4th/19th Prince of Wales's Light Horse - History

History

The regiment can trace its lineage through many units, including:

• Kyneton District Mounted Rifle Corps,
• Royal Volunteer Cavalry Regiment,
• 17th Light Horse,
• 17th Prince of Wales Light Horse,
• 19th Yarrowee Light Horse,
• 20th Corangamite Light Horse,
• 4th Corangamite Light Horse,
• 4th Light Horse AIF, and
• 2/4th Armoured Regiment.

The regiment was formed in 1948 as the 4th/19th Armoured Regiment (Prince of Wales's Light Horse) as a unit of the Citizens Military Force through the amalgamation of three other regiments:

• 4th (Corangamite) Light Horse,
• 17th (Prince of Wales's) Light Horse,
• 19th Light Horse (Yarrowee Light Horse).

The record of the 4th Light Horse in the 1914–18 war is without equal in the Australian Imperial Force. It was the only Australian unit to see service on all three fronts, Western Front (France), Gallipoli and Palestine and was granted a total of 24 Battle Honours of which 10 are carried on the guidon. Probably the most notable action of the 4th Light Horse was as part of the 4th Light Horse Brigade, the charge at the Battle of Beersheba on 31 October 1917, where 800 Australian Lighthorsemen took the town and crucial wells of Beersheba. This action is commemorated each year by the serving soldiers of the Regiment.

The regiment assumed its present name in 1949. In 1960, a regular squadron, A Squadron, was added to the regiment. In 1965, this was removed from the regiment's order of battle — Number 1 Troop was used as the nucleus in the formation of 1st Armoured Personnel Carrier Troop during its deployment to Vietnam, while the rest of the squadron was used to form 2nd Cavalry Regiment. Later 1 APC Sqn would be used to form the 3rd Cavalry Regiment.

In 1992, 4th/19th Prince of Wales's Light Horse Regiment underwent another major restructure when it was linked with Victoria’s second Armoured Reserve Unit, the 8th/13th Victoria Mounted Rifles. Before this restructure, 8th/13th VMR had its HQ and 1 Troop based in Albury, 2 Troop based in Wangaratta and 3 Troop based in Benalla. After the linking, 8/13th VMR became 'A' Squadron, 4/19th PWLH.

Today, the regiment maintains a total of two Sabre squadrons. 'A' Squadron which is based in Sale and Bandiana and 'B' Squadron which is located in Melbourne. On 28 April 2008, a Lance Guard consisting of members of 4/19 PWLH and 12/16 HRL was involved in the dedication of the Park of the Australian Soldier in Be'er Sheva, Israel. The park includes a bronze statue of a Lighthorsemen involved in the Charge of Be'er-sheva on 31 October 1917. This event was the first time the Regiment's Guidon has travelled overseas. The regiment has been granted the Freedom of Entry to five cities: Melbourne, Kyneton, Beechworth, Traralgon and Sale.