General News
29 November, 2025
Australian Light Horse
The 7th Light Horse Regiment was raised in Sydney in October 1914 from men who had enlisted in New South Wales.
It became part of the 2nd Light Horse Brigade.
After sailing from Sydney in late December 1914, the regiment disembarked in Egypt on February 1 1915.
The Light Horse was considered unsuitable for the initial operations at Gallipoli but was subsequently deployed without its horses to reinforce the infantry.
The 2nd Light Horse Brigade landed in late May 1915 and was attached to the 1st Australian Division.
It became responsible for a sector on the far right of the ANZAC line and played a defensive role until it finally left the peninsula on December 20 1915.
Back in Egypt, the 2nd Light Horse Brigade became part of the ANZAC Mounted Division and in April 1916 joined the forces defending the Suez Canal from a Turkish advance across the Sinai Desert.
It fought at the battle of Romani on August 4 and at Katia the following day, and was involved in the advance that followed the Turks’ retreat back across the desert.
The regiment spent late 1916 and early 1917 engaged in patrol work until the British advance into Palestine stalled before the Turkish bastion of Gaza.
It was involved in two abortive battles to capture Gaza directly (on March 27 and April 19) and then the operation that ultimately led to its fall: the wide outflanking move via Beersheba that began on October 31.
With the fall of Gaza on November 7 1917 the Turkish position in southern Palestine collapsed.
The 7th was involved in the pursuit that followed and led to the capture of Jerusalem in December of that year.
The focus of British operations then moved to the Jordan Valley.
In early 1918 the 7th Light Horse was involved in the Amman (February 24-27) and Es Salt (April 30-May 4) raids and helped to defeat a joint Turkish-German attack launched on the Jordan bridgehead around Musallabeh on July 14.
The next major British offensive was launched along the coast in September 1918, and the 7th took part in a subsidiary effort east of the River Jordan.
It was part of the force that captured Amman on September 25 – its last major engagement of the war as Turkey surrendered on October 30 1918.
The 7th Light Horse was employed one last time to assist in putting down the Egyptian revolt of early 1919, before sailing for home on June 28.
With thanks: Sally Bertram, RSL Military History Library. Contact Sally at sj.bertram@hotmail.com or call 0409 351 940.
