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The Horses Didn't Come Home: Home

The Australian Light Horse in World War I

The Book

 

The last great cavalry charge in history took place at Beersheba in the Sinai Desert in 1917. It was Australian soldiers and horses that took part in, and won, this amazing, unexpected, unorthodox victory. The men proudly claimed it was their great-hearted horses that won the day. But in the end, the horses didn't come home...

 

"A superb story about an extraordinary corner of our past." - JACKIE FRENCH 

(Taken from http://www.harpercollins.com.au/)
   

The Light Horse

Find out about the Light Horse by exploring these links.

 

Image from: http://www.awmlondon.gov.au/battles/beersheba

The Charge

Image from: http://www.awmlondon.gov.au/battles/beersheba

Pamela Rushby

Check out Pamela's home page here.

Beersheba

90th anniversary of the WW1 Battle of Beersheba: Re-enactment of the Australian Light Horse charge.

By eman (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Special Service

ANIMALS AT WAR

 

  • M is for Mates - Australian War Memorial document. Animals in wartime. From Ajax to Zep. 
     
  • Behind the News - 10/11/2009: Remembrance Day11 Oct 2009 – Ever since the first world war ended - when the guns fell silent at the ...CATHERINE ELLIS, REPORTER: A special dog training camp, in Sydney, duringWorld War Two. ... All sorts of animals have acted as war mascots and pets. ... That one horse was Sandy who is now on display at the Australian War ...
     
  • War Animals: 24/04/2012, Behind the News
    24 Apr 2012 – Private John Simpson and a donkey called Duffy helped carry hundreds of wounded soldiers to safety at Gallipoli during the First World War.
     
  • Writing Animal Heroes
    There are at least two stuffed dogs from World War I. One is a Sydney silky terrier ...Sandy was the only Australian horse to come home alive after the war 
     
  • First World War.com - Animals
    15+ items – firstworldwar.com. a multimedia history of world war one ...

Releasing a carrier pigeon (CNP)

American mule team in ...

Dogs used instead of horses by Belgian refugees (NW)

Dogs used to pull ...

RSPCA Purple Cross Award | RSPCA Australia | For all creatures ...

The RSPCA Australia Purple Cross Award recognises the deeds of animals that have... of all of Australia's war horses, the RSPCA Australia exceptional animal award is... The Australian Special Forces Explosive Detections dog was declared ... in helping humans while under continual fire at Gallipoli during World War I.

Lest We Forget: Australia Sent Over 100,000 Horses to the War ...

20 Dec 2011 – The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) went to war as part of ... The Australian horses were the toughest on any front of World War I, and War ... in place for returning war horses and combat dogs home after a conflict. ...Many vets attest to the bravery of these animals and how their loyalty in ...

World War I

During World War I, the Germans blindsided the Allies with chlorine gas, a hellishly toxic ... Staff Sergeant Major Morgan and a dog wearing a cap, 1915 ... Unknown Aussie soldier, WWI, from the Australian War Memorial collection. .... Horses being loaded onto a transport ship to be sent overseas to join the war effort.

Beersheba


This photo of Beersheba is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Horses in Beersheba

Animals and War

It is estimated that more than 6 million horses were sent to the battlefields in Wolrd War 1; only one came home.

Use these links to explore how horses and other animals have been used in times of war.

Songs

Two songs about leaving the horses behind after the war.

A Tribute to the Horses

A video created by a person interested in this topic.

More Books to Read

A Tribute to All the Horses That Lost Their Life in World War I

It’s not just human soldiers who fought for their country. Millions of horses and other animals also served during wartime, and one special photo shows just how much their human counterparts appreciated the war horses and their sacrifice.

This touching black and white photo is believed to have been taken by officers of the Auxiliary Remount Dept. No.326 in Camp Cody, New Mexico in 1919.

Read about this amazing photo here