"At a mile distant their thousand hooves were stuttering thunder, coming at a rate that frightened a man - they were an awe inspiring sight, galloping through the red haze - knee to knee and horse to horse - the dying sun glinting on bayonet points..." Trooper Ion Idriess
The Australian Light Horse Studies Centre aims to present an accurate history as chroniclers of early Australian military developments from 1899 to 1920.
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Leonard Dimmick enlisted in the 5th Queensland Imperial Bushmen Contingent as 263 Tpr Leonard Dimmick. He is recorded in Murray, p. 498. He saw service in South Africa.
Regimental number 312 Place of birth Ryde, Isle of Wight, England Religion Presbyterian Occupation Miner Marital status Widower Age at embarkation 34 Next of kin Father, W. Dimmick, Railway Store, Windsor, Brisbane, Queensland Enlistment date 20 August 1914 Rank on enlistment Driver Unit name 2nd Light Horse Regiment, B Squadron AWM Embarkation Roll number 10/7/1 Embarkation details Unit embarked from Brisbane, Queensland, on board Transport A15 Star of England on 24 September 1914 Rank from Nominal Roll Driver Unit from Nominal Roll 2nd Light Horse Regiment Fate Died of disease, dysentery, 3 March 1916 Age at death from cemetery records 37 Place of burial Cairo War memorial Cemetery (Row D, Grave No. 338), Egypt. Panel number, Roll of Honour, Australian War Memorial 3 Miscellaneous information from cemetery records Parents: William and Annie DIMMICK, Eildon Road, Windsor, Brisbane, Queensland. Born at Ryde, Isle of Wight, England Other details Son of William and Annie Dimmick, Eildon Road, Windsor, Brisbane, Queensland Place of burial Cairo War Memorial Cemetery. Row D, Grave No. 338
Acknowledgement: Many thanks to Steve Becker for providing additional information about Leonard Dimmick.
C Squadron (Australasian) Badge for King's Colonials
24th (Flinders) Light Horse.
Head-Quarters (less Signallers): Port Pirie
Lieutenant Colonel Albert Miell, 27 December 1912, Tenure of command from 1 July 1912 to 30 June 1917 (See: Nek Killed in Action) Adjutant - Lieutenant John Thomas Moran, AIS, 1 July 1917 Quartermaster - Honorary Lieutenant JC Scotcher, 9 December 1912 Medical Officer - Captain AR Clayton Captain James Edward Barrett, Area Officer, Port Pirie Captain Thomas George Heming, Area Officer, Glenelg Captain PJ Walsh, 9 September 1912 Lieutenant Harold Edward Rowell, 16 February 1913 Second Lieutenant FA Forbes, supernumerary to establishment
Signallers: Broken Hill
Machine Gun Section: Crystal Brook
Lieutenant TWR Forgan, 16 February 1913
“A” Squadron -
Port Pirie (A Troop),
Crystal Brook (B Troop),
Laura and Wirrabara (C Troop), and
Wanderah (D Troop)
Lieutenant DB Wilson Second Lieutenant RH Sampson Second Lieutenant PS O'Shaughnessy, 9 December 1912 Second Lieutenant SS Searle, 28 February 1913 Second Lieutenant Alexander Joseph Watt, 28 February 1913
Second Lieutenant GM Shepherd, 28 October 1912 Second Lieutenant AJ Thompson, 9 December 1912 Second Lieutenant TM Young, 23 December 1912 Second Lieutenant Archibald Harold Bray, 1 September 1913 Second Lieutenant Edwin Cooper Derrington, 24 September 1913 Second Lieutenant Archibald Dick, 16 November 1913
The number of men who went onto serve with the AIF after the declaration of war is highlighted by the links to the individual service files of each man who enlisted or was commissioned. Click on the link and the service file held by the National Archives will open for that particular individual.
Further Reading:
For the South Australian Light Horse Militia establishment, see:
Gallipoli Signal No. 1, 29 June 1915 Topic: AIF - 3B - 3 LHB Sigs
One of the most complete set of Light Horse unit signals at Gallipoli belongs to the 3rd Light Horse Brigade. Signals provide a window into the unvarnished form of history. These are the comments made by people who had important needs that required immediate attention. As such, they tell a story about a campaign that existed before the occurence of the newspaper reports leading to the Official Histories and all the other works that followed. Since they do not originate in a vacuum, it is the immediacy of the signal in a dense communication transfer that gives it a unique currency. It is a moment in time. We need all the other items such as the War Diary, Routine Orders and lastly, the published books to get a fully appreciation of the humble signal.
To ensure that this appreciation is available to many, over the coming months, a series of signals will be posted commencing from April till December.
The following weeks will see the various pages from the Hotchkiss Portable Machine Gun Handbook, the official manual issued by the company for the use of troops in the field. The Hotchkiss Gun was introduced in the Light Horse formations during the early months of 1917. The introduction of this robust and portable gun gave the Light Horse Regiments additional mobile fire power which considereably added to their ability to sustain light combat situations and defend against vastly numerically superior forces. Apart from being an excellent weapon, it was in much demand by the Turkish forces who considered the capture of a Hotchkiss Gun well worth any risks involved in the process. This is a manual produced in 1917 and illustrates the method by which the Hotchkiss Gun was packed and moved throughout the Palestine campaign.
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