Light Horse
A History of Australia's Mounted Arm
Australian Army History Series

The mounted soldier is one of the most evocative symbols in Australian military history. Now a celebrated part of Australia's army heritage, the role and very existence of mounted troops in modern warfare was being called into question at the time of its most crowning military moments. Light horse regiments, particularly those that served in South Africa, Palestine and the trenches of Gallipoli, played a vital role in Australia's early military campaigns. Based on extensive research from both Australia and Britain, this book is a comprehensive history of the Australian Light Horse in war and peace. Historian Jean Bou examines the place of the light horse in Australia's military history throughout its existence, from its antecedents in the middle of the nineteenth century, until the last regiment was disbanded in 1944.

Maps; Acknowledgements; Author's note; Abbreviations; Introduction; 1. Ancestors: Australia's colonial mounted troops, 1803–99; 2. Tough lessons: South Africa, 1899–1902; 3. The Hutton era: founding the Light Horse, 1901–5; 4. Unfulfilled promise: the militia Light Horse, 1905–20; 5. The Light-Horsemen 1: citizen mounted troops and Australian society; 6. Mounted rifles: the Light Horse at war, 1914–17; 7. Cavalry: the Light Horse at war, 1917–19; 8. The Light-Horsemen 2: the Light-Horseman at war; 9. Final years: the Light Horse at home, 1921–44; Conclusion; Epilogue; Appendix: the 'Beersheba charge photo'; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

Jean Bou is a historian at the Australian War Memorial, and a Visiting Fellow with the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University.