THE GREAT RIDE
The Great Ride tells the story of the advance on Damascus in Syria by the British and Commonwealth Forces in the Middle East in WW1. It was the last major involvement in the Middle East by the allied forces who were fighting the Turks and the Germans.
The Great Ride is based on a letter written by Carmel's husband Eric’s great uncle Trooper Ned Moriarty in 1918 from the deserts of Palestine to his sister Alice (Allie) who lived in Bunbury. Ned wrote: “Then we got into the rockiest and hilliest place God ever made. I don’t know how my old horse ever stood up. We were just getting on a bit better and were saying what a rough ride that was when what! Oh! A German Rear Guard opened up about 15 yards from us. We were looking into the muzzles of rifles......”
In 1918 in the Middle East, after Beersheba and Jerusalem had been captured, the British Allied forces faced an entrenched front line of Turkish and German troops. The Turkish line was formidable extending from Es Salt in Jordan to the Mediterranean. The British Commander-in-Chief, General Allenby was determined to penetrate the Turkish position on the coastal sector of Syria. He wanted to liberate Damascus, the capital of Syria. To achieve this there would need to be the most perfect piece of military deception ever known.
The Western Australian 10th Light Horse regiment led by Lieutenant Colonel Olden (from Narrogin) was given the honour of leading the 3rd Brigade on The Great Ride from Ludd to Damascus. In just 12 days they covered over 800 kilometers of treacherous deserts and mountains in Palestine and Syria in pursuit of the Turks and German ending in the fall of Damascus and soon after the capitulation of the Ottoman Empire. The 10th Light Horse leading the Australian Mounted Division rode into Damascus arriving 3 hours ahead of Lawrence of Arabia. Lawrence arriving 3 hours later made them surrender again to him.
Woven together are songs, dialogue, poems and images. The 10th Light Horse Regiment was given the honour of leading the Australian Mounted Division into Damascus where they accepted the formal surrender of the city. The Great Ride involved the biggest column of mounted men since Alexander the Great traversed the same deserts. Banjo Paterson was also involved as a remount officer looking after the horses.
Carmel has presented “The Great Ride” on the east coast including the National Library of Australia and at venues around WA including The Army Museum, Fremantle.
Contact Carmel if you would like her to present The Great Ride Mob 0412777061 or email: carmel@carmelcharlton.com