa Showgrounds September 1939. The second World War broke out three days later. The 8th Light Horse (Indi) Regiment superseded the 16th Light Horse in 1919. It had its headquarters at Benalla with sub-units throughout the Upper Murray and Northeast Victoria. In December 1941, the regiment converted from horse to mechanised, initially as 8th Reconnaissance Battalion then in July 1942 it became 8th Cavalry Regiment and served in Northern Territory. As Japanese threat to the mainland declined the regiment was disbanded.Rare photo of gathering at outbreak of World War 2.Black and white photograph of officers at camp September 1939 at Corowa. Governor General Lord Gowrie in attendance." Governor Lord Gowrie VC. officers of 2 Cav Div and 8th Light Horse at Corowa Camp 1st Sep 1939 " followed by list of names.military, light horse, corowa, gowrie, governor general, world war two, wwii

Army Reserve regiments were responsible for their own recruiting in 1970sShows recruiting activity involving the community of which regiment was part.Black and White photograph of 8/13 VMR soldier in turret of M 113 Armoured Personnel Carrier with boy in civilian dress wearing headphones." Trooper McKechnie Recruiting Drive."military, vmr, recruiting, pr

8/13 VMR conducted numerous weekend training exercises in Chiltern Forest, Victoria.The 8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles was raised as a regiment of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps on 1 May 1948 with Headquarters in Melbourne and squadrons in Sale, Benalla/Wangaratta and Albury. In 1955 Regimental Headquarters moved to Wangaratta and a second squadron was located at Albury. The Sale squadron transferred to 4th/19th Prince of Wales’s Light Horse. In 1977 8/13 VMR Regiment was reduced to an independent squadron A Squadron 8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles and in 1991 was linked with 4th/19th Prince of Wales’s Light Horse forming the VMR Squadron of that regiment.Coloured photograph of vehicle of 8/13 VMR Technical Support Troop ( RAEME) camouflaged on exercise in Chiltern Forest. Standing on running board is Craftsman Ben Niuwerth.vmr, military, training, chiltern

Technical Support Troop ( TST ) provided Recovery and repair to Armoured regiment.The 8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles was raised as a regiment of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps on 1 May 1948 with Headquarters in Melbourne and squadrons in Sale, Benalla/Wangaratta and Albury. In 1955 Regimental Headquarters moved to Wangaratta and a second squadron was located at Albury. The Sale squadron transferred to 4th/19th Prince of Wales’s Light Horse. In 1977 8/13 VMR Regiment was reduced to an independent squadron A Squadron 8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles and in 1991 was linked with 4th/19th Prince of Wales’s Light Horse forming the VMR Squadron of that regiment. Coloured photograph of a soldier wearing steel helmet and holding a SLR rifle standing in front of Diamond T Wrecker of 8/13 VMR Technical Support Troop ( RAEME) Soldier is Craftsman Ben Nieuwerth.technical, military, tst, vmr

Colonel J D ( Blue ) Keldie had a distinguished career in RAAC including service in Vietnam where he was awarded the Military Cross.Black and white photograph of a silver tray with set of twelve silver goblets each with the badge of an Armoured Corps regiment including 8/13 Victorian Mounted Rifles." Gift to Col. J.D. Keldie MC by the combined units of the RAAC on 22/1/81 on his farewell. He was Director during 179 - 80.

The 13th Light Horse Regiment (AIF) was raised in Broadmeadows Victoria in March 1915. Following service at Gallipoli the regiment was broken up with squadrons going to France as Divisional Cavalry Squadrons of 2nd, 4th and 5th Divisions. The regiment was reformed as firstly 1st Anzac Corps Mounted Troops and later Australian Corps Mounted TroopsBlack and white photograph of horse line with building and tents in the background. Thought to be 13th Light Horse.military, light horse, horses, aif, wwi, great war

The 8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles was raised as a regiment of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps on 1 May 1948 with Headquarters in Melbourne and squadrons in Sale, Benalla/Wangaratta and Albury. In 1955 Regimental Headquarters moved to Wangaratta and a second squadron was located at Albury. The Sale squadron transferred to 4th/19th Prince of Wales’s Light Horse. In 1977 8/13 VMR Regiment was reduced to an independent squadron A Squadron 8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles and in 1991 was linked with 4th/19th Prince of Wales’s Light Horse forming the VMR Squadron of that regiment.Colour photograph of Major Robert Morrison, Officer Commanding ' A ' Squadron 8/13 Victorian Mounted Rifles presenting a trophy tankard to Trooper Fraser of Wangaratta at the Squadron Ball, 7 October 1989.military, ball, vmr, wangaratta

The 8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles was raised as a regiment of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps on 1 May 1948 with Headquarters in Melbourne and squadrons in Sale, Benalla/Wangaratta and Albury. In 1955 Regimental Headquarters moved to Wangaratta and a second squadron was located at Albury. The Sale squadron transferred to 4th/19th Prince of Wales’s Light Horse. In 1977 8/13 VMR Regiment was reduced to an independent squadron A Squadron 8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles and in 1991 was linked with 4th/19th Prince of Wales’s Light Horse forming the VMR Squadron of that regiment.Collection of six colour photographs showing members of 'A' Squadron 8/13 Victorian Mounted Rifles on a Driving and Servicing Course at Port Augusta South Australia, 1989. The location allowed crewmen from north-east Victoria to experience vastly different operating conditions. The 8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles was raised as a regiment of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps on 1 May 1948 with Headquarters in Melbourne and squadrons in Sale, Benalla/Wangaratta and Albury. In 1955 Regimental Headquarters moved to Wangaratta and a second squadron was located at Albury. The Sale squadron transferred to 4th/19th Prince of Wales’s Light Horse. In 1977 8/13 VMR Regiment was reduced to an independent squadron A Squadron 8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles and in 1991 was linked with 4th/19th Prince of Wales’s Light Horse forming the VMR Squadron of that regiment.military, vmr, m113, training, south australia

Detailed history of Military Traditions and CustomsLarge blue coloured springback binder titled Customs of the Service which includes sections on Uniforms,Accoutrements, Colour Patches Flags and Banners.military, service, tradition

In the period 5-20 March 1988, ‘A’ Squadron 8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles participated in an exercise conducted at Puckapunyal by 4th Infantry Brigade (Reserve) codenamed ‘Fiery Cauldron’. Other units participating included 5th/6th Battalion and 8th/7th Battalion Royal Victorian Regiment, 4th/19th Prince of Wales’s Light Horse Regiment and 1st Armoured Regiment. The training focussed on armoured/infantry cooperation, in particular the use of armoured personnel carriers. Colour photograph of group of ' A ' Squadron 8/13 Victorian Mounted Rifles soldiers at Puckapunyal during Exercise " Fiery Cauldron " 5 - 20 March 1988. Identified from left : Troopers Fabrik & Thrift, Corporal Beckett, Trooper Hale, Corporals S. Walch, Marshall and Burke.vmr, puckapunyal, fiery cauldron, exercise, training military

George (1895-1976) is on the left; he lived in Middlesex Road, Surrey Hills. He was a clerk and aged 20 when he enlisted on 16 November 1914. He was the son of James Rayment Jnr and his wife Harriet Frances (nee Ratten). He was assigned to 3rd Light Horse Brigade, Headquarters and embarked on TRANSPORT A16 Star Of Victoria on 25 February 1915. He returned to Australia 22 March 1917. His brother James A Rayment (SERN 3106) was a carpenter and enlisted on 14 July 1915, aged 26. He embarked on HMAT A40 Ceramic on 24 November 1915, assigned to the 5th Field Company Engineers. He won a Military Medal "For gallant work in constructing M.G. emplacements" at Pozieres. Recommendation date: 13 September 1916. Also a Military Medal "For devotion to duty under all circumstances and for efficient handling of working parties." Recommendation date: 14 June 1916. He returned to Australia 13 April 1919. Both are listed on The Shrine in the Surrey Gardens. A digital copy of a formal photo of George Leslie (Les) Rayment and James Arthur (Jim) Rayment in AIF uniform. world war 1, george leslie rayment, les rayment, shrine surrey gardens, james arthur rayment, jim rayment

This dinner commemorated the 40th Anniversary of the raising of 8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles Regiment which linked 8th, 13th, and 20th Light Horse Regiments.Two colour photographs of group of officers in mess uniform seated at table at a formal dinner at Commercial Club Albury 30 April 1988..“At rear: Sergeant R Ellison, Corporal Carr. From left: Major J Gay, Colonel C Brewer Area Commander AWMA, Brigadier D Perry Commander 4th Task Force, Major R Morrison Officer Commanding ‘A’ Squadron 8/13 Victorian Mounted Rifles, Colonel Howard Director Royal Australian Armoured Corps, Colonel John Neale Honorary Colonel 8/13 Victorian Mounted Rifles, Colonel G Garde, Colonel P Tremaine” military, officers, mess, uniform, dinner

A’ Squadron 8/13 Victorian Mounted Rifles conducted a parade at Buna Barracks, Albury on Sunday 1 May 1988 to mark the 103rd Anniversary of the formation of the Victorian Mounted Rifles and the 40th Anniversary of the linking of the 8th (Indi), 13th (Gippsland) and 20th (Victorian Mounted Rifles) Light Horse Regiments to form the 8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles. Colonel G K Howard, Director of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps was the Reviewing Officer. The Pipes and Drums of the 5th/6th Battalion Royal Victorian Regiment provided the music for the occasion. Following the parade Colonel Howard officially opened the Regimental Museum.Good collection of light horsemen of Heritage Troop at Buna Barracks 1988.Five colour photographs of 8/13 Victorian Mounted Rifles heritage light Horse Troop taking part in the " march Past "military, light horse, sabre, buna barracks, escort

Military training was never without danger especially when weapons were handled. Risks were assessed during planning and measures taken to minimise hazards. On one occasion the Conducting Officer was injured by a grenade fragment during throwing practice. He was promptly treated by Squadron medics and transferred to hospital.Colour photograph of Grenade Range at Puckapunyal showing Conducting Officer's box, left foreground, and priming and waiting bays and throwing bays.

Military training was never without danger especially when weapons were handled. Risks were assessed during planning and measures taken to minimise hazards. On one occasion the Conducting Officer was injured by a grenade fragment during throwing practice. He was promptly treated by Squadron medics and transferred to hospital.Colour photograph of Conducting Officer's box at Grenade range Puckapunyal taken from waiting bay.

Military training was never without danger especially when weapons were handled. Risks were assessed during planning and measures taken to minimise hazards. On one occasion the Conducting Officer was injured by a grenade fragment during throwing practice. He was promptly treated by Squadron medics and transferred to hospital.Three colour photographs of Captain P. Williams, Adjutant ' A' Squadron 8/13 Victorian Mounted Rifles receiving treatment after he was injured by a grenade fragment at Puckapunyal.

Military training was never without danger especially when weapons were handled. Risks were assessed during planning and measures taken to minimise hazards. On one occasion the Conducting Officer was injured by a grenade fragment during throwing practice. He was promptly treated by Squadron medics and transferred to hospital.Two colour photographs of .50 calabre machine gun training at Puckapunyal conducted by ' A' Squadron 8/13 Victorian Mounted Rifles.Sergeant R. McDonald is the instructor.

The first British designed and made Centurion tanks arrived in Australia in June 1952. The first tanks went to the 1st Armoured Regiment, but as more tanks became available armoured regiments of the Citizen Military Forces received replacements for their aging General Grant tanks. The Centurion was a great improvement on the Grant with a bigger gun and the ability to fire accurately while moving. Serving soldiers of regiments such as 8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles were converted to the new tank and National Servicemen received full-time training while at Puckapunyal. In February 1968, C Squadron, 1st Armoured Regiment, equipped with Centurion tanks was sent to Vietnam. This tank No 169073 was one of the twenty tanks which served in Vietnam. There were many doubters about the likely usefulness of the Centurion in the jungle and paddy field environment of South Vietnam. How would this very large tank perform? No one needed to have worried. The tanks performed magnificently and were treasured by the infantry with whom they operated. ‘Tanks save lives’ was the catchcry. Several Reserve officers were attached to the Squadron in Vietnam including Colonel John Neale and Major Gordon Cole. Following the Australian withdrawal, the tanks were refurbished and issued to Army Reserve regiments for training. Our tank was allocated to 8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles. Together with the tanks came a crop of Regular Army Cadre staff and training reached a new peak. When the Centurion was superseded by the Leopard surplus vehicles were allocated to museums and regimental collections as trophy vehicles. Black and white photograph of Centurion Tank No. 169073 at Buna Barracks, Albury, home of 8/13 Victorian Mounted Rifles 1988.centurion, tank, buna barracks, albury, vmr

The 8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles was raised as a regiment of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps on 1 May 1948 with Headquarters in Melbourne and squadrons in Sale, Benalla/Wangaratta and Albury. In 1955 Regimental Headquarters moved to Wangaratta and a second squadron was located at Albury. The Sale squadron transferred to 4th/19th Prince of Wales’s Light Horse. In 1977 8/13 VMR Regiment was reduced to an independent squadron A Squadron 8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles and in 1991 was linked with 4th/19th Prince of Wales’s Light Horse forming the VMR Squadron of that regiment.Representative of social life of an armoured regiment in regional Victoria.Single page printed document being invitation to a formal dinner to commemorate the linking of 8th 13th and 20th Light Horse Regiments for form the 8/13 Victorian Mounted Rifles on 1 May 1948.Colonel J Nealemilitary, 8/13 vmr, dinner, anniversary, linking

William McGrath enlisted as a Trooper in the 8th Light Horse in 1915. He rose to the rank of Squadron Sergeant Major and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant on Gallipoli. McGrath served throughout the war with 8th Light Horse Regiment progressing through the officer ranks. This history was compiled from personal knowledge and the war diary of the regiment. McGrath's successor as adjutant, Captain Austin, is believed to have had input into the document and for some years was thought to have been the originator.Unique document of regimental interest.Typed history of the 8th Light Horse Regiment AIF 1915-1919 prepared by Captain William McGrath when posted as Adjutant of the Regiment 1917-1919.military, history, light horse, world war one, wwi, mcgrath

Three colour photographs of light horsemen of the Victorian Mounted Rifles Heritage Troop escorting a car bearing a VIP to a parade at Buna Barracks Albury.military, light horse, heritage, escort, buna barracks, horses, uniform

In 1988, as part of a Defence of Mainland Australian policy, defence of facilities of strategic importance in northern Australia were allocated to Army Reserve units. ‘A’ Squadron was allocated the defence of Tindal Air Force base located 15 KM outside Katherine in Northern Territory. Consequently the Squadron deployed on Exercise ‘Northern Explorer’ to gain first-hand knowledge of operating conditions for mounted and dismounted patrolling in the area.Rare patrol report made by soldiers of a Victorian regiment while on exercise in Northern Territory.Report of patrol carried out by soldiers of 'A' Squadron 8/13 Victorian Mounted Rifles 18 September 1988 near Tindal Air Base Northern Territory. Six pages plus sketch map.military, patrol, tindal, northern territory, vmr

The Light horse Heritage Troop of the 8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles provided mounted escort to the Royal couple, HRH Prince Charles and HRH Princess Diana. In 1985, the portion of Puckapunyal Army Camp housing the Armoured School and Corps Museum underwent a major rebuild. The new facility named Hopkins Barracks was officially opened by HRH . Prince Charles on 31 October 1985. Prince Charles, who was accompanied by his wife HRH Princess Diana, is Colonel in Chief of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps (RAAC). The Barracks is named to honour Major General R N L Hopkins who was instrumental in the development of the RAAC and is affectionally known as the ‘father of the Corps’.Part of collection of photographs of a rare event on the Australian military calendar, the opening of Hopkins Barracks Puckapunyal by HRH Prince Charles, Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps (RAAC) on 31 October 1985.Colour photograph of rear section of the mounted escort drawn from Light Horse Heritage Troop 8/13 Victorian Mounted Rifles at puckapunyal.

This trophy awarded annually for best troop was presented by former Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Alan Cunningham. The 8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles was raised as a regiment of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps on 1 May 1948 with Headquarters in Melbourne and squadrons in Sale, Benalla/Wangaratta and Albury. In 1955 Regimental Headquarters moved to Wangaratta and a second squadron was located at Albury. The Sale squadron transferred to 4th/19th Prince of Wales’s Light Horse. In 1977 8/13 VMR Regiment was reduced to an independent squadron A Squadron 8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles and in 1991 was linked with 4th/19th Prince of Wales’s Light Horse forming the VMR Squadron of that regiment.Black and white photograph of 23 soldiers of ' A ' Squadron 8/13 Victorian Mounted Rifles being the winning troop in the Cunningham Shield Competition for the best troop for 1986. Troop leader is Lieutenant Bill Russell." Cunningham Shield Winners 1986 " Back Row: Tpr Cox, Cpl Kuschel, Tpr Pye, Tpr Melton, Tpr Middleton, Tpr O' Leary, L/ Cpl Van de Veld, Tpr Bowen M Row : Tpr Warberton, L/Cpl Mozzocato, Tpr Dowling, Tpr hale, Tpr Blucher, Tpr Cameron, Tpr Peck, Tpr Logg, Tpr Fabrik. Front Row : Tpr Pratt, Tpr Rose, Sgt Pike, Lt Russell, Cpl Burvill, Tpr Harding. "military, vmr, trophy, cunningham, russell

Jaffles were a very popular meal using tinned stew and issued sliced bread. Freshness of bread was not important.Good study of officer of 8/13 VMR cooking in the field.Black and white photograph of Lieutenant Bill Russell in beret and tank suit kneeling beside fuel stove holding a jaffle iron. Probably taken at Puckapunyal during 8/13 Victorian Mounted Rifles Annual Camp, 1986. Plastic mug in foreground.Lt. Russellmilitary, training, stove, jaffle, cmf, vmr