The 31st October marks the 100th anniversary of the Australian Light Horse and the iconic battle, the Charge of Beersheba, during WW1. There are close local connections to this battle as members of the Haydon family from Bloomfield, Blandford, were enlisted as Light Horseman and Guy Haydon famously rode his horse Midnight at the Charge.
Publisher Tom Thompson has produced a book celebrating that event, called ‘To Beersheba 1917’- and it contains 100 previously unpublished photographs from the Haydon Family archive at Bloomfield, along with text from Guy Haydon’s memoir, as well as excerpts from Ion Idriess’ diaries.
Tom has also published a new edition of Ion Idriess’ book,’ The Desert Column’ a book complied from Idriess’ diaries, as he served at Gallipoli and later in Egypt and Palestine. Guy Haydon and Midnight will feature on the cover.
Appropriately, these editions will be launched at the Scone Literary Festival on Remembrance Day, 11th November and all are welcome to attend the launch and to observe the minute’s silence.
If you want to come to this launch as well as be involved in many of our wonderful sessions, then weekend package tickets are selling fast.
So check the programme to see the great line up of guests including the likes of Peter FitzSimons, Phillip Adams, Don Watson and Rosalie Ham (The Dressmaker).