Beersheba Place opened during commemorative Light Horse ride in western Queensland

The opening followed a dawn service at the Longreach cenotaph, part of the significant commemoration of the centenary of the World War One Light Horse charge at Beersheba taking place in western Queensland this week.

Many words have been spoken about the bravery of the men who went into battle that October afternoon in Palestine, as they faced an open plain and little cover, but Wednesday’s ceremony was dedicated to the endurance and stamina of the horses that took them into the conflict.

Longreach RSL president, Jim Egan, told the audience the Waler, bred for the demands of the tough colonial environment, was regarded by the British as the finest cavalry horse in the world.

“The Waler was rightly recognised for its feats of courage in the first world war,” he said.

“Their endurance and stamina has been well documented.

“A horse will drink 30 litres of water a day but in the war they went up to 60 hours without any water.

“Without that breed of horse, Beersheba would not be making an appearance in our history books.”

The 800 Light Horsemen, some of them Queenslanders, were called upon when all seemed lost in the battle to break through the Gaza-Beersheba Turkish line of defence in 1917. 

According to Jed Millen, the chairman of the Queensland Mounted Infantry Historical Troop, which is undertaking the memorable western Queensland ride, the troops attacked unexpectedly at the end of the line on October 31, 1917.

“In a last-ditch effort to move forward and save the troops’ lives, it was decided to take the unusual move of sending members of the 4th Light Horse brigade (4th and 12th Light Horse regiments) in on horseback with their bayonets to be used as swords,” he said.

The Light Horsemen’s tactics as mounted infantry was to ride into position, dismount and move forward to engage the enemy, but on this occasion they saddled up and charged.

The Turkish troops were so surprised and shocked by the sudden mounted attack they were unable to properly return fire or retaliate.

The Allies took up to 1000 Turkish prisoners and the town of Beersheba that day, capturing the wells and their much-needed water.

Thirty-one Allied troops were killed and a further 36 were injured. Some 70 horses died during the battle.

Historical troop representative, Michael Cole, read the poignant poem, Farewell Old Warhorse to conclude the water park opening.

As well as opening the new recreation precinct and creating a lasting memorial to the Light Horse, the area boasts a water feature and public artwork in keeping with the Light Horse theme.

Longreach mayor, Ed Warren, said there were a lot of memorials around commemorating many different battles but there weren’t many dedicated to war horses.

“A lot of the horses at Beersheba had come from around these parts, so there are considerable links with the Light Horse in our region,” he said.

Council’s director of community and cultural services, David Perry, said there was potential for Beersheba Place to further develop over the years into a significant public facility.

“It’s already a popular spot with walkers and runners using the old river road, and we hope this draws even more people out to that side of town.

“Eventually in years to come we might think about putting things in there like picnic tables and barbeques – but for now it’s just a tranquil open space to greet visitors as they approach Longreach from the west.”