Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

From Waler Data Base and Donna (Grand daughter)

"Trooper Gordon Jowett from Hurstville NSW but later from Sutherland. Served abroad for 3 yrs 119 days. Total service 4 yrs 6 days. He had two horses shot out from underneath him, was in the Battle of Beersheba- always told us all “you can’t say you can ride until you can gallop a camel” which he rode at the end. He also co - authored a poem that was published in the major press in Sydney “The road to Raffa”. He was a horseman his whole life his discharge papers say 2nd AMDS but when I researched it I am pretty sure it was 1st and then 4th Light Horse. He never discussed the war, we never found his medals - the only thing he ever said was the horror of the horses being bayoneted as they jumped the trenches… and he never discussed it . This pic was actually like a postcard which was sent to my grandmother- a man of few words like many of his generation “Thinking of you Flo” or similar xxx.

The display of the mounted Light Horseman at the Australian War Memorial is almost perfect to this pic - the tack, the string fly veil, the uniform. Sadly, my cousins and I often say we wish we had a better understanding when we were young - sometimes pop was grumpy…. I wonder why but most of the time he was amazing as was nan, the women who waited. "
The Road to Rafa poem in comments.

The Light Horse regiments all had machine gun squadrons to start with, then a bit later the machine gunners were put under control of the various Brigades. That may help solve the riddle of what he was in. The AWM says 2nd Australian Machine Gun Squadron - does that mean attached to the 2nd Light Horse, would anyone know please? Or perhaps this was in fact the 2nd Machine Gun Battalion formed later in the war? Also, please see Perry's comment, an AWM entry that says he embarked with the 1st Light Horse.

The machine gunners rode horses to get about and the machine guns were on pack horses; will post some pics shortly. Very skilful job, leading the packhorses particularly under fire. Had to unload and set up the machine guns, and use special range finders to set them for the target. Horse holders had to rush the horses out of harm's way.