On reporting for duty at the War Office in mid-August 1914, Chauvel was given a cable directing him to assume command of the 1st Light Horse Brigade of the Australian Imperial Force ( AIF ) when it arrived in the United Kingdom.

Under great pressure, Chauvel maintained his position until Brigadier General Edward Chaytor's New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade arrived after being released by Lawrence.

By 08: 10 the Imperial Mounted Division had arrived back at Deir el Belah and the Anzac Mounted Division was marching via Abu Thirig past Hill 310 where Chauvel met Chetwode.

After the capture of Beersheba, Allenby's order directing Chauvel to take the town by night fall arrived.

In 1933, In the Wake of the Bounty, directed by Charles Chauvel, cast Tasmanian born Errol Flynn in a leading role, before he went on to a celebrated Hollywood career.

On 5 August 2010 Labour list MP Charles Chauvel introduced a members Bill for a consultative commission followed by a referendum on the New Zealand flag.

No visible works were constructed, but together with Chauvel, the commanders of the two light horse brigades, whose task it would be to hold the attackers on this ground until the flank attack could begin, studied the area closely.

Chauvel had relied on the steadiness of the 1st Light Horse Brigade, which he had commanded during the Gallipoli campaign, to hold the line against greatly superior numbers for four hours until dawn, when the general situation could be assessed.

In October Chauvel was granted six weeks ' leave, and he travelled to Britain on 25 October, returning to duty on 12 December 1916.

) With essential rations organised, Chauvel led the mounted division out of El Arish at 00: 45 on the night of 22 / 23 December towards Magdhaba, after reconnaissances had established the retreating Ottoman force from El Arish, had moved to the south east along the Wadi el Arish towards Magdhaba.

Promoted to colonel in 1913, Chauvel became the Australian representative on the Imperial General Staff but the First World War broke out while he was still en route to the United Kingdom.

By September 1918, Chauvel was able to effect a secret redeployment of three of his mounted divisions and launch a surprise attack on the enemy that won the Battle of Megiddo.

Henry George Chauvel was born in Tabulam, New South Wales on 16 April 1865, the second child of a grazier, Charles Henry Edward Chauvel, and his wife Fanny Ada Mary, née James.

In 1889, Harry Chauvel embarked on a solo tour of Europe, visiting Venice, Rome, Florence, Paris and London.

Chauvel qualified at the School of Musketry at Hythe, Kent, and served on exchange with the 3rd Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps and 2nd Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment at Aldershot.

The Boer War broke out in October 1899, and Chauvel was given command of one of two companies of Queensland Mounted Infantry that departed Brisbane on 1 November 1899.

When Chauvel returned to Australia on 17 January, he found that during his absence he had become an officer in the newly formed Australian Army.

A force of 14, 000 troops was assembled for the opening of the first Federal Parliament on 9 May 1901 in Melbourne ; Chauvel was selected as brigade major of the mounted contingent, his first Federal posting.

Based on his experiences in South Africa, Chauvel propounded ideas on the nature of mounted infantry.

Chauvel became engaged to Sibyl in January 1906, and they were married on 16 June 1906 at All Saints Anglican Church, Brisbane.

Chauvel became concerned with slow progress on construction of the AIF's proposed quarters on the Salisbury Plain.

Convinced that the huts would not be ready on time, and that Australian troops would therefore have to spend a winter on Salisbury Plain under canvas, Chauvel persuaded the High Commissioner for Australia in London, former Prime Minister Sir George Reid, to approach Lord Kitchener with an alternate plan of diverting the AIF to Egypt, which was done.

Accompanied by Major Thomas Blamey, Chauvel sailed for Egypt on the ocean liner on 28 November 1914, arriving at Port Said on 10 December 1914.

Still by 12: 00 Chetwode, had not yet received any reports of enemy reinforcements moving towards Gaza and he sent a message to Chauvel, and Hodgson, to prepare to despatch a brigade each to assist the infantry attack on Gaza.

Its commercial reception was solid rather than sensational: Charles Chauvel Productions Ltd received £ 17, 915 from the film in May and June 1955.

In May 1915, it was sent dismounted to Gallipoli, where Chauvel assumed responsibility for some of the most dangerous parts of the line.

On 9 July 1915, Chauvel was promoted to brigadier general, back-dated to when he assumed command of the 1st Light Horse Brigade on 10 December 1914.

After a telephone call between Chauvel and Chetwode, pressure continued to be exerted and an attack by all units took place at 16: 30.

His place was taken by Chetwode, while Chauvel took over the Desert Column, thereby becoming the first Australian to reach the rank of lieutenant general.

Harry Chauvel was portrayed in film: by Bill Kerr in The Lighthorsemen ( 1987 ), which covered the exploits of an Australian cavalry regiment during the Third Battle of Gaza ; by Ray Edwards in A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia ( 1990 ), which took place around the 1919 Paris peace conference ; and by Colin Baker in the 1992 Young Indiana Jones TV movie Daredevils of the Desert, another retelling of the Third Battle of Gaza from the director of The Lighthorsemen.

Commanded by Major General Sir Harry Chauvel from March 1916 to 1917 when Major General Edward Chaytor took command for the remainder of the war.

Expanded to a full corps, Desert Mounted Corps when Chauvel took over commanded from Chetwode, in August 1917 following the reorganisation of the Allied forces by General Allenby after the failure of the Second Battle of Gaza.

At 08: 30 Chetwode took over command of the two mounted divisions from Chauvel.

But while Chauvel had been an Australian, he had been a regular officer while Morshead was not and the new commander of the British Eighth Army, Lieutenant General Bernard Montgomery felt that a reservist could not possess the " requisite training and experience " to command a corps and Morshead was passed over in favour of Oliver Leese, a British regular officer, who was junior to him and had never commanded a division in action.

Despite killing 1, 250 Turks and taking over 4, 000 prisoners, Chauvel was criticised for his failure to rout and destroy the Turks.

By April, the situation had calmed and Chauvel was able to hand over command of the AIF in the Middle East to Ryrie.

McCay, Monash and Colonel Harry Chauvel were all disappointed at being passed over for the command, and protested to Birdwood and the Australian government, but to no avail.

A further withdrawal by the 3rd Light Horse Brigade made the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade's position critical and at 17: 30, Chauvel gave orders for a general retirement.

In the Third Battle of Gaza in October 1917, it was again Chauvel and his Desert Mounted Corps that had the critical role.

Chauvel directed a number of successful Australian films, including 1944's World War II classic The Rats of Tobruk which starred Peter Finch and Chips Rafferty and 1955's Jedda, which was notable for being the first Australian film to be shot in colour, and the first to feature Aboriginal actors in lead roles and to be entered at the Cannes Film Festival.

Chauvel directed a number of successful Australian films, the last being 1955's Jedda, which was notable for being the first Australian film to be shot in colour, and the first to feature Aboriginal actors in lead roles and to be entered at the Cannes Film Festival.

The Labour candidate Charles Chauvel accused Dunne and the National Party of an " unprincipled political deal " which encouraged National voters to give their electorate vote to Dunne to ensure his survival as an MP.

Chauvel had selected a position for the defence of Romani, which stretched for between Katib Gannit and Hod el Enna, with a second fall-back position covering a series of parallel gullies running south-east and north-west giving access to the area of soft sand to the rear of the Romani defences.

In addition to the usual officers patrols left out overnight to monitor the enemy's positions, Chauvel decided to leave out for the night the whole of the 1st Light Horse Brigade to hold an outpost line of about 3 miles ( 4. 8 km ), covering all entrances to the sandhill plateau which formed the Romani position and which were not protected by infantry posts.

Chauvel ordered the 3rd Light Horse Brigade, which had been unable to turn the German and Ottoman flank, to move towards the New Zealanders who renewed their efforts, but they only succeeded in exposing their flanks, as the Australians were unable to conform to their forward movement.

Lawrence was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, but Chauvel, having already been made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George for South Africa and Companion of the Order of the Bath for Gallipoli, was recommended for a lesser award, which he refused.

The deliberate mixing of Australian and Imperial troops was done with Chauvel's approval but was contrary to the policy of the Australian Government, which soon registered its displeasure, sending Brigadier General Sir Robert Anderson to Cairo to discuss the matter frankly with Chauvel and his superiors.

Chauvel was given a state funeral service at St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne officiated by the Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne, Joseph John Booth, after which he was cremated at Springvale Crematorium with full military honours.

Chetwode's force was the same as Major General Henry Chauvel commanded during the Battle of Magdhaba in December, with the addition of the 5th Mounted Yeomanry Brigade ( which had been garrisoning El Arish ) and No. 7 Light Car Patrol of 4 gun cars and 3 stores cars.

Shortly after the attack began Chetwode sent messages emphasising the importance of this attack, warning that the trench line north west of Gaza between El Meshaheran and El Mineh on the sea, was strong and offering another brigade from the Imperial Mounted Division, which Chauvel accepted ; Hodgson sent the 3rd Light Horse Brigade.

In 1935, Chauvel won a Commonwealth Government competition for Heritage which gave a panoramic view of Australian history.

After this, Chauvel turned to television, making the BBC series Walkabout which travelled to interesting locations in Australia.

Chauvel currently chairs two committees of the 49th Parliament: The Privileges Committee, which deals with contempts of Parliament, and the Regulations Review Committee, having responsibility for scrutiny of delegated legislation.