Formation The Imperial Mounted Division was formed in Egypt in January 1917 with four
cavalry brigades: the Australian
3rd and
4th Light Horse Brigades and the British
5th and
6th Mounted Brigades. Four British Territorial Force
horse artillery batteries were assigned to the division to provide artillery support, one per brigade.
XIX Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery (Territorial Force) was formed for the division with :
Berkshire Battery, RHA (T.F.) :
Nottinghamshire Battery, RHA (T.F.) :
A Battery, HAC (T.F.) :
B Battery, HAC (T.F.) The batteries had been assigned to the
2nd South Midland,
Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire,
London, and
South Eastern Mounted Brigades, respectively, at the outbreak of the war. Each was equipped with four
Ehrhardt 15-pounder guns. All four batteries had originally gone out to Egypt with the
2nd Mounted Division in April 1915, but did not proceed to
Gallipoli when the division was dismounted for service there. Instead, they variously served on the
Suez Canal Defences, as part of the
Western Frontier Force in the
Senussi Campaign, They rejoined 2nd Mounted Division on its return from Gallipoli in December 1915, however, the dismemberment of the division began almost immediately as units were posted to the Western Frontier Force, Suez Canal Defences or to various other commands. and A Battery, HAC to the 4th Light Horse Brigade
Early service The brigade, and its batteries, served with the Imperial Mounted Division in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign as part of the
Desert Column. With the division, it took part in the advance across the
Sinai. The batteries were re-equipped with four
18 pounders each in time for the
First Battle of Gaza (2627 March 1917). They also took part in the
Second Battle of Gaza (1719 April 1917).
Reorganised and a cactus hedge near
Belah,
Palestine, in March 1918. In June 1917, the Desert Column was reorganised from two mounted divisions of four brigades each (
ANZAC and Imperial Mounted Divisions) to three mounted divisions of three brigades each (ANZAC,
AustralianImperial Mounted Division renamedand the new
Yeomanry Mounted Division). Consequently, the British
6th Mounted Brigade, along with
Berkshire RHA, was transferred from the Imperial to the Yeomanry Mounted Division on 27 June 1917. On 20 June 1917, the Imperial Mounted Division was redesignated as Australian Mounted Division as the majority of its troops were now Australian. The batteries were still equipped with 18 pounders when the brigade was reorganised but were re-equipped with
13 pounders (four per battery) before the
Third Battle of Gaza at the end of October 1917.
Later service The brigade, and its batteries, served with the Australian Mounted Division throughout the rest of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign. As part of the Desert Mounted Corps, the division took part in the Third Battle of Gaza, in particular the
Capture of Beersheba (31 October) and the
Battle of Mughar Ridge (13 and 14 November), and the defence of Jerusalem against the
Turkish counter-attacks (27 November3 December). Still part of the Desert Mounted Corps, the division took part in the
Second Trans-Jordan Raid (30 April4 May 1918). It final action was the
capture of Damascus (1 October). and the brigade
headquarters was disbanded in Egypt on 30 October 1919. ==See also==