5th Light Horse Regiment (Australia)
5th Light Horse Regiment | |
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First World War
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Insignia | |
Unit colour patch |
The 5th Light Horse Regiment was a
During the inter-war years, the regiment was re-raised as a part-time unit based in the
Formation
The 5th Light Horse Regiment was raised in September 1914 as part of the all volunteer Australian Imperial Force, at Brisbane from volunteers from Queensland, and was assigned to the 2nd Light Horse Brigade.[1] Light horse regiments normally comprised twenty-five officers and 497 other ranks serving in three squadrons, each of six troops.[2] Each troop was divided into eight sections, of four men each. In action one man of each section, was nominated as a horse holder reducing the regiment's rifle strength by a quarter.[3]
All
Operational history
Gallipoli
On 21 December 1914, the 5th Light Horse Regiment left Sydney for Egypt, arriving on 1 February 1915.
Sinai and Palestine Campaign
After arriving back in Egypt, the regiment still with the 2nd Light Horse Brigade, was assigned to the
In December 1916, the ANZAC Mounted Division moved into Palestine, during which the regiment carried out patrols and raided Ottoman positions. On 27 March 1917, the regiment fought in the First Battle of Gaza, and after attacking the town from the rear, was fighting through the town when ordered to withdraw. They then fought in the unsuccessful Second Battle of Gaza and the Third Battle of Gaza, when the town was finally captured.[1]
The regiment was then involved in following up the retreating Ottoman forces into Palestine. In 1918, they were positioned on the
Perpetuation
In 1921, Australia's part-time military forces were re-organised to perpetuate the numerical designations of the AIF following its demobilisation.[7] Through this process, the 5th Light Horse was re-raised as a Citizens Forces unit within the 1st Military District in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of Queensland. Adopting the designation of the "Wide Bay and Burnett Light Horse (QMI)", the re-raised unit drew lineage from the 1st (Central Queensland) Light Horse that had been formed in 1913 and which traced its origins back to the 13th Australian Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry) that had been formed in 1903 as part of the amalgamation of Australia's colonial forces into the Australian Army after Federation.[8]
This unit remained in existence throughout the inter-war years, and at the outbreak of the Second World War the regiment was assigned to the 11th Mixed Brigade,
Battle honours
The 5th Light Horse Regiment received the following battle honours:
- Palestine 1917–1918.[1]
Commanding officers
The following officers commanded the 5th Light Horse Regiment during the First World War:[1]
- Lieutenant Colonel Hubert Jennings Imrie Harris (killed in action at Gallipoli)[6]
- Lieutenant Colonel Lachlan Chisholm Wilson
- Lieutenant Colonel Donald Charles Cameron
References
- Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "5th Australian Light Horse Regiment". Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ Gullett 1941, p. 54.
- ^ Horner and Williams, Chapter: Setting up the Light Horse
- ^ Gullett 1941, p. 29.
- ^ Gullett 1941, p. 38.
- ^ a b "Lieutenant-Colonel Hubert Jennings Imrie Harris". Anzac Individual Records. Anzacs.org. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
- ^ Grey 2008, p. 125.
- ^ a b Festberg 1972, p. 42.
- ^ Finlayson 2012, p. 193.
- ^ "5 Motor Regiment: Superiors". Orders of Battle. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
- Bibliography
- Festberg, Alfred (1972). The Lineage of the Australian Army. Melbourne, Victoria: Allara Publishing. ISBN 978-0-85887-024-6.
- Finlayson, David (2012). Green Fields Beyond. Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Department of Veterans' Affairs. OCLC 799180097.
- ISBN 978-0-521-69791-0.
- OCLC 220901683.
- ISBN 978-1-74246-894-5.
Further reading
- Wilson, L.C.; Wetherell, H. (1926). History of the Fifth Light Horse Regiment (Australian Imperial Force) from 1914 to October 1918. Sydney, New South Wales: The Motor Press of Australia. OCLC 221240758.