11th Light Horse Regiment ( Australia ) The 11th Light Horse Regiment was a mounted infantry regiment of the Australian Army during the First World War . The regiment was raised in August 1914 , and assigned to the 4th Light Horse Brigade . During the war the regiment fought against the forces of the Ottoman Empire , in Egypt , at Gallipoli , on the Sinai Peninsula , and in Palestine and Jordan . After the armistice the regiment eventually returned to Australia in March 1919 . For its role in the war the regiment was awarded fourteen battle honours . Formation . The 11th Light Horse Regiment was raised in Queensland and South Australia , and came together in Brisbane in May 1915 . Light horse regiments normally comprised twenty - five officers and 497 other ranks serving in three squadrons , each of six troop s . Each troop was divided into eight Section s , of four men each . In action one man of each section , was nominated as a horse holder reducing the regiment ' s rifle strength by a quarter . Once formed the regiment was assigned to the 4th Light Horse Brigade . All Australian Light Horse regiments used cavalry unit designations , but were mounted infantry , and mounted exclusively on the Australian Waler horse . Operational history . Aden . The 11th Light Horse Regiment divided into two contingents sailed for the Middle East in June 1915 . The first group were diverted to Aden to assist the small British garrison against an expected assault from Ottoman forces . The attack did not materialise and the regiment ' s contingent re - embarked in July 1915 , never having seen any action . Gallipoli campaign . When the Australian infantry units were dispatched to Gallipoli , it was thought the terrain was unsuitable for mounted troops , and the light horse regiments remained in Egypt . However casualties resulted in the deployment of the 4th Light Horse Brigade as reinforcements in August 1915 . On arrival the regiment was split up to reinforce other light horse regiments that had landed earlier and were understrength . The regiment ' s A Squadron served with the 2nd Light Horse Regiment , B Squadron the 5th Light Horse Regiment , and C Squadron to the 9th Light Horse Regiment . Sinai and Palestine campaign . When the British forces were withdrawn from Gallipoli , the 11th Light Horse Regiment was reformed in Egypt . Their first deployment was in defence of the Suez Canal in July 1916 , and patrolling into the Sinai desert . In April 1917 , following the withdrawal of Ottoman forces , the regiment moved into Palestine . Its first battle as a regiment , was the unsuccessful second battle of Gaza , where they fought on foot . In October during their next at Beersheba the other two regiments in the brigade , the 4th and 12th Light Horse Regiment took part in a mounted charge , the 11th operating as flank protection at the time were too widely dispersed to take part . They did however with the 12th Light Horse carry out a charge on 7 November , during the battle of Sheria . Faced with heavy Ottoman gun - fire , the regiment had to dismount to continue the attack , but were eventually forced to withdraw . When Gaza was captured in November 1917 , the Ottoman forces withdrew into Palestine , and the 11th were involved in the pursuit . They then spent the early months of 1918 , training and resting . The regiment then moved to the River Jordan , taking part in the raid on Es Salt in April and May . They were still on the river in July , helping to defeat heavy German and Ottoman attacks in July . August 1918 , saw the regiment issued with the traditional cavalry sabre and training began in cavalry tactics , so they were ready to resume the British advance in September . Advancing along the coast , the 11th Light Horse took part in the battle of Samakh on 25 September . The regiment first charged the Ottoman defences on horseback using their sabres , then dismounted and cleared the town with their rifles and bayonet s . The Ottoman Empire signed the Armistice of Mudros on 30 October 1918 , and the war in the Middle East ended . However the regiment had to return to Egypt , where rioting had started in March 1919 . Finally in July 1919 , the regiment sailed for Australia . The war had cost the regiment over 100 per cent casualties , with 95 killed and 521 wounded . Battle honours . Suvla Sari Bair Gallipoli 1915 – 1916 Romani Egypt 1915 – 1917 Gaza - Beersheba El Mughar Jerusalem < br > Jordan ( Es Salt ) Megiddo Sharon Palestine 1917 - 1918 Damascus 1918