The Lighthorsemen

[SamMarlowPI]

Anyone ever seen it? just watched it...probably one of the best movies ive seen in the last couple years...one of the rare times i was nail biting on the edge of my seat practically on the floor...

 

[dostacos]

Anyone ever seen it? just watched it...probably one of the best movies ive seen in the last couple years...one of the rare times i was nail biting on the edge of my seat practically on the floor...

They are UNDER the guns....I thought it was a well done movie, it also was another fine example of how the Brits tended to use the colony troops as cannon fodder. Won't say more on that with this movie don't want to ruin it if all ya'all have not seen it yet

 

[dostacos]

where did you see it? I just checked netflix and they don't have it. and Amazon only has a PAL format DVD

 

[dr greg]

sad tale

One of the stars of the film Jon Blake who was " the new Mel Gibson" at the time, had a serious car smash after the wrap party and has been severely brain-damaged ever since, and his parents recently won a court case for compensation based on loss of potential career, so a pretty sad story all round, but still a great film about what is generally considered to be the last "true" cavalry charge, the tales of the Polish horsemen attacking Panzers with lances just being propaganda from what I can gather.
My great-uncle was there, and told me when I was a kid that the horses hadn't had a drink for something like 3 days and could smell the wells in the town so they would have charged in there regardless of whether the riders wanted to or not...

 

[dostacos]

One of the stars of the film Jon Blake who was " the new Mel Gibson" at the time, had a serious car smash after the wrap party and has been severely brain-damaged ever since, and his parents recently won a court case for compensation based on loss of potential career, so a pretty sad story all round, but still a great film about what is generally considered to be the last "true" cavalry charge, the tales of the Polish horsemen attacking Panzers with lances just being propaganda from what I can gather.
My great-uncle was there, and told me when I was a kid that the horses hadn't had a drink for something like 3 days and could smell the wells in the town so they would have charged in there regardless of whether the riders wanted to or not...

but they were mount infantry so they were supposed to attack on FOOT!

 

[dr greg]

time being of the essence

That was the original plan, but as is the way of things, a charge was ordered, a good rundown of events is to be found....where else but...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Beersheba
and here
http://www.lighthorse.org.au/histbatt/beersheba.htm
and here, for a dissenting view of what sort of charge it was
http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-conflicts-periods/ww1/lt-horse/beersheba.htm

 

[Feraud]

This is a very good film. I saw it years ago on the Independent Film Channel.

 

[SamMarlowPI]

where did you see it? I just checked netflix and they don't have it. and Amazon only has a PAL format DVD

My neighbor let me borrow it...its his favorite film..makes him cry and i was tearing up too...i even ran upstairs and grabbed my long bayonet and charged with them...one of the rare times i was super engaged in a film...try to get ahold of a copy if you can, its so worth seeing...and IMO it WAS the last cavalry charge, mounted infantry or not, it was cavalry caliber...

 

[dostacos]

My neighbor let me borrow it...its his favorite film..makes him cry and i was tearing up too...i even ran upstairs and grabbed my long bayonet and charged with them...one of the rare times i was super engaged in a film...try to get ahold of a copy if you can, its so worth seeing...and IMO it WAS the last cavalry charge, mounted infantry or not, it was cavalry caliber...

well the BRITS thought of them as mounted Infantry, THEY thought themselves as cavalry.... they won

may have to buy the tape since it is not easy to play on DVD in the states

 

[SamMarlowPI]

well the BRITS thought of them as mounted Infantry, THEY thought themselves as cavalry.... they won

may have to buy the tape since it is not easy to play on DVD in the states

lol and i didn't see any Brits among the 800 that charged those Turks...after that charge, they more than deserve to call themselves whatever they please...and being called a Lighthorseman is just too cool anyway......now im babbling..

 

[dr greg]

family

I forgot to mention that my grandfather was a Lieutenant in the Light Horse in WW2 but the only riding they did was on parade I think, the great lost treasure of our family is a photo of him in full regalia, all I have is his dogtags and one spur.

 

[SamMarlowPI]

I forgot to mention that my grandfather was a Lieutenant in the Light Horse in WW2 but the only riding they did was on parade I think, the great lost treasure of our family is a photo of him in full regalia, all I have is his dogtags and one spur.

oh man thats cool...brave brave men...

 

[Gray Ghost]

I remember seeing it when it came out at the movies and then rented it on tape when it came out. One of my all time favorite movies and would like to get it on DVD. It has been years since I have seen it. I seem to remember that the plan was to attack as cavalry due to the Turks being used to them dismounting and fighting as infantry. The Turks would wait for the dismount and then open up on them. They got a surprise when the Lighthorsemen did not stop but kept coming. I believe I remember that correctly. As I said it has been a long time since I have seen it. Long Live the Lighthorse!:cheers1:

 

[dr greg]

The day

Perhaps it's worth mentioning that today is the 90th anniversary of the Beersheba Charge, and apparently some Australian lighthorsemen are over there for a re-enactment, which according to the radio just now, has been done.
I thought I might indulge myself with some scans from a book I've owned since I was about 10 years old, it was published in 1919, and is a history of that campaign.

 

[SamMarlowPI]

that's awesome Dr Greg, i think the 31st is the day, so tomorrow...as Ghost said "Long Live The Lighthorse!"...

 

[Story]

Perhaps it's worth mentioning that today is the 90th anniversary of the Beersheba Charge, and apparently some Australian lighthorsemen are over there for a re-enactment, which according to the radio just now, has been done.

Doc,
Thanks for the pointer - did you ever write down your grandfather's tales???
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/new...-horsemen-steps/2007/10/29/1193618795468.html
http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/breaking/104983.html

 

[dr greg]

out of time

It's already the 31st here, and in Palestine it seems, because I just heard the news report on the charge being over already! funny old world.

 

[dr greg]

mist of time

Doc,
Thanks for the pointer - did you ever write down your grandfather's tales???
[/QUOTE] My grandfather served in W...n I was about 9 so that's all I can remember.

 

[SamMarlowPI]

ah yes, time zones...forgive me :eusa_doh:

 

[Story]

"I think we've realised the huge amount of stuff they carried," said Deryn Binnie, the granddaughter of General Henry Chauvel, the commander of the mainly Australian mounted corps that captured Beersheba.

Mounted on horses and ponies from Israeli riding stables, the latter-day light horsemen are wearing WWI-style twill uniforms, complete with slouch hats and leather ammunition bandoliers, and are seated on replica military saddles.

Their forebears - many are descended from Light Horse veterans - also had to carry service rifles, ammunition and grenades, as well as a day's water, three days' rations and nine kilograms of horse fodder.

"I don't know how they did it," Mrs Binnie said. "We've got some serious horsemen on this trip, but there's only one or two of us who are still carrying all the kit they started with."
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national...-horsemen-steps/2007/10/29/1193618795468.html

I learned to ride up and down Kentucky hills during my second go around at Fort Knox and I will forever respect the amount of training it must have taken to hit anyone - let alone the broad side of a barn - from horseback.