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3/9 Light Horse (South Australian Mounted
Rifles) is an Army Reserve Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) unit
located at Smithfield, South Australia.
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The history of the Light Horse can trace its lineage back to 1840 and
has served in such places as South Africa in the Boer War (note the
memorial at the corner of King William Street and North Terrace next time
you are in the city of Adelaide), Gallipoli and Egypt.
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The unit was rewarded for its significant efforts in these conflicts and
now holds two guidons. Guidons date from the medieval period, where
banners where used as rallying points for Barons and there Armies. The
custom grew to emblazon the guidons and standards the battle honours won
by knights and barons. Modern Armies continue this tradition, although
they are no longer taken onto the battlefield. |
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| To this day, the 9th Light Horse has the honour of being the only
Australian unit to ever capture an enemy Standard (46th Turkish Regiment).
This occurred on October 2nd 1918 on operations in the Middle East.
The
standard now hangs in the Australian War Memorial Canberra and
is shown in the photograph to the right>>>
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With the re-raising of the CMF (yesterday’s Army Reserve) in 1948, the
3rd/9th South Australian Mounted Rifles was raised to commemorate the
original Regiments.
In more recent times, physical horse power has been replaced by mechanical
horse power, and the 3rd/9th Light Horse (3/9 LH) of today is more
powerful and more threatening than ever before.
However, the tradition of its forebears will never be forgotten and is
remembered permanently at memorials around Adelaide and South Australia.
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