Service dress tunic : Trooper D Ross, 6th Light Horse Regiment, AIF

Australian Army Other Ranks khaki woollen service dress tunic with stand and fall collar. There are unofficial oxidised brass regimental collar badges which were adopted whilst the unit was overseas. They feature a fighting cock, a number '6', and a scroll 'L.H.RGT / A.I.F. / FIGHT ON FIGHT EVER'. The khaki shoulder straps are secured to the tunic with a small bone button. Attached by brass split pins are a brass number '6' fitted above a large 'LH' title, and a voided curved 'AUSTRALIA' shoulder title. The pair of patch pockets on the breast is box pleated with pointed flaps. The lower larger pockets have expanding sides with straight flaps. All the pocket flaps are fastened with a small bone button. Above the left breast pocket is a ribbon bar for the British War Medal 1914-20. The belt buckle has been removed and the left over fabric tongues trimmed and then sewn under the front. The tunic is fastened by five large bone buttons. A brass belt hook has been sewn onto both sides of the waistband. On both sleeve shoulders is the rectangular green over red colour patch of the 6th Light Horse Regiment, AIF, which have been blanket-stitched using embroidery thread. Above the right sleeve cuff is an embroidered overseas service chevron with three blue stripes. A 55mm wide box pleat runs down the centre of the back of the jacket, gathering into the waistband. The maker's printed label is sewn inside the yoke with 'NATIONAL CLOTHING MANFG. CO., LTD 1918 /SIZE'. A patch pocket for a shell dressing has been sewn onto the inside of the right front panel below the waistline. The jacket is not lined.

Worn by 3108 Private Donald Ross, who enlisted in the AIF on 8 July 1916 with the 6th Light Horse Regiment. Soon after arrival at Suez, Ross became ill, and spent the following several months recovering from measles in Choubra Hospital. He was able to rejoin his unit in September 1917, in time for the capture of Jerusalem in December 1917. After that, the 6th light Horse concentrated on several major raids across the Jordan River. In 1918, two raids which resulted in failure - the Amman (24-27 February) and El Salt (30 April - 4 May) mislead the Turks in thinking the next raid would be from across the Jordan valley. Instead, the next offensive came east of the Jordan and resulted in the 6th Light Horse being part of the force that captured Amman on 25th September, along with approximately 11000 prisoners. Turkey surrendered soon after on 30th October 1918. The 6th Light Horse was kept in Egypt to help with policing duties during the Egyptian revolt in early 1919. Ross sailed home to Australia on the 18 July 1919,