Perth’s Freedom a first for 10th Light Horse Regiment

With swords drawn, band playing and guidon flying, 10th Light Horse Regiment took over the streets of Perth on March 25 for its first freedom of entry to the city.

CAPTION: Army’s 10th Light Horse Regiment conducts its freedom-of-entry parade through the streets of Perth in WA. Story by Major Sandra Seman-Bourke. Photo by Leading Seaman Ernesto Sanchez.

Led by the Historical Light Horse Troop mounted on horseback, more than 100 soldiers and officers, flanked by Bushmasters, took part in the historic ceremony in front of thousands of enthusiastic onlookers.

Raised as the Western Australian Mounted Infantry in 1914, the 10th Light Horse Regiment’s lineage can be traced back to the period of the colonial militia of Western Australia.

Its battle honours include South Africa (Boer War), Gallipoli, Gaza-Beersheba, Megiddo and Damascus.

Following the disestablishment of the Regimental Headquarters and B Squadron in 1976, A Squadron remained the only active sub-unit.

In December 2020, under the Army Force Structure Implementation, the Chief of Army prioritised re-raising 10th Light Horse Regimental Headquarters and establishment of B Squadron by the end of 2023.

The regiment’s Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Wright said 10th Light Horse had a long and rich history with the city of Perth, dating back to the Great War.

CAPTION: Assistant Police Commissioner Brad Royce challenges Army’s 10th Light Horse Regiment during its freedom-of-entry parade through the city of Perth. Photo by Leading Seaman Ernesto Sanchez.

“The granting of freedom of entry represents the highest civic honour the City of Perth can bestow on a military unit and is a symbolic honour, demonstrating trust, loyalty and a sense of community between the city and 10th Light Horse Regiment,” Lieutenant Colonel Wright said.

“Today we express our appreciation to the local community, in which our soldiers live, work and train, for granting this privilege for the first time in our 108-year history.

“Army has been supported by the community in Western Australia since before the First World War, and that support is essential for us to do what we do, and continues today.

“We are so proud to call this city our home.”

CAPTION: Army’s 10th Light Horse Regiment conducts its freedom-of-entry parade through the streets of Perth in Western Australia. Photo by Leading Seaman Ernesto Sanchez.

Regimental Sergeant Major Warrant Officer Class 1 Christopher Sharp said the freedom-of-entry parade acknowledged the regiment’s strong history while looking to the future.

“The 10th Light Horse Regiment is one of the most storied units in WA history, and the city of Perth bestowing the freedom of entry reflects that,” Warrant Officer Class 1 Sharp said.

“When the regiment was an independent sub-unit it was granted freedom of entry to the city of Northam in 1970, exercising it most recently in 2014 on the regiment’s 100th birthday.

“10th Light Horse is a warfighting cavalry regiment trained to respond in a contemporary operating environment but also has the flexibility to support West Australian communities, as we did recently during Operation Flood Assist” [earlier this year  in the Kimberley].

 

 

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