Albany 2026: Albany’s Light Horse Statue symbolises the quiet strength of the Light Horsemen who served in WWI

Overlooking Albany’s harbour, a lone horseman stands frozen in time — a quiet yet powerful reminder of the region’s deep connection to Australia’s wartime past. The Desert Mountain Corps Memorial, commonly known as the Light Horse Statue, captures a moment of quiet strength reflecting the endurance of the light horsemen who served in harsh conditions across the Middle East. It commemorates the men of the Australian Light Horse Brigade as well as the New Zealand Mounted Rifles, the Imperial Camel Corps and the Australian Flying Corps who served in Egypt, Palestine and Syria between 1916 and 1918. In 1923, architects P.H Meldrum and C. Webb Gilbert were commissioned to create the Desert Mounted Corps memorial — on top of the memorial is an Australian trooper on horseback aiding a New Zealand comrade whose horse has been wounded. The statue was originally erected at Port Said in Egypt in 1932 and was unveiled on November 23 by William Hughes, the prime minister of Australia at the time. The proceedings of the unveiling were broadcast by radio telephone over 24,000km between Egypt and Australia. This marked the first direct broadcast between the two countries. On December 26, 1956, the memorial was damaged in the Suez Crisis as rioters fuelled by anti-Western sentiment attacked the monument with hammers and stones, smashing it beyond repair. The rioters tore off the legs and tail of the New Zealander’s horse, smashed away the legs, tail and half the head of the Australian’s horse, sawed off the head, arms and legs of the New Zealander, and the figure of the Australian light horseman disappeared. With only the original plinth surviving the attack, the United Arab Republic agreed to the request of the Australian and New Zealand governments to ship the memorial to Australia so it could be protected. The statue was damaged beyond repair when it arrived in Australia, so they decided to build a replica. Albany was chosen as the location for the memorial’s new home because it was the assembly point for many of the Australian and New Zealand mounted troops before leaving to fight in Egypt. For some, the town would be their last view of Australian soil. In 1964, the Honourable Sir Robert Menzies and residents of Albany unveiled the restored Desert Mounted Corps Memorial at the summit of Mt Clarence. It is positioned above the same waters where the first Anzac convoy gathered before departing in 1914, the monument reinforcing Albany’s connection to WWI. While the years have passed, its significance has only deepened, standing as a steady reminder of service, sacrifice and Albany’s lasting place in history. Its presence invites reflection, drawing locals and visitors to pause and consider the sacrifices made far from home. Set among Albany’s network of heritage sites, including the National Anzac Centre, the statue continues to play an important role in preserving and sharing the Anzac story.