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From: steve becker
Date: 1/25/2002
Time: 8:04:09 PM
Remote Name: 144.134.185.106
I have mentioned before the problems with the AIF nom roll, with the final unit shown being not the accual unit the men served in.
A great number of Light Horseman are shown in the AIF nom roll as belonging to one of these units, 1st 2nd 3rd and 4th Light Horse Regiments.
That may not mean they served in them, as is shown their last unit may be a Light Horse Training Regiment of which each LH Brigade had.
The way the Light Horse worked was this, If a soldier was sent to hospital as sick or injured he stayed in the Unit roll books till after seven days. If the man had not returned to his unit by then he was administrively posted to a Training unit.
If the man came out of Hospital he went to the training unit till he could be posted back to his regiment. At that time he was taken off strenght of the training unit the placed of strenght of the LH Regiment.
If the man was sent home from hospital then his last unit was the training unit he had been posted to, in absentee, hence many men shown as the 1st 2nd 3rd and 4th LHR.
You may also find that many men, post 1918 were placed with any unit still in Egypt, this happened to many men of the 1st LH Bde after it sailed in March 1919. During the rebelion of late March/April 1919 by the Arabs scratch units were formed and sent all over the troubled areas, hence a man from NSW or Qld may be shown as being in a Vic regiment.
Of cause to add to the problem there is this fact, that they may also have been in a unit belonging to that Brigade, I mean, one man shown in the AIF nom roll has his last unit as the 2nd Light Horse regiment, he was from an outer NSW town and had no conection to Qld. A check of his files found he embarked with the 6th LHR and his last unit was in fact the 2nd LH Bde HQ.
So when you think you have it right you maybe wrong, so check on your man first he may surprise you.
S.B