Informal portrait of Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) John Dalyell Richardson, 7th Australian Light ...

Informal portrait of Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) John Dalyell Richardson, 7th Australian Light Horse Regimen. A grazier from Raymond Terrace, NSW prior to enlistment, Lt Col Richardson embarked with the rank of Captain with A Squadron from Sydney on HMAT Ayrshire on 20 December 1914. Whilst serving at Gallipoli he was twice wounded in action. Following his promotion to Major, he served in Palestine and was Mentioned in Despatches. Following his promotion to Acting Lieutenant Colonel, he was appointed Commanding Officer of his regiment and awarded the Distinguished Service Order. The citation reads "This officer has done consistant good work throughout, and on 26 march at Gaza he displayed great coolness and gallantry in the close fighting which took place in the dense cactus hedges, it was in great measure due to his coolness that the 7th Regiment was able to effect a successful withdrawal in the dark from a very difficult position. He did excellent work at Mazar on 18th September 1916 and on the Peninsula where he was twice wounded. He has so far received no recognition, except Mentioned in Despatches for Romani." Following the Armistice the 7th Regiment was sent to Egypt to help quell the Egyptian Rebellion and where he was awarded the Order of the Nile 3rd Class. Lt Col Richardson returned to Australia on 28 Jun 1919 and later went on to serve as a Brigadier with the 1st Cavalry Division during the Second World War. See also B00910, B00169A, B00169B and J06251.