Sydney. After stops at Adelaide and Melbourne, they arrived on 28 August, and the regiment was disbanded. During the war, the regiment lost 67 men killed and 401 men wounded. Members of the regiment received the following decorations: three Distinguished Service Orders (DSOs) and one Bar; five Military Crosses with one Bar; nine Distinguished Conduct Medals with one Bar; 14 Military Medals and 17 Mentions in Despatches. Two members of the regiment, Major Eric Hyman and Major Cuthbert Fetherstonhaugh, were nominated for the Victoria Cross for their involvement in the fighting around Beersheba. The awards were never approved and instead they both received the DSO. Inter-war years and subsequent service In 1921, the Citizens Force was reorganised to replicate the numerical designations of the AIF units and perpetuate their honours and traditions. As a result, the 12th Light Horse Regiment was re-raised in the New England region of New South Wales and headquartered at Armidale. In re-forming, the regiment drew lineage from the Citizens Forces' 12th (New England) Light Horse, which had existed parallel to the AIF light horse regiment and had remained in Australia during the war. This regiment, through a complex series of reorganisations, traced its lineage to the 6th Australian Light Horse Regiment, which had been raised in 1903 and perpetuated units that had contributed personnel to fight in South Africa during the Boer War. During this time, the regiment was assigned to the 2nd Cavalry Brigade, along with the 15th and 16th Light Horse Regiments. In 1927, when territorial designations were adopted, the 12th Light Horse Regiment became known as the "New England Light Horse". At the same time, the regiment adopted the motto of Virtutis Fortuna Comes ("Fortune is the Companion of Valour"). Initially, the strength of part-time units was maintained through both voluntary and compulsory service, but after the election of the Scullin Labor government in 1929–30, compulsory service ended and the Citizens Force was replaced with the all-volunteer "Militia". The economic hardships of the Great Depression and reduced training opportunities resulted in a decline in the number of volunteers and consequently a number units were disbanded or amalgamated. Amidst the austerity of the inter-war years, the regiment remained in existence until 1 October 1936 when it was merged with the 24th (Gwydir) Light Horse to form the 12th/24th Light Horse. These two units were later delinked in 1938 as the Militia was expanded