Australian Light Horse going into action Eastern Front

H. Septimus Power is considered Australia's finest painter of horses, invaluable in his appointment as an official war artist in 1917. He had won both the animal and landscape painting sections at the Melbourne Art Club in 1899, and then worked as an illustrator for the Spectator, the Register and other newspapers in Adelaide. His commissioned painting of the opening of Federal Parliament 9 May 1927 hangs in Parliament House, Canberra.

The Australian War Memorial website describes the horses that were used during World War One.

'Walers were the type of horse used by light horsemen in the campaign in the Middle East during the First World War. The light horse combined the mobility of cavalry with the fighting skills of infantry. They fought dismounted, with rifles and bayonets. However, sometimes they charged on horseback, notably at Magdhaba and Beersheba. The smallest unit of a light horse regiment was the four-man section: one holding the horses while the other three fought.

The horses were called Walers because, although they came from all parts of Australia, they were originally sold through New South Wales. They were sturdy, hardy horses, able to travel long distances in hot weather with little water.

Horses usually need to drink about 30 litres of water a day. However, during the campaign they often went for up to 60 hours without water, while carrying a load of almost 130 kilograms, comprising rider, saddle, equipment, food, and water.

At the end of the First World War Australians had 13,000 surplus horses which could not be returned home for quarantine reasons. Of these, 11,000 were sold, the majority as remounts for the British Army in India.'

This item is reproduced courtesy of Hayden Power and the Australian War Memorial. It may be printed or saved for research or study. Use for any other purpose requires written permission from Hayden Power, the Australian War Memorial. To request approval, complete the Quote for Copy/Permission form.