Topic: AIF - 4B - 4 LHB
The Battle of Beersheba
Palestine, 31 October 1917
4th LH Bde, AIF, Charge at Beersheeba
4th Light Horse Brigade men who charged at Beersheba
The following list comprises the men from the 4th Light Horse Brigade who were possibly at Beersheba on 31 October 1917 and may have been available to have taken part in the famous Charge at Beersheba.
The problems
The reason for the uncertainty, except for those wounded or killed in action arises from the situation that no roll was ever taken of the men who did charge. The historian is then left to search through the individual service records to ascertain if the man was likely to have been at Beersheba on the appropriate date. The exercise required examining many hundreds of records from potential candidates and narrowing down to the likely candidates whose files show no reason not to be at Beersheba.
The absence of a reason in itself does not mean that the person actually charged. A person may have reported sick in the morning and spent a couple days at the Field Ambulance. If the stay at the Field Ambulance was less than 14 days, generally it would not be recorded on the service record unless it was a reportable illness. Thus, the absence of a reaqson not to be at Beersheba is not evidence that a person was at Beersheba but it is more than likely that the person was at Beersheba.
The List
The following list was researched and constructed by Steve Becker and is reproduced with his permission.
4th Light Horse Brigade
4th Light Horse Brigade Headquarters
Henry John Francis BETTESS
Alywin Arnold Isaiah COLE
Ernest George COLE
William CRUICKSHANK
Charles Ernest DAVIES
Edward FITZGIBBON
William GOOD
Charles Angus GULLIVER
William Henry HARLEY
Alfred JOHNSON
John Percy LINDSAY
Alexander Ernest MacKINTOSH
James Joseph MURFITT
Walter MURRAY
John Patrick NOLAN
William THOMAS
Thomas O'LEARY
Those whom are believed to have charged at Beersheba, 31 October 1917:
The Battle of Beersheba, Palestine, 31 October 1917, 4th LH Bde, AIF, Charge at Beersheeba
The Battle of Beersheba, Palestine, 31 October 1917, 4th LHR, AIF, Charge at Beersheeba
The Battle of Beersheba, Palestine, 31 October 1917, 12th LHR, AIF, Charge at Beersheeba
Acknowledgement: Many thanks to Steve Becker who provided much of the raw material for this entry.
Citation: The Battle of Beersheba, Palestine, 31 October 1917, 4th LH Bde, AIF, Charge at Beersheeba
