- Anzac Mounted Division
The ANZAC Mounted Division was a mounted infantry (
light horse ) division formed in March 1916 inEgypt duringWorld War I following theBattle of Gallipoli when theAustralia n andNew Zealand mounted regiments returned from fighting asinfantry . For the remainder of the war it served in theMiddle East , in the Sinai,Palestine andSyria .The title "
ANZAC " indicated its composite Australian and New Zealand nature and as such was possibly the first official use of this term for this purpose, rather than as a designation for an armycorps .Unit history
Formation
The division contained three or four mounted
brigade s. At its core were the following three brigades:1st Light Horse Brigade * 1st Light Horse Regiment (
New South Wales )
* 2nd Light Horse Regiment (Queensland andNorthern Territory )
* 3rd Light Horse Regiment (South Australia andTasmania )2nd Light Horse Brigade * 5th Light Horse Regiment (Queensland)
* 6th Light Horse Regiment (New South Wales)
* 7th Light Horse Regiment (New South Wales)New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade *
Auckland Mounted Rifle Regiment
*Canterbury Mounted Rifle Regiment
*Wellington Mounted Rifle Regiment Light Horse Field Ambulance
* Australian Light Horse Field Ambulance
During the Sinai campaign, the
3rd Light Horse Brigade was also part of the division before moving to the "Imperial Mounted Division" (which was subsequently retitled theAustralian Mounted Division ). During 1917 the British 22nd Mounted (Yeomanry ) Brigade was attached to the division.Battles
Sinai
*
Battle of Romani
*Battle of Magdhaba
*Battle of Rafa .Palestine
*
First Battle of Gaza - 2nd Brigade and NZ Brigade
*Second Battle of Gaza
*Third Battle of Gaza
*Battle of Beersheba
*Battle of Megiddo (1918) Syria
Commanders
1916-17: Maj. Gen. H. G. Chauvel
1917-19: Maj. Gen. E.W.C. Chaytoree also
Military history of Australia during World War I External links
* [http://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/~rmallett/Anzac_Mounted_Division.html First AIF Order of Battle 1914-1918: Anzac Mounted Division]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.