The mounted soldier

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.