Topic: AIF - Aboriginal LH
The Australian Light Horse
Aboriginal Light Horsemen
Those who served
3662 Pte Harold Arthur Cowan [see below], his cousin Hazel Williams and her baby sister, name unknown.
[From: AWM P02229.002]
Aboriginal service during the Great War, 1914-19
During the Great War, some 500 men of Aboriginal extraction enlisted in the Australian Imperial Forces. Out of this number, 118 or just over 20% of men of Aboriginal origin saw service in the Australian Light Horse during the war. Some parts of Australia were more liberal in admitting Aboriginal men into the AIF as compared to others. By far the largest proportion of Aboriginal men who enlisted came from Queensland. So many enlisted that nearly one group of reinforcements for the 11th Light Horse Regiment was composed of men from Aboriginal origin, the only time this happened during the war. Like the rest of Australians who enlisted, these men were from all different professions and differing levels of education. They served with similar results as the larger population. Some were heroes, many did their duty well, while some not so well. Others were killed in action, more than a few were wounded in action or gassed. Once in the AIF, there was nothing to seperate the men of Aboriginal origin to other soldiers. They served as Australians and did so with pride and distinction.
Aboriginal Light Horsemen who served during the Great War, 1914-19
Below is a list of all known Aboriginal Light Horsemen who served with the Australian Imperial Force during the Great War, 1914-19. The aim is to give credit to the indigenous Australians who served during the Great War but received little recognition for their participation. Hopefully, this long overdue recognition removes this stain from our collective Australian history.
This list is as extensive as possible although it is not exhaustive. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information but mistakes do occur. Should there be a mistake or an omission please inform the site through the "Post Comment" link at the bottom right hand corner of this post.
A
242 Pte Michael John Allen, 11 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 29/01/1915
50246 Pte Willie Allen, 1 General Service Reinforcements Qld; Enlisted 10/12/1917
63982 Pte Edwin James Arnold, 5 General Service Reinforcements Qld, Did not embark; Enlisted 4/7/1918
B
1234 Pte Charles Baird, 5 Light Horse Regiment, 5/05/19153024 Pte Charles Baker, 6 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 22/03/191619600 Pte Harry Baker, Did not embark; Enlisted 14/05/19173469 Pte Frank Balser, 5 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 3/10/19171741 Pte Robert Beale, 1 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 14/09/191519608 Pte Bertie Beckett, Did not embark; Enlisted 14/05/19173467 Pte Albert Beulah, 1 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 14/06/19173288 Pte Victor Harold Blanch, 2 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 30/10/191664321 Pte Martin Blyth, 6 General Service Reinforcements Qld; Enlisted 19/08/191850271 Pte Patrick Brady, 1 General Service Reinforcements Qld; Enlisted 14/02/19181154 Pte Stephen James Brown, 2 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 25/02/19152422 Pte William Bert Brown, 11 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 11/07/19172423 Pte Frederick Arthur Burnett, 11 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 30/07/1917C
Pte Daniel Cabbo, Did not embark; Enlisted 14/05/19173146 Pte James Edward Cain, ICC; Enlisted 15/04/1917N/R Pte Joseph Callanan, LH depot, Did not embark; Enlisted 17/11/19161173 Pte Alfred Cameron, 3 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 15/01/19153471 Pte William Charles Campbell, 1 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 28/05/1917219 Pte Samuel John Capes, 7 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 3/11/1914N/R Pte Christopher Carmody, [former South African Veteran] 25 Battalion 21 Reinforcements, Did not embark; Enlisted 6/09/19172161 Pte Angus Bruce Carten, 5 Light Horse Regiment, 9/09/19152507 Pte William Castles, 54Bn; Enlisted 15/05/191657312 Pte William Wallace Chatfield, 4 General Service Reinforcements NSW; Enlisted 14/05/191819606 Pte William Christie, Did not embark; Enlisted 14/05/19172424 Pte Edward Collins, 11 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 25/06/19172459 Pte Frederick Collins, 11 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 25/06/191750248 Pte Glen Combarngo, 1 General Service Reinforcements Qld; Enlisted 12/01/191856907 Pte Fredrick Coolwell, 3 General Service Reinforcements Qld; Enlisted 22/05/1918N/R Pte Tom Cooper, Did not embark; Enlisted 15/12/19152425 Pte Jack Costello, 11 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 19/07/19172420 Pte Walter Couchy, 5 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 10/11/19153662 Pte Harold Arthur Cowan, Imperial Camel Corps; Enlisted 6/11/19172099 Pte Peter Craigie, 9 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 30/12/19151259 Pte Joseph Crough, 8 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 17/06/19153121 Dvr John Cubbo, ARU/Egypt; Enlisted 1/06/191863989 Pte Willie Cummings, 5 General Service Reinforcements Qld; Enlisted 13/06/1918D
19609 Pte Ossie Dick, Did not embark; Enlisted 14/05/191719614 Pte Murtle Douglas, Did not embark; Enlisted 14/05/19172426 Pte Harry Doyle, 11 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 23/05/1917Dr Capt Charles Duguid, AAMC; Enlisted 12/01/19173477 Pte Walter Herbert Duncan, 1 Light Horse Regiment, 8/05/1917E
138 Pte Jack Murray Ella, 11 Light Horse Regiment, 6/01/19153056 Pte George Arthur Ellis, 5 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 23/10/1916F
1696 Pte Ernest James Firth, 1 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 21/09/19151162 Pte Francis Walter Bertie Firth, 2 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 24/02/19152428 Pte Frank Fisher, 11 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 16/08/191719615 Pte James Fisher, Did not embark; Enlisted 14/05/19172427 Pte Joe Fitzroy, 11 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 16/07/191797 Dvr Albert Franklin, Remts ARU/India, 4/01/19182334 Pte Leslie Franks, 2 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 10/11/1915G
2429 Pte John Geary, 11 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 14/08/19172906 Pte Roland Donald Gordon, 49 Bn; Enlisted 20/03/1916H
3297 Pte Valentine Hare, 2 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 3/02/191756986 Pte Joseph Harris, 3 General Service Reinforcements NSW, 4/04/19182255 Pte Henry Hawkins; Enlisted 2 Remts; Enlisted 25/10/191519610 Pte Christie Hill, Did not embark; Enlisted 14/05/19173238 Pte Edward Hill, 1 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 22/05/19161726 Pte James Alfred Hubbard, 5 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 30/08/191519603 Pte Robert Hubbard, Did not embark; Enlisted 14/05/1917J
2430 Pte John Johnston, 11 Light Horse Regiment, 8/10/1917K
3502 Pte George Wilfred Kapeen, 1 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 26/04/19172431 Pte Jack Kearns, 11 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 16/07/19171025 Pte George Kennedy, 6 Light Horse Regiment, 4/02/1915L
2432 Pte John McKenzie Laurie, 11 Light Horse Regiment, 9/06/191763999 Pte Douglas Edward Law, 5 General Service Reinforcements Qld; Enlisted 29/07/191863998 Pte Vincent Frederick Law, 5 General Service Reinforcements Qld; Enlisted 31/07/19181040 Pte Arthur John Lee, 7 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 18/05/19153662 Pte Archibald Henry Leonard, 1 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 29/05/191750276 Pte John Horner Lewis, 1 General Service Reinforcements Qld; Enlisted 12/04/19182433 Pte James Lingwoodock, 11 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 18/07/191750333 Pte James Lock, 1 General Service Reinforcements NSW, 7/05/1917532 Pte Henry James Locke, 1 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 1/09/19143715 Pte Thomas Locke, 7 Light Horse Regiment, 5/06/19171598 Pte Edward McDonald Lovett, 4 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 17/08/19153815 Pte Frederick Amos Lovett, 4 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 17/05/1917953 Pte James Lucas, 5 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 19/12/19142434 Pte Leonard Lynch, 11 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 16/08/1917M
2438 Pte James Mcbride, 11 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 19/09/19174441 Pte Niney Mcdonald, LH Reinf; Enlisted 14/08/1917N/R Pte Alex McKenzie, LH Depot, Did not embark; Enlisted 25/01/191750448 Pte John James Mckinnon, 1 General Service Reinforcements Vic; Enlisted 11/08/191719601 Pte Bismark Mitchell, Did not embark; Enlisted 14/05/19172437 Pte David Molloy, 11 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 27/08/191719604 Pte Henry Monsell, Did not embark; Enlisted 14/05/191719605 Pte Charles Morgan, Did not embark; Enlisted 14/05/19172435 Pte Frank Morris, 11 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 25/08/191719614 Pte Sunny Moss, Did not embark; Enlisted 14/05/1917757 Pte Hurtle Muckray, 3 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 26/11/1914500 Pte David Mullett; Enlisted 1 Remts, 6/11/19153727 Pte Archie Murphy, 6 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 2/06/1917N/R Pte Alan (Clem) Murray, Did not embark; Enlisted2436 Pte Harry Murray, 11 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 2/06/1917N
2439 Pte William Nicholld, 11 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 18/08/1917
64373 Pte Jack Henry Norman, 6 General Service Reinforcements Qld; Enlisted 17/08/1918
O
2440 Pte Jack Oliffe, 11 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 19/07/1917
P
19602 Pte William Pagel, Did not embark; Enlisted 14/05/19172443 Pte Charlie Parkes, 11 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 19/05/19173431 Pte William Pearce, 6 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 2/02/19172441 Pte Jack Pollard, 11 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 27/07/1917R
19613 Pte Arthur Riley, Did not embark; Enlisted 14/05/19173513 Pte Thomas Rine, Imperial Camel Corps; Enlisted 4/05/191750278 Pte Harry Roberts, 1 General Service Reinforcements Qld; Enlisted 22/01/191850265 Pte Herbert Roberts, Did not embark; Enlisted 21/02/191856924 Pte Pompey Roberts, 3 General Service Reinforcements Qld; Enlisted 29/05/19183491 Pte Sid Roberts, 5 Light Horse Regiment, 6/07/1917S
352 Pte Allan MacIntosh Scott, Did not embark, 9/09/19144445 Pte Robert Shepherd, LH Reinf; Enlisted 12/12/19172445 Pte Edward Smith, 11 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 30/05/19172056 Pte Jack Stacy, ICC; Enlisted 17/05/191650280 Pte Alexander Stanley, 1 General Service Reinforcements Qld; Enlisted 25/02/19182088 Pte John Provins Stewart, 1 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 11/08/19153675 Pte Daniel Syron, 7 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 26/05/1917T
3496 Pte Frederick Teare, 5 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 25/08/1917
W
4448 Pte Daniel Wallace, LH Reinf; Enlisted 3/01/19174447 Pte Harold Walsh, LH Reinf, 9/01/19183497 Pte George West, 5 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 24/11/19172447 Pte Joseph White, 11 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 24/08/19173018 Pte Sidney Wilson, 6 Light Horse Regiment, 5/04/1916361 Cpl Joseph Albert Wright, 4 Light Horse Regiment; Enlisted 21/08/1914
Acknowledgement: Many thanks to Steve Becker for providing this information and allowing it to be published on this site.
Further Reading:
Aboriginal Servicemen Biographies
Reveille Articles on Aboriginals in the AIF
Battles where Australians fought, 1899-1920
Citation: The Australian Light Horse, Aboriginal Light Horsemen, Those who served
