The charge of the Australian Light Horse at the Battle of Beersheba

There has been much debate regarding the famous photograph of the charge of the Australian Light Horse at the Battle of Beersheba (1917).

This photograph has been variously described as being one taken of:
1) The Beersheba charge on 31 October 1917
2) Some Light Horsemen practising a charge.
3) A re-enactment of the Beersheba charge.
4) A photo taken by a Turkish soldier (whose camera was seized on the day of the Beersheba charge).

The Australian Light Horse Association has published a statement made by Eric George (Rex) Elliott (Assistant Secretary of the 4th Light Horse Association), who said that the photo was taken by him on the day of the charge (31 October 1917), when he was working as a rangefinder. Elliott said that when he saw the charge taking place, he took his camera out of his haversack, and took a photo.

However, the Australian War Memorial (Canberra) dismisses both the Turkish soldier theory and Elliott’s claim, and says “it was probably taken when two regiments of the 4th Brigade, Australian Light Horse, re-enacted the charge for the official photographer Frank Hurley, at Belah on 7 February 1918”.

Some consider the photo to be the one taken by Rex Elliott in 1917, whilst others believe that it is a photo of a re-enactment staged for Frank Hurley in 1918. The controversy continues. However, either way, it is a photo of Australian Light Horsemen carrying out a charge (real or staged) during the First World War.

For a brief essay about the battle, see: The Battle of Beersheba (1917).

References:
1) “The controversial photo of Beersheba”, The Australian Light Horse Association
2) “Eric George Elliott”, Discovering Anzacs [service number 2169, 4th Australian Light Horse Regiment]
3) “Lieutenant William Hopkin ‘Hop’ James MC, 1st Light Horse Regiment, has written on the verso of …”, Australian War Memorial (Canberra) [Accession Number: P12049.007; sepia toned photo; “Lieutenant William Hopkin ‘Hop’ James MC, 1st Light Horse Regiment, has written on the verso of this version of the photograph “This is a snap of some of the 3rd Brigade practicing a charge. … If it was the real thing you would see riderless horses and horses going down. Also shells bursting among the horses.””]
4) “‘Thunder of a light horse charge’. This photograph has been described as one of the charge of …”, Australian War Memorial (Canberra) [Accession Number: A02684; black and white photo; the AWM discounts the Turkish soldier theory and the claim made by Private George Elliott (2169), and says it was a re-enactment staged for Frank Hurley]
5) “‘Thunder of a light horse charge’. This photograph has been described as one of the charge of the …”, Australian War Memorial (Canberra) [Accession Number: P03723.001; a black and white version of the photo, apparently with “shell bursts” (or smoke) added later on, presumably so as to give the photo some added “authenticity”]
6) ““The Charge of the Light Horse at Beer-sheba”. A hand-coloured print of the famous photograph …”, Australian War Memorial (Canberra) [Accession Number: P05380.001; a hand-coloured version of the photo with “shell bursts” apparently added]

Note: This article was originally part of The Battle of Beersheba [list of articles]; however, owing to the amount of text contained herein, it was decided to split it off and publish it as a separate post.