Topic: AAC-Photo Albums
Australian Service Personnel
Photograph Albums
12th Light Horse Regiment War Diary and Routine Orders, 1916 - 1919, Album Contents
Lieutenant Colonel Percy Phipps Abbott, 1st Commanding Officer, 12th Light Horse Regiment
The Routine Orders, the item which is the purest history of a unit. It is the unvarnished story detailing aspirations and events as they unfolded without any vainglorious gloss attached to them as is found in the usual run of books on these campaigns, especially the Official Histories. Histories are written with an eye upon the prevailing cultural imperatives while the Routine Orders are written to maintain the efficiency of a Regiment on a day to day basis.
If there is one item that contains a wealth of detail regarding the participation of a Regiment within the Sinai and Palestine campaign, it is the Routine Orders. Each paragraph hints at enough material to make an exciting chapter in any book.
To add further to the Regimental story, the War Diary entries for the periods covered by the Routine Orders are placed in line. They should be read in conjunction to get a clear picture of the Regiment.
The Routine Orders of the 12th Light Horse Regiment are not complete and so are filed as found. During and after the conclusion of the war, no great imperative was felt for their preservation. Their needs had been served and so preservation was of the lowest order. That we have them today is a blessing and we can only thank the foresight of the clerk who preserved what we have now.
Listings per Album Page
1916:
War Diary and Routine Orders, 1916, Album Contents
1917:
War Diary and Routine Orders, 1917, Album Contents
1918:
War Diary and Routine Orders, 1918, Album Contents
1919:
War Diary and Routine Orders, 1919, Album Contents
Further Reading:
12th Australian Light Horse Regiment, AIF
Australian Service Personnel, Photograph Albums
Battles where Australians fought, 1899-1920
Citation: Australian Service Personnel, Photograph Albums, 12th Light Horse Regiment War Diary and Routine Orders, 1916 - 1919, Album Contents
