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Tuesday, October 31 marks a century since the famous mounted charge of the 4th Light Horse Brigade which concluded the all-day Battle of Beersheba. That famous WWI event will be commemorated at Tabulam, the home of the Light Horse, with Tenterfield’s Major JF Thomas Riding Troop well-represented in proceedings.
Desperate for water, the brigade stormed through Turkish defences and seized the strategic town of Beersheba, enabling British Empire forces to break the Ottoman line near Gaza and advance into Palestine. Tent-pegging skills came into play as the mounted soldiers worked to entangle the Turkish soldiers in their collapsed tents.
The Desert Mounted Corps was under the command of Tabulam-born Lieutenant General Sir Harry Chauvel, and so Tabulam Racecourse has been chosen as the starting point of the Grafton RSL Sub branch Beersheba Memorial Ride 2017, in honour of Chauvel.
All are invited to a service at the Chauvel memorial in Tablulam from 5pm on Tuesday, which will followed by a re-enactment of the charge at 6pm. The Tabulam Lions Club will have meals available for purchase that evening, and will also be cooking breakfast the following morning before the first troop of riders leave at 8:30am on their way to Broadwater.
The next stopover is at Hassons Creek before the ride concludes at Copmanhurst with another memorial service there on Saturday morning at 10am.
Major JF Thomas Riding Troop president Bruce Petrie along with Jim Hamilton, Scott Rhodes, Peter Kerkenov and Adrian Bryant.