Significance

A rare photograph of massed Light Horse in Victoria shortly before mechanisation consigned the horse to history.

Physical description

Black and white photograph of large group of horsemen in ranks waiting in the process of watering horses at a lagoon. One copy of the image claims it to be 8th Light Horse Regiment watering horses at a Murray River lagoon, South Corowa NSW, September 1939; Wahgunyah Troop, C Squadron - this side of lagoon, Lieutenant J. Nott on grey horse in water. A second copy (Cat No 0690) asserts it is 4 regiments of light horse being 8th, 13th, 20th and 4th watering horses near Torquay Victoria, March 1940.

Inscriptions & markings

On a label on reverse of 0690: "Picture taken about March 1940 when the 13th Light Horse from Gippsland, the 8th Light Horse from Upper Murray, the 4th Light Horse from the Western Districts and the 20th Light Horse from the Goulburn Valley were in camp near Torquay.
Mr Cappur Webb of Glendoxey, Seymour, a member of the 20th said the picture must have been taken during and exercise about five miles north of Torquay. “We used to water our horses in that lake”, he said."