12/17/2023 0 Comments Laura songsterOnce a year Songster was reclaimed by his old unit, the Leicestershire Yeomantry, for their annual camp. Image courtesy of Loughborough Carillon Tower and War Memorial Museum. Songster with members of the Leicestershire Yoemanry at their annual camp in the mid-1930s. Major Harry Poole, and making weekly appearances at Loughborough Market. Songster spent his retirement years on a farm near Loughborough, cared for by Sgt. But Trooper Main raised enough money to bring Songster back to Leicestershire in 1919. Image courtesy of Loughborough Carillon Tower and War Memorial Museum.Īfter the war, most horses were put up for sale in France because it was too expensive for the military to bring them home. Songster with Trooper Bert Main, France 1915. Songster was taken to France with the Leicestershire Yeomanry in November 1914 and saw action with Trooper Bert Main in the saddle. Songster was mobilised along with other horses in Loughborough’s Market Place on 4 August 1914, the day Britain declared war on Germany. Songster the War Horse’s Grave Songster the war horse’s grave marker. He also asked that Blackie live out his days at the Horses’ Rest, Halewood. When Lieutenant Wall’s will was read, it was discovered that he bequeathed his medals be buried with his horse. Blackie recovered, although scarred, and served on the Western Front for the duration of the war. On 8 June 1917, during the Battle of Messines (2 nd Battle of Ypres), they were both hit by flying shrapnel from a German shell. His rider was Lieutenant Leonard Comer Wall who had joined up at the outbreak of the war. War Horse Blackie’s Grave War horse Blackie’s Grave, RSPCA, Higher Road, Halewood, Liverpool (original site of RSPCA’s Horses’ Rest, Hunts Cross) © Karen Falconer.īlackie was one of many thousands of Royal Field Artillery (RFA) horses. Instead, the RSPCA decided on a more practical commemoration – the Animal War Memorial Dispensary where, in the words of a contemporary report, ‘the sick, injured or unwanted animals of poor people could receive, free of charge, the best possible veterinary attention, or a painless death.’ Its central bronze relief depicts the working animals of the First World War and two stone tablets either side of the door are dedicated to the thousands of animals who died. The building is listed Grade II. Funds were raised and a site chosen at Hyde Park Corner. In the 1920s, the RSPCA proposed a memorial to commemorate the animals that had served in the First World War. The Animal War Memorial Dispensary Animal War Memorial Dispensary, Cambridge Avenue, Kilburn, London, opened November 1932.© Historic England. Here are 8 memorials that commemorate the history of animal contribution to the war effort. Many animals – goats, a fox, monkeys, a pig, a bear, mice, dogs and cats – were kept as pets and mascots by troops and on ships, raising morale and providing comfort during the terrible hardships of war. On the home front, circus elephants were commandeered for agriculture and haulage. Canaries and mice were employed to give early warning of toxic fumes when troops were tunnelling underground. Dogs carried messages and laid telephone wires. Messenger pigeons played a vital role in communications, relaying messages from the front line to headquarters more reliably than telephone or radio. Tens of thousands of horses and camels were used by cavalry units. They hauled food, equipment, ammunition and other supplies for the troops. ![]() They died in their hundreds of thousands.Īn estimated six million horses and mules were engaged by the combatants. In addition to this modern technology, millions of animals were used both in warfare and on the home front. The First World War saw the development of industrialised mechanised warfare – machine guns, tanks, and aeroplanes.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |