Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to recognise the anniversary on 31 October of the Australian Light Horse Brigade. Their website opens with this quote from Genesis, chapter 21, verses 25 to 31:

Then Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech's servants had seized. And he said, You will take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that they may be my witness that I have dug this well. Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because the two of them swore an oath there.

The 31st of October is a significant moment in our national history. It is a moment that, for me, is a day on which the bravery and daring our nation became known for at Gallipoli was once again demonstrated; a day which I believe we fail to recognise the importance of. It was in the early hours of the morning on this day in 1917 that the 4th Australian Light Horse Brigade penetrated the Turkish defences and secured control over the town water wells of Beersheba. The wells were a coveted prize, as shortage of water in any desert warfare is a significant disadvantage.

Edmund Allenby, commander of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, was given the task of capturing Jerusalem by Christmas 1917. In order to ensure the fall of Jerusalem, Allenby needed to first break the Turkish line at Gaza-Beersheba. The 4th Australian Light Horse Brigade was formed under Brigadier-General William Grant. Earlier Australian General Sir H.G. Chauvel had been ordered to take Beersheba and immediately directed Grant and his troops to mount a charge. To quote one of the troopers on that day:

It was the bravest, most awe inspiring sight I have ever witnessed, and they were ... yelling, swearing and shouting. There were more than 500 Aussie horsemen. .. As they thundered past my hair stood on end. The boys were wild-eyed and yelling their heads off.

So said Trooper Eric Elliott. Trooper Elliott was acting as a range-finder for the artillery when he crept to a hillock within two miles of Beersheba. He noticed a cloud of dust and then the 4th Australian Light Horse Brigade was on the move, a thundering line of light horsemen appearing over the crest in an extended order. Then a second line followed and a third. Elliott was directly in their path, so he quickly mounted to get out of their way.

'Speed and surprise were their one chance', as historian H.S. Gullett wrote. Four miles ahead lay the Turkish trenches with no cover, many had been cleverly disguised and concealed even from aircraft reconnaissance. The Turks lay in wait in the nearby hills with machine guns and artillery positions. An all-day battle ensued with the Australian Light Horse Brigade finally penetrating the Turkish defence before they could contaminate the water supply. Without water the whole Sinai-Palestinian campaign would have been halted for months, and the Gaza-Beersheba line would have remained unbroken. The Battle of Beersheba was a critical element of a wider British offensive known as the Battle of Gaza. Two previous attempts to breach this battle line had failed. Having secured the capture of Gaza, Allenby turned his attention to the fall of Jerusalem which he succeeded in securing the following month.

The Battle of Beersheba was an outstanding, swift and decisive victory. Using tactics from an earlier military age, the 4th Light Horse Brigade's stunning achievement is still revered but unknown to many in Australia today. On a beautiful, sunny Canberra afternoon on 31 October 2011, an intimate Beersheba Day ceremony was held at the Desert Mounted Corps Memorial on Anzac Parade. A small gathering of New South Wales Lancers and family members of the World War 1 Light Horse gathered to lay wreaths and swap stories that have been handed down. Next year will mark the 95th anniversary of the Battle of Beersheba—a battle that holds great historical significance as it was the last successful great cavalry charge. (Time expired)