Officer's Mark V saddle : Lieutenant R W Knights, Citzen's Military Force light horse regiments

Officer's Mark V brown leather saddle, also known as staff officer's pattern, with brass dees and loops, steel stirrup bars and a triple point girth attachment on each side. The seat, skirts and girth protector are of hogskin; the panels and lining of leather (basil) stuffed with wool flock. The panels are quilted to keep the lining in place. Each girth protector is stamped with the manufacturer's details, ' D.MASON & SONS WALSALL 1920'. The saddle is fitted with stirrup leathers bearing three bar nickel plated steel stirrups stamped underneath 'WARATAH EARRANTS PTY LTD', and a pair of dark blue wool officer's pattern girths. One girth is 125 mm (5 inches) wide and bears a pair of steel buckles attached to short leather straps at each end. A leather keeper is sewn across each end of the girth 200 mm below the buckles. This girth is attached to the two outer girth points. A second girth, 75 mm (3 inches) wide, with a single steel buckle at each end, threads through the keepers on the wider girth and buckles to the central girth point.

A pair of expanding brown leather double gusset saddle wallets with leather covers lined with waterproofed fabric, connected to each other by a leather band, is secured to a brass dee on the pommel by a short strap and buckle. Each wallet bears a broad arrow acceptance stamp. The wallet covers can be secured closed in two positions by means of brass studs. The offside (right ) wallet contains an inner pistol loop to secure a side arm, while the nearside (left) wallet contains an inner ammunition pouch. Each wallet has a wallet strap with a split head bearing two buckles to secured the contents.

A shoe case to carry a spare fore and hind shoe, and horseshoe nails, is stamped on the back '6' and broad arrow. It is secured to the near (left) side dees behind the skirt by two short straps with brass buckles. A stay strap attached to a dee on the left side of the case passes around the nearest girth point and is secured with a brass stud. A sword frog is sewn to the lower part of the case, beneath the flap opening.

This saddle was used by Lieutenant Robert William Knights, a regular army officer, while serving in the Australian Staff Corps as adjutant to various light horse regiments in the Citizen's Military Force between 1933 and 1939. Knights was born in Canberra, ACT in 1912 and undertook officer training at the Royal Military College (RMC), Duntroon. On the outbreak of the Second World War he enlisted in the Second AIF on 13 October 1939. He was assigned the service number VX78 and was posted to North Africa as a captain with 2/7 Battalion. He was promoted to major at the end of 1941. In 1942 he transferred to 1 Australia Corps in Syria, acting as a lieutenant colonel, before returning to work at the Allied Land Forces Headquarters in Melbourne. After the war Knights was placed in charge of administration at RMC between 1945 and 1947. Between 1950 and 1951 he was seconded to the Department of Defence, before serving as Director of Personnel Administration at Army Headquarters until 1954. He commanded the 3rd National Service Training Brigade in Victoria between 1954 and 1956. Between 1958 and 1960 he served as head of the Joint Services Staff at Australia House in London, before returning to Australia to take up a position as Commandant of RMC. Knights served as Chairman of the Joint Military Planning Committee at the Department of Defence from 1962 to 1963, then as Quartermaster-General and Third Member of the Military Board from 1963 to 1966. His final posting was as General Officer Commanding Southern Command. Knights retired in 1969 with the rank of major general.