Wagga Wagga Light Horse MemorialPrint Page

The memorial honours the service and sacrifice of soldiers from the Riverina and South West Slopes who have served their nation through the Light Horse.

The region's links to the Light Horse date back to 1889 with the Murrumbidgee Light Horse in Wagga. At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 many local men answered the call for King and Country and joined the 1st, 6th and 12th LHR.

These regiments served at Gallipoli (dismounted), in the Sinai and Palestine campaign, and the Western Front.

Six years after the idea for a memorial to Australia’s iconic Light Horsemen in Wagga was born, a spectacular bronze statue now holds pride of place in Wagga’s Victory Memorial Gardens.

Dubbo sculptor Brett (”Mon”) Garling’s design was inspired by the Anzac ideal of ”never leaving a mate behind” and captures the moment a Light Horseman and his trusty steed (Waler) rescue a stranded trooper amid battle.

The sculpture recognises Wagga’s strong connection to the iconic mounted infantry of World War I and is the result of six years of hard work and fundraising by the Light Horse Memorial Riverina and South West Slopes committee.

Hundreds flocked to the grand opening, which included a parade of Light Horsemen in full historical kit and a service commemorating the men who served with distinction at Gallipoli and in the desert of Palestine Sinai.
Region Riverina, 20 September 2023. 

 

Location

Address:	Baylis & Morrow Streets, Victory Memorial Gardens, Wagga Wagga, 2650
State:	NSW
Area:	AUS
GPS Coordinates:	Lat: -35.109444 Long: 147.370278 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.

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Details

Monument Type:	Sculpture
Monument Theme:	Conflict
Sub-Theme:	WW1
Artist:	Brett (”Mon”) Garling

Dedication

Actual Monument Dedication Date:	Saturday 16th September, 2023

Source: MA