The Maxim guns were withdrawn but the regiment's fire-power increased during the war, and by the end of the conflict each squadron had four Hotchkiss machine-guns, one per troop.

[3] Commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel John Findlay, it was composed of a headquarters, a machine-gun section and three squadrons, formed from Territorial Force regiments.

[19] By now the troops had been re-equipped for their dismounted role, and carried a rifle with two hundred rounds of ammunition, a small pack, a haversack, mess tins, a bayonet, and an entrenching tool.

This was considered a ruse to retrieve arms and ammunition off the dead and to bring forward reinforcements, so the Turks were warned to return to their trenches as the New Zealanders were going to open fire again.

The initial attack was to clear the Turks from the foothills; this task was given to the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade, reinforced by the Maori Pioneer Battalion.

At the end of the month Stewart was evacuated sick, and Major John Studholme, the senior officer with the replacements, assumed temporary command of the regiment.

[42] The regiment spent their time building winter quarters, and tunnelling into the hillside to provide protection against shellfire, doing so until 27 November when they moved back into the front line.

The last group, three officers and thirty-one men, had to cover for the whole regiment, keeping up a steady rate of fire and moving their one Maxim-gun around the position to support the deception that all defences were fully manned.

[32][46] In Egypt reinforcements brought the regiment back up to full strength plus an added ten per cent, and the Machine-Gun Section was doubled in size from two to four guns.

[57][nb 2] The assault commenced at 15:00, supported by the Somerset Battery Royal Horse Artillery, and by 17:30 they had driven the Turks off Mount Royston.

At 06:00 the Turks left their trenches to counter-attack the regiment, but were stopped by small arms fire and the attached Somerset Battery Royal Horse Artillery.

[61] The regiment then moved downhill towards Abd, but were faced with heavy Turkish artillery fire, which by 10:30 had stopped the 1st and 2nd Light Horse Brigades to their left.

[47] By the end of the year the Turkish forces had been pushed out of the Sinai, and in January 1917, orders were given for the division to attack Rafa on the Egyptian–Palestine border.

[68] The intensity of the battle was demonstrated by the Inverness Battery Royal Horse Artillery, which was supporting the brigade and ran out of ammunition at 14:00.

Two hours later the division's covering force reported Turkish reinforcements approaching, and Lieutenant-General Philip Chetwode, who was commanding the attack, decided to call it off.

[72] After the British withdrawal, the Turks built a defensive line of trenches and redoubts, from the sea south of Gaza to Beersheba, following the route of the road.

The British plan for the second attack involved the ANZAC Mounted Division providing flank protection, intercepting any reinforcements, and pursuing the retreating Turkish forces if required.

[69] The regiment's involvement in the attack on Beersheba began at 18:00 on 30 October, when the ANZAC Mounted Division set off along the Wadi el Imshash towards the village.

[78] Once the assault started they slowly moved up the hill, and eventually they passed the Wadi Khalil and were able to engage the rear of the Turkish position.

Eventually relieved, on 6 November, by the Imperial Camel Corps Brigade, the men set out to the rear on foot, meeting their returning horses at Kh el Ras.

The next morning the 10th Squadron were sent forward again, but the Turks had withdrawn during the night.At 05:30 on 21 February the regiment formed the brigade's vanguard as it started out again, reaching the Jordan Valley at 09:00.

Jericho was occupied by the 1st Light Horse Brigade, so the regiment deployed along the River Jordan, from the Dead Sea to a pontoon bridge at Ghoraniyeh, which was still held by the Turks.

[96] The assault began at daylight on 27 March; the 8th Squadron moved across the plain to Kusr, where their progress was stopped by heavy Turkish small arms fire.

The 1st Squadron managed to capture a small trench, but without their artillery support they were unable to move any further forward in the face of heavy Turkish machine-gun fire.

Then the 8th Squadron moved forward with the 4th (ANZAC) Battalion, Imperial Camel Corps Brigade, and captured the last Turkish position on the hill.

Not all of the ANZAC Mounted Division moved west of the river; the 1st Light Horse Brigade remained on the eastern bank forming a bridge-head.

The regiment was heavily involved in the deception, carrying out offensive patrolling, constructing dummy camps, and moving back and forwards behind the lines to give the impression of a much larger force than was actually present.

[107] The main British attack started in the west on 19 September; the regiment remained in the Jordan Valley keeping patrols close to the Turkish positions to watch for any withdrawal.

[109] The regiment remained in the Amman area until the night of 29/30 September when they moved south to Kastel and secured a large number of prisoners from the Turkish II Corps.

Within weeks the rioting was quelled and the regiment returned to their camp, remaining there until 17 June when they were ordered to send their horses to the remount depot and move to Ismailia on the Suez Canal.