Historical information

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.

Physical description

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.

Inscriptions & markings

" 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. "