9th LHR, AIF

Pro Gloria et Honore - For Glory and Honour

Regimental March -  Marching Through Georgia

The Diary

1914

Friday, August 14, 1914

See 4th Military District, South Australia for militia activities.

1915

Saturday, August 14, 1915

9th Light Horse Regiment Location - Walkers Ridge

9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary - No Entry.

Carew Reynell Diary  - No Entry.

 

1916

Monday, August 14, 1916

9th Light Horse Regiment Location - Hod Hasanien

9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary - Camped at Hod Nabit. Well of fair water sunk by engineers.

Men and horses resting.

1917

Tuesday, August 14, 1917

9th Light Horse Regiment Location - Tel el Marakeb

9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary - Range practice and lectures as per syllabus.

1918

Wednesday, August 14, 1918

9th Light Horse Regiment Location - Ain Ed Duk

9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary - The day was spent in laying out the camping area. All ranks greatly appreciated being near water also shower baths which had been erected by previous units.

Hargrave, Lieutenant LMS, MC; and, 41 Other Ranks marched out to report to 2nd Battalion British West Indies Regiment as close support troops in No 4 Sub Sector relieving personnel of 10th Light Horse Regiment.

Patrols were supplied on No 4 Sub Sector as per orders.

1919

Thursday, August 14, 1919

9th Light Horse Regiment Location - Adelaide

9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary - Regiment disbanded.

Previous: 9th LHR AIF War Diary, 13 August

Next: 9th LHR AIF War Diary, 15 August

Sources:

See: 9th Australian Light Horse Regiment, Contents

Australian Light Horse Studies Centre, AIF War Diaries of the Great War, Site Transcription Policy

Further Reading:

9th Light Horse Regiment AIF

Bert Schramm Diary

9th Australian Light Horse Regiment, Roll of Honour 

Battles where Australians fought, 1899-1920

Posted by Project Leader at 12:01 AM EADT

Updated: Wednesday, 15 September 2010 10:34 PM EADT

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Diaries of AIF Servicemen

Bert Schramm

14 August 1918

Bert Schramm

2823 Private Herbert Leslie SCHRAMM, a 22 year old Farmer from Whites River, South Australia. He enlisted on 17 February 1916; and at the conclusion of the war Returned to Australia, 10 July 1919.

During part of the course of his military service with the AIF, Bert Schramm kept a diary of his life. Bert was not a man of letters so this diary was produced with great effort on his behalf. Bert made a promise to his sweetheart, Lucy Solley, that he would do so after he received the blank pocket notebook wherein these entries are found. As a Brigade Scout since September 1918, he took a lead part in the September Offensive by the Allied forces in Palestine. Bert's diary entries are placed alongside those of the 9th Light Horse Regiment to which he belonged and to the 3rd Light Horse Brigade to which the 9th LHR was attached. On this basis we can follow Bert in the context of his formation.

The Diaries

The complete diary is now available on the Australian Light Horse Studies Centre Site at:

Bert Schramm Diary

Finding more about a service person. See:

Navigating the National Archives Service File 

Bert Schramm's Handwritten Diary, 11 - 18 August 1918

[Click on page for a larger print version.]

Bert Schramm

Wednesday, August 14, 1918

Bert Schramm's Location - Ain Ed Duk, Jordan Valley, Palestine.

Bert Schramm's Diary - Arrived in camp about 4 am this morning and are camped near the water. A number of us have to go out in support to the B.W.I. tonight.

[B.W.I. = British West Indian Regiment]

9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary

9th Light Horse Regiment Location - Ain Ed Duk, Jordan Valley, Palestine.

9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary - The day was spent in laying out the camping area. All ranks greatly appreciated being near water also shower baths which had been erected by previous units. Hargrave, Lieutenant LMS, MC; and, 41 Other Ranks marched out to report to 2nd Battalion British West Indies Regiment as close support troops in No 4 Sub Sector relieving personnel of 10th Light Horse Regiment. Patrols were supplied on No 4 Sub Sector as per orders.

9th LHR AIF War Diary, 14 August

Darley, TH, With the Ninth Light Horse in the Great War, Adelaide, Hassell Press, 1924.

No Entry

Previous: Bert Schramm's Diary, 13 August 1918

Next: Bert Schramm's Diary, 15 August 1918

Sources Used:

Bert Schramm's Diary

National Archives Service File.

Embarkation Roll, AWM8.

Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour

Nominal Roll, AWM133, Nominal Roll of Australian Imperial Force who left Australia for service abroad, 1914-1918 War.

War Diaries and Letters

All War Diaries and letters cited on this site should be read in conjunction with the Australian Light Horse Studies Centre, War Diaries and Letters, Site Transcription Policy which may be accessed at:

Australian Light Horse Studies Centre, War Diaries and Letters, Site Transcription Policy 

Further Reading:

Bert Schramm Diary

Bert Schramm Diary, Album

Bert Schramm's Photo Album

9th Australian Light Horse Regiment, AIF

9th Australian Light Horse Regiment, War Diary, Day by Day Account

Battles where Australians fought, 1899-1920

Citation: Diaries of AIF Servicemen, Bert Schramm, 14 August 1918

Posted by Project Leader at 12:01 AM EADT

Updated: Saturday, 4 June 2011 8:35 AM EADT

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Report on reconnaissance to Muksheib by Capt Wearne, Page 1

Captain Albert Ernest Wearne was a key Brigade Scout for the 3rd LH Bde after the move to Serapeum on 28 February 1916. He was a skillful scout and the right choice for this new project involving the untried abilities of the Light Horse.

The aim of the expedition was to mount a reconnaissance overland to Wadi um Muksheib where earlier on in the year, the Turks were reported employing work parties to improve the water cisterns in the wadi’s catchment area. In addition they were ordered to inspect the water supply at Moiya Harab and El Hassif. Finally they were to report on their impressions of the land regarding distances and time required for travel, water supplies and other preparations necessary to move a large body of men across arid plains.

Two novelties were to be employed. The first was air support. An aircraft was allocated to fly in advance of the column. The pilot was given specific instructions to report on the countryside ahead of the column with a careful eye out for Turkish troops. This reduced the need for the column to send out advanced guards which then allowed the column greater speed and flexibility. The other novelty was the use of wireless. A radio transmitter was to be carried for the specific purposes of maintaining constant communication with the Anzac Mounted Division at the Canal.

By use of both technologies, it was hoped that mounted men could move rapidly because their need for supplies would be kept to a minimum. Such long-range reconnaissances then would have the ability to strike the Turks hard and disappear before the Turks were able to respond in any effective manner. Since they would have speed on their side, they could make their getaway in relative safety, always knowing the location of any pursuing enemy. If this could be achieved, a long-range raid could sever communication link over the Darb el Maghaza, the new route the Turks were developing, which ran through Bir el Jifjafa. Cutting off this route would restrict any further Turkish advances to the more established Darb el Sultani that followed the coast by way of Katia. The impact on British strategy would be huge, allowing the British to concentrate their defence of Egypt on a confined front.

Posted by Project Leader at 5:04 PM EADT

Updated: Thursday, 14 August 2008 8:25 AM EADT

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Apart from the War Diary which presents a reflected view of Regimental history, one of the best sources of understanding the immediate challenges facing a regiment is to be found in the Routine Orders. They are a wealth of detail.

In this case, the  22nd Corps Cavalry Routine Orders for 1918 have been highlighted to illustrate the tempo of this formation from the beginning of the year towards the end of the war. The aim is to illustrate the tumultuous year that followed ending in the defeat of Germany. Too little is known of the role regarding the Light Horse in the drama on the Western Front. This should address some shortfalls of information.

 22nd Corps Cavalry Routine Order 542, 7 January 1918

[Click on page for a larger print version.] 

Citation: 22nd Corps Cavalry Routine Order 542, 7 January 1918

Posted by Project Leader at 4:36 PM EADT

Updated: Thursday, 14 August 2008 8:27 AM EADT

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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.

Signal, 7 May 1915 to Machine Gun Sections regarding movements to Gallipoli, Page 2.

[Click on page for a larger print version.]

Posted by Project Leader at 4:31 PM EADT

Updated: Thursday, 14 August 2008 8:37 PM EADT

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