10th Light Horse Regiment (Australia)

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=10th Light Horse Regiment


caption=10th Light Horse Regiment cap badge
country=Australia
allegiance=
type=Light Horse
branch=Army Reserve
dates=1914-
specialization=Armoured Reconnaissance
command_structure=Royal Australian Armoured Corps
size=One squadron
current_commander=Major Kim O'Grady
garrison=Karrakatta
ceremonial_chief=HRH The Prince of Wales
(Colonel-in-Chief, RAAC)
ceremonial_chief_label=Colonel-in-Chief
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=
motto="Percute et Percute Velociter" (Strike and Strike Swiftly) (Latin)
colors=
march="Marching Through Georgia"
identification_symbol=
identification_symbol_label=Unit Colour Patch
mascot=
battles=
notable_commanders=Lieutenant Colonel N.M. Brazier
anniversaries=The Australian 10th Light Horse Regiment is a regiment of the Australian Army. Part of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps, the regiment is part of the army reserve. The regiment is one of the oldest in Australia, being formed in 1900 as the Western Australia Mounted Infantry. In 1903, following the end of the Second Boer War, the 18th Australian Light Horse was formed from the mounted infantry, being renamed as the 25th Light Horse in 1912, part of the Citizens Military Force.

In 1914, on the outbreak of the First World War, the 10th Light Horse Regiment was raised in Western Australia, to serve as part of the Australian Imperial Force. The regiment saw action as dismounted troops at Battle of Gallipoli in 1915, but suffered such terrible losses that it had to be evacuated. The regiment's action at the Nek was immortalised in the final scenes of the 1981 Peter Weir film "Gallipoli".

Reverting to its original mounted infantry role, the regiment saw service in the Middle East for the remainder of the war, taking part in numerous actions including the Battle of Beersheba. The Regiment was the later given the honour of leading the Australian Mounted Division, and as such was the Allied unit which accepted the formal surrender of the city of Damascus on 1st October 1918. [ [http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-conflicts-periods/ww1/lt-horse/10alhr.htp.htm 10 ALHR; Australian Light Horse Regiment ] ]

Following its return to Australia, the 10th Light Horse Regiment was disbanded. However, in order to perpetuate the traditions and distinctions of the Australian Imperial Force, it was decided that CMF units would be re-designated with the unit numbers of the AIF. As such, the 25th Light Horse Regiment (Western Australia Mounted Infantry) was renamed the 10th Light Horse Regiment from October 1918.

During World War II, the regiment underwent several name changes in order to show its varying roles. In 1943, it was added to the Australian Imperial Force, but did not see service overseas. Instead, its main task was the defence of south-west Australia. During this period, the regiment was also partially mechanised, although it did retain horses which were used to patrol the coastline. Although the regiment was disbanded in 1944, it was reformed as a single squadron in 1949, when it became fully mechanised and was renamed the 10th Western Australian Mounted Infantry. Expanded to a full regiment in 1952, it was again renamed as the 10th Light Horse in 1956, before being reduced to a single independent squadron again in 1976.

The Squadron remained independent until 2001, when it formally became a part of the Army Reserve's 13 Brigade. The regiment was until recently equipped with the M113 vehicle in the armoured reconnaissance role, but has since migrated to "light cavalry/reconnaissance" role in the Land Rover 6x6 LRPV, a variant of the Land Rover 110.

Battle honours

*South Africa
**1900-1902
*World War I
**ANZAC
**Defence at ANZAC
**Suvla
**Sari Bair
**Gallipoli 1915-1916
**Romani
**Magdhaba-Rafah
**Egypt 1915-1917
**Gaza-Beersheba
**El Mughar
**Nebi Samwil
**Jerusalem
**Jordan (Es Salt)
**Megiddo
**Sharon
**Damascus
**Palestine 1917-1918

Casualties

*World War I
**237 killed, 479 wounded

Decorations

*1 VC
*1 CMG
*3 DSO, 1 bar
*1 MBE
*9 MC, 1 bar
*15 DCM, 1 bar
*15 MM
*3 MSM
*48 MID
*4 foreign awards

Alliances

*GBR - The King's Royal Hussars

References

* [http://www.awm.gov.au/units/unit_10567.asp Australian War Memorial]