The Lighthorsemen, right? Excellent movie with two lovely blue-eyed Aussie boys; Gary Sweet and Peter Phelps was it? And of course all those horses - I have to say that although the subject matter was not light or frivolous, I do love scenes in movies when there are hundreds of horses galloping together. Gives me goosebumps every time.
Absolutely horrendous stats though. The carnage of both man and horse must have been indescribable.
That there is a gen-yoo-wine pic of their famous charge. Or so the Australian Light Horse Brigade claim. And I have no reason nor inclination to question them on Remembrance Day. :)
There is nothing like the thunderous charge of battle-steeds. I second your goosebumps. While I sadface the numbers. :(
What happened to the other 12,999? The thought of horses in war makes me so indescribably sad - knowing what they will do for you in exchange for the most minimal kindness, how big their hearts really are. Purely a work of fiction, but with a wonderful connection between man and horse, is The Wars, by Timothy Findley - a Canadian, about the Canadian experience in WWI. And about the horses...
Approximately 2000 were scheduled to be destroyed, and the remaining 11 000 were sold off to local buyers due to prohibitive quarantine requirements and return costs.
Sandy, the horse who returned home, belonged to Major General Sir William Bridges. Bridges was killed at Gallipoli, and Sandy was afterwards put in the care of Captain Leslie Whitfield, an army vet. Whitfield and Sandy were transferred to France in 1916, and then spent some time in England in 1918.
He was finally recalled home for retirement by Senator George Pearce, Minister for Defence, and lived out his remaining days on the pastures at the Remount Depot in Maribyrnong. :)
Awareness of humans subjected to the stressses and results of war is bad enough. But no animal--no horse, no mule, no dog--ever voluntarily went to war. They go at the insistence of humans, for their love for and trust in humans, and sometimes because they are forced to and used like tools, like objects, by humans.
The toll of war on human beings is appalling. It is horrifying, unimaginably inhumane on animals. Very few of the hundreds of mine- and tunnel-sniffing dogs trained and sent to Viet Nam, who served valiantly and often at the cost of their own lives, came home. There was no procedure implemented by the US to bring them home, no plan to do so when they were sent over. Those who had survived battle were simply abandoned when their units pulled out.
For all the human loss and damage, I mourn in a far keener way for the animals, who never had a choice, and who never had a chance.
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Absolutely horrendous stats though. The carnage of both man and horse must have been indescribable.
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That there is a gen-yoo-wine pic of their famous charge. Or so the Australian Light Horse Brigade claim. And I have no reason nor inclination to question them on Remembrance Day. :)
There is nothing like the thunderous charge of battle-steeds. I second your goosebumps. While I sadface the numbers. :(
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thank you for helping me remember.
<3
ilu.
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Sandy, the horse who returned home, belonged to Major General Sir William Bridges. Bridges was killed at Gallipoli, and Sandy was afterwards put in the care of Captain Leslie Whitfield, an army vet. Whitfield and Sandy were transferred to France in 1916, and then spent some time in England in 1918.
He was finally recalled home for retirement by Senator George Pearce, Minister for Defence, and lived out his remaining days on the pastures at the Remount Depot in Maribyrnong. :)
He died in 1923, a life and country well-served.
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The toll of war on human beings is appalling. It is horrifying, unimaginably inhumane on animals. Very few of the hundreds of mine- and tunnel-sniffing dogs trained and sent to Viet Nam, who served valiantly and often at the cost of their own lives, came home. There was no procedure implemented by the US to bring them home, no plan to do so when they were sent over. Those who had survived battle were simply abandoned when their units pulled out.
For all the human loss and damage, I mourn in a far keener way for the animals, who never had a choice, and who never had a chance.
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The very least we can do is to honour their contribution and give thanks.
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*hugs you*
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*leaves a carrot at the war horse memorial*
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*leaves a handful of sweet grain*
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