“Out went the first line and we waited for our word, by the time they had gone the first forty yards they were down to a man. What could one hundred and seventy five men do against that volume of fire? We saw our fate in front of us but we were pledged to go and to their eternal credit the word being given not a man in the second line stayed in his trench. As I jumped out I looked down the line and they were all rising over the parapet. We bent low and ran as hard as we could. Ahead we could see the trench aflame with rifle fire. All round were smoke and dust kicked up by the bullets… Our Colonel was killed, one Major killed the other wounded, the only Captain (myself) wounded and ten subalterns killed and three wounded leaving two officers not hit, and about five percent of the men. And so perished the 8th Light Horse.”

[Captain L F S Hore, 8th Light Horse, letter, quoted in Cameron Simpson, Maygar's boys: a biographical history of the 8th Light Horse Regiment AIF 1914-19, Moorooduc, 1998]

Source: (DVA, 2014)

Title: And so perished the 8th Light Horse

Collection: Biographical History

Object Type: Bibliographical History

Author: Cameron Simpson

Place Made: Moorooduc, Victoria

Date made: 1988

Description:

This extract is taken from the biographical history written by Cameron Simpson, this quote is said to have been written by Captain L F S Horeof the 8th Light Horse Regiment of Warnambool, Victoria (DVA, 2014). Hore’s excerpt is taken from a letter which tells of the virtues and courage of men in the face of death. Despite the odds being against Hore and his men, they scaled the walls of the trenches and charged the enemy trenches which were alight with the blaze of gun fire...  which resulted in the perish of the 8th Light Horse Regiment.

Rationale:

This artifact was chosen for the exhibition as it provides a vivid image of the charge at the Nek, it shows the loss of the life, the futility of war and the bravery of ordinary men in extreme circumstances. The narrative and vivid imagery which this primary source provides give students valuable information and provides a great source to hook students into the idea of the Nek and would be a great source to conduct a source analysis on