The anniversary of the Battle of Beersheba was commemorated at the Victory Memorial Garden's by local politicians and members of the community, with mostly rural men possessing the skills required to join the Australian mounted infantry.

On October 31, 1917, hundreds of young Australian soldiers charged on horseback towards the Turkish frontline under machine-gun fire in Beersheba, Palestine.

The enemy was soon overrun as the riders leap from horses and into the trenches, engaging in hand-to-hand combat in what is regarded as one of the most successful cavalry charges in modern history.

Member for Riverina Michael McCormack was the keynote speaker during the 104th-anniversary event of the Beersheba Light Horse charge and recounted the history of the military effort.

"We give thanks to the 31 of 800 involved in the charge who made the ultimate sacrifice and the 171 who fell on the day," he said.

"We also pay tribute to their might horses. What determined animals with such stout hearts."

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The local Light Horse Memorial Committee has been working towards a permanent memorial of the Light Horse with Wagga to commemorate the history of the cavalry, which dates back to 1888.

Treasurer John Ploenges has been actively fundraising for the statue set the feature a rider helping a fallen soldier onto the back of his horse.

"There are a lot of light horse memorials around, but they're either of a horse or a horse and rider with a name, but there's no national Light Horse memorial," he said.

"There are a lot of soldiers that went over and fought in that war, from the Wagga and Riverina area, so this is why we decided to actually have the statue here, as opposed to Canberra or somewhere else, because of the local connection."

During the service, Mr McCormack addressed several local men, now passed, who had served in the Beersheba charge, particularly, Henry Sheldrick.

"By the time he [Henry] returned to Australia, on July 20 1919, he had earned a military medal and the respect of a grateful nation," he said

"Poor Harry collapsed whilst pulling a load of 12 ingot wagons. His bereaved widow Amelia said her husband had not been well since the war and felt his death had been caused by the effects of the war.

"We remember Harry today just as we honour all those locals and indeed all those men who slung their rifles over their backs, adjusted their slouch hats, fixed their steely gaze and steered their trusty steeds into danger and deadly fire on that historic day."

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