Historical information

On 31 October 1992, a parade was held at Australian War Memorial to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the charge at Beersheba, Egypt (present day Israel) on 31 October 1917 during the second battle of Gaza, by two regiments of Australian Light Horse, 4th ALH and 12th ALH to capture the all-important wells in the town. An Honour Guard drawn from the Victorian Mounted Rifles Squadron of 4/19 Prince of Wales’s Light Horse, commanded by Lieutenant Kelvin Robertson, paraded in the forecourt of the AWM together with a body of horsemen from the Light Horse Association. Host for the parade was Mrs Elyne Mitchell OAM, daughter of wartime commander Lieutenant General Harry Chauvel. The reviewing officer was Lieutenant General J C Grey OA Chief of the General Staff. Concurrently, a parade was held in Melbourne where 4/19 Prince of Wales’s Light Horse and other units and services exercised their right to freedom of the city. The parade concluded at the Shrine where wreaths were laid at the Light Horse memorial and the water trough.

Physical description

Colour photograph of VMR Squadron Honour Guard on Beersheba Day parade , Australian War memorial, 31 October 1992.