Beersheba & Midnight
The featured image shows Major Guy Haydon on ‘Midnight’
This is a story too good to miss. It really resonates around the Upper Hunter leading up to the 100 years anniversary of the original charge in 1917. Peter Haydon from Blandford has been especially proactive with very good reason. I am very proud to have played a fundamental role in Peter’s Scone Horse Festival VIP Award in 2009.
See: https://www.abc.net.au/landline/the-last-charge:-the-brave-deeds-of-both-horse-and/9073372
Peter Haydon was born in Scone, the Horse Capital of Australia, in 1955 a fifth generation horseman from Bloomfield Homestead, Blandford which was settled by the pioneering Haydon Family in 1832. Peter is the current owner operator of Haydon Horse Stud with this wife Alison and sons Henry, Nick and David. It is one of the oldest continually run family horse studs and produces top quality horses which are performing on the world stage.
Peter has a Bachelor of Commerce, worked in business in Sydney and London, managed the polo stables for HRH the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle as a professional player and was Scone Horse Festival VIP in 2009 in recognition for his services to the horse industry.
He has compiled a story about his great uncle Guy Haydon and his horse from Bloomfield, Midnight who died saving his life in the Charge of Beersheba.
http://www.haydonhorsestud.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Midnight-Warhorse2.pdf
Posted on March 3, 2015 by admin
Guy Haydon rode Midnight in the famous Charge of Beersheba. Earlier they had been chosen to represent the Australian Light Horse against the British Calvary in the “Desert Olympics”, winning all three events and becoming heroes of the Light Horse.
The Charge of Beersheba was one of the last great victorious cavalry charges in history, which led to the fall of the Ottoman Empire and changed the course of World War One. 800 mounted Australian’s from the 4th and 12th Light Horse charged across open ground to capture the precious wells at Beersheba from 4,000 well-entrenched Turkish soldiers. Described as “insanely courageous” they charged directly at the enemy artillery, machine gun and rifle fire with only bayonets in their hands. Due to the sheer speed of their horses they managed to get under the enemy fire, jump the trenches and take the town in an historic victory. A British Calvary Officer recorded it “as the finest thing that I have ever seen mounted troops do”.
The 31 October 2017 marks the 100 Years of the Charge of Beersheba with extensive commemorations to be held locally, nationally and internationally. At Murrurundi the 12th Light Horse will conduct a ceremonial parade on 28 October, followed by a luncheon and the showing of “The Waler” documentary, the Historical Society will have an exhibition of memorabilia, Mark Greenwood will have a book stand for his children’s book “Midnight-the story of a light horse” and Frane Lessac the illustrator will display her original drawings and there will be an exhibition of school paintings inspired by the book. Tom Thompson will display his new book “To Beersheba 1917”.
To get the full Midnight Warhorse story please click here.
http://www.haydonhorsestud.com.au/news/midnight-the-full-story/
Peter Haydon is a special guest author at the Scone Literary Long Week End (Writer’s Festival) 10th – 12th November 2017:
http://www.sconewritersfestival.com.au/authors/peter-haydon
Home: http://www.sconewritersfestival.com.au/
Message form Peter Haydon re. Landline Waler/Beersheba Special Link:
Please see below the link to the Landline Waler/Beersheba Special filmed yesterday everyone has been asking for;
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-21/the-last-charge:-the-brave-deeds-of-both-horse-and/9073372
Peter Haydon | Haydon Horse Stud
Bloomfield Homestead, Blandford, NSW, 2338.
M 0448 466 659
http://www.haydonhorsestud.com.au
https://www.facebook.com/haydonhorsestud