Ceremonial unveiling of the Desert Mounted Corps Memorial

On the morning of 19 April 1968, the Prime Minister, Right Honourable J G Gorton, MP, unveiled a memorial to the members of the Australian Light Horse, the New Zealand Mounted Rifles, the Imperial Camel Corps and the Australian Flying Corps who died in Eygpt, Palestine and Syria during 1916-1918. Commonly known as the Desert Mounted Corps Memorial, the sculpture is a second casting of the statuary at Albany, Western Australia. The original stood for many years at Port Said but was badly damaged during Suez crisis in 1956. The group was remodelled by Raymond B Ewers for the Albany site and erected in 1964 on the original base, which was brought to Australia with the consent of the United Arab Republic. Surviving members of the Desert Mounted Corps from all over the Commonwealth attended the Canberra ceremony. The order of ceremonial included speeches by the Minister for the Interior (The Honourable P J Nixon, MP), Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand (The Right Honourable J R Marshall, MP), Colonel the Honourable Sir Wilfred Kent Hughes, KBE, MVO, MC, ED, and Mr Gorton. The dedication was performed by the three Chaplains General of the Army; the Ode was read by Mr H C Newman, CBE; wreaths were laid by the Prime Minister and Mr Marshall, Sir Wilfred Kent Hughes (representing the Desert Mounted Corps) and Air Marshal Sir Richard Williams, KBE, CB, DS, on behalf of the Australian Flying Corps.