ANZAC Mounted Division

Australian and New Zealand Mounted Division
Men of the division watering their horses at the foot of Mount Zion, January 1918.
Active	16 March 1916 – 30 June 1919
Country	British Empire
Allegiance	British Empire
Branch	Army
Type	Mounted infantry Horse artillery
Role	Manoeuvre warfare
Size	Division
Part of	I ANZAC Corps Eastern Force Desert Column Desert Mounted Corps XX Corps
Engagements	First World War Sinai and Palestine Campaign Egyptian Revolution of 1919 See battles section for more information
Commanders
(1916–17)	Harry Chauvel
(1917–18)	Edward Chaytor
(1918–19)	Granville Ryrie
Insignia
Tactical formation sign

First World War

The Australian and New Zealand Mounted Division was a mounted infantry division of the British Empire during the First World War. The division was raised in March 1916 and was assigned to the I ANZAC Corps. On establishment, it consisted of four brigades comprising three Australian light horse and one New Zealand mounted rifles, supported by British horse artillery. In 1917, one of the Australian brigades was replaced by a British yeomanry brigade. After April 1917, the standard order of battle was reduced to two Australian brigades and one New Zealand brigade, although the Imperial Camel Corps Brigade and other British mounted brigades were temporarily attached several times during operations.

The division had two wartime commanders; the first was the Australian Major-General Harry Chauvel, who had commanded the 1st Light Horse Brigade at Gallipoli. When Chauvel was promoted to command the Desert Column – of which the division was part – he was replaced by the New Zealander Major-General Edward Chaytor from the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade, who remained in command for the rest of the war. Post-war, Brigadier-General Granville Ryrie commanded the division from December 1918 until it was disbanded in June 1919.