4th/19th Prince of Wales's Light Horse

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=4th/19th Prince of Wales's Light Horse Regiment


caption=Cap Badge of the 4th/19th Prince of Wales's Light Horse
dates=1948 - present
country=Australia
allegiance=
branch=Army Reserve
type=Light Horse
role=Light Cavalry
size=One regiment
command_structure=4 Brigade
current_commander= LtCol Michael Chadwick
garrison=Melbourne
ceremonial_chief=HRH The Prince of Wales
(Colonel-in-Chief, RAAC)
ceremonial_chief_label=Colonel-in-Chief
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=
patron=
motto="Ich Dien" (I Serve)
colors= Red, White
identification_symbol=
identification_symbol_label=Unit Colour Patch
march="Australian Light Horse"
mascot=
battles=
notable_commanders=
anniversaries=
decorations=
battle_honours=

The 4th/19th Prince of Wales's Light Horse is a regiment of the Australian Army. Part of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps, 4/19 PWLH is a reserve regiment which has recently been re-roled with modified Landrovers as part of the Light Cavalry restructure of the reserve component of the RAAC.

The regiment can trace it's lineage through many units, including

*Kyneton District Mounted Rifle Corps
*Royal Volunteer Cavalry Regiment,
*17th Light Horse,
*17th Prince of Wales Light Horse,
*19th Yarrowee Light Horse,
*20th Corangamite Light Horse,
*4th Corangamite Light Horse,
*4th Light Horse AIF, and
*2nd/4th Armoured Regiment.

The regiment was formed in 1948 as the 4th/19th Armoured Regiment (Prince of Wales's Light Horse) through the amalgamation of three other regiments:
*4th (Corangamite) Light Horse
*17th (Prince of Wales's) Light Horse
*19th Light Horse (Yarrowee Light Horse)

The record of the 4th Light Horse in the 1914-18 war is without equal in the AIF. It was the only Australian unit to see service on all three fronts, France, Gallipoli and Palestine and was granted a total of 24 Battle Honours of which 10 are carried on the guidon. Probably the most notable action of the 4th Light Horse was the Charge at Beersheba on the 31st of October 1917, where 800 Australian Lighthorsemen took the town and crucial wells of Beersheba. This action is commemorated each year by the serving soldiers of the Regiment.

The regiment assumed its present name in 1949. In 1960, a regular squadron, A Squadron, was added to the regiment. In 1965, this was removed from the regiment's order of battle - Number 1 Troop was used as the nucleus in the formation of No 1 Armoured Personnel Carrier Troop, while the rest of the squadron was used to form 2nd Cavalry Regiment.

In 1992, 4th/19th Prince of Wales's Light Horse Regiment underwent another major restructure when it was linked with Victoria’s second Armoured Reserve Unit, the 8th/13th Victoria Mounted Rifles.

Before this restructure, 8th/13th VMR had it’s HQ and 1 Troop based in Albury, 2 Troop based in Wangaratta and 3 Troop based in Benalla. After the linking, 8/13th VMR became “A” Squadron 4/19th PWLH.

Today, the regiment maintains a total of two sabre squadrons. A Squadron which is based in Sale and Bandiana & B Squadron which is located in Melbourne.

On the 28th April 2008, a Lance Guard consisting of members of 4/19 PWLH and 12/16 HRL was involved in the dedication of the Park of the Australian Soldier in Be'er-Sheva, Israel. The park includes a bronze statue of a Lighthorsemen involved in the Charge of Be'er-sheva on the 31st October 1917. This event was the first time the Regiment's Guidon has travelled overseas.

The regiment is proud to have been granted the Freedom of Entry to 4 cities: Melbourne, Kyneton, Beechworth, Traralgon and Sale.

Alliances

*GBR - The Royal Dragoon Guards
*GBR - The Queen's Royal Hussars (Queen's Own and Royal Irish)
*GBR - The King's Royal Hussars

ee also

4th Brigade - 4/19 PWLH is a part of the 4th Brigade.

References

* "Hooves, Wheels and Tracks" is an excellent military biography of this Regiment. Author; David Holloway - 1990. ISBN 0-7316-9042-7