Beersheba MemorialPrint Page

The memorial commemorates the Battle of Beersheba in 1917 during World War One and is a tribute to the Light Horse Regiments that trained at Menangle Park. The memorial also honours the 31 Australians killed and the 36 wounded and was unveiled during the centenary year. 

The Battle of Beersheba is one of the most notable mounted charges by the Australian Light Horse Regiments. On 31 October 1917, the 4th and 12th Australian Light Horse Regiment launched a dramatic charge, with bayonets “swords” in hands, to defeat Turkish troops near the town of Beersheba. This charge took place 34 miles south of Jerusalem and 27 miles from the Turkish bastion of Gaza at a town called Beersheba. In this attack Australians suffered little casualities and broke through two lines of trenches to enter the town.

The wells of Beersheba were vital for the welfare of the Desert Mounted Corps’ horses, many of whom had been without water for several days. Lieutenant General Harry Chauvel, commanding the Desert Mounted Corps, thus ordered the 4th Light Horse Brigade forward to attempt to secure the position. Brigadier William Grant responded by ordering light horseman of the 4th and 12th Regiments to charge at the unwired Turkish trenches.

Speed and time were of the essence. The Australians’ horses had marched through the Negev Desert for three days and had not been watered. Both riders and horses were carrying all their kit and equipment. In fading light, the town was defended by 3,500-4,000 infantry, 1,000 cavalry with four batteries of artillery and fifty machine guns. The attacking infantry suffered 1,200 casualties during the battle. Australians suffered very light casualties, in contrast to other battles, during the charge – 31 killed and 36 wounded. The water supplies were saved and over 1,000 Turkish prisoners were taken. The taking of Beersheba was the first crucial step in bringing an end to Ottoman rule in Palestine.

It’s a stunning monument to one of our country’s most fascinating military units: the Australian 12th Light Horse Infantry Regiment. One hundred years ago, give or take a couple of days, the regiment was based at Holsworthy. But when word came down they would be joining the action in the Middle East, soldiers and beasts came to the “bush’’ at Menangle for their war training. They didn’t know it, but the regiment, alongside others like it from across the country, ended up playing a pivotal role in one of the greatest military campaigns in history: the Battle of Beersheba.

Last night, just a few days short of the centenary of that extraordinary campaign, Campbelltown City Council yesterday unveiled a stunning monument honouring the Light Horse Regiments that trained at Menangle Park and their role in the Battle of Beersheba.

The monument has been installed at the corner of Menangle Road and the newly renamed Beersheba Parade, Menangle Park, and forms part of Council’s Anzac Centenary commemorations between 2014 and 2018.

Mayor of Campbelltown, Cr George Brticevic, said council was proud to be acknowledging the sacrifice of the 31 brave Australians who died and the 36 men who were wounded at the Battle of Beersheba, and their connection to Campbelltown in such a prominent way. “The Anzacs were special to Campbelltown, and to all Australians, and the new monument installed on the site near where the Light Horse Regiments trained, now known as Club Menangle, is a fitting public memorial,” he said.

The mounted forces that trained at Menangle Park formed part of the regiments that participated in the Battle of Beersheba on October 31, 1917.

The final phase of the all-day battle was the famous charge of the Light Horse Regiment, and the capture of the strategic town of Beersheba. This victory enabled the British Empire forces to break the Ottoman line near Gaza. The city fell a week later, and on December 9, 1917, the British troops entered Jerusalem.
South West Voice , 27 October 2017.

Location

Address:	Menangle Road & Beersheba Avenue, Menangle Park, 2563
State:	NSW
Area:	AUS
GPS Coordinates:	Lat: -34.109344 Long: 150.747337 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.

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Details

Monument Type:	Monument
Monument Theme:	Conflict
Sub-Theme:	WW1
Actual Event Start Date:	31-October -1917
Actual Event End Date:	31-October -1917

Dedication

Actual Monument Dedication Date:	Thursday 26th October, 2017

Source: MA