Announcement – Ana Scarf & Charlotte Scarf (editors), 2 April 2024
Last of the Cavalrymen: Memoirs of Major-General Robert Harley Wordsworth
Robert Harley Wordsworth (1894-1984) led an extraordinary life for a country lad from NSW. His military career spanned both World Wars, beginning as a junior officer in the 1st Light Horse at Gallipoli in WWI and then transferring to the British Indian Army and rising through the ranks to Major-General in command of the 1st Armoured Division in the Middle East in WWII. In all, he spent 25 years in the rarefied world of the British Raj, playing polo and big game hunting with maharajas and other royalty.
He attributed much of his success to his sporting prowess, bravado, and a great deal of luck, all of which enabled him to live a grand life at the height of the British Empire. After retiring from the military, back home in Australia, he forged another career in public service as a Senator for Tasmania and lastly as Administrator of Norfolk Island.
Wordsworth was a great storyteller, and his memoirs are an entertaining read with illuminating anecdotes and first-hand accounts of remarkable life experiences. They paint a picture of a loyal subject of his time, a man of service and courage, and someone who grasped opportunities when they came his way and lived largely by the seat of his pants.
Encouraged by his family and friends ‘Wordy’ as he was known, recorded many hours of audio tapes during his twilight years from his then home in Longford, Tasmania. This book is a compilation of transcriptions of those recordings, which have been organised, edited, and supplemented with images and explanatory footnotes by his daughter and granddaughter. It is superbly illustrated with photographs of the era.
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A book launch will take place in Hagley on April 21: https://www.fortysouth.com.au/events/last-of-the-cavalrymen-hagley-launch and Hobart on April 23: https://www.fortysouth.com.au/events/last-of-the-cavalrymen-book-launch, both events coinciding with Anzac Day commemorations to honour Wordsworth’s service at Gallipoli. Please RSVP by April 16 to [email protected] to attend.
