use of animals ww1

[Guest lynsey1]

hello everyone,today i listened to a play on radio 4,it was called humble beasts by matt parker and it was about the part played by animals in the great war and the suffering caused to them by the conditions and injuries from shells etc.I know that thousands of horses were used and indeed killed in battles etc,also donkies and the invaluable role of the carrier pigeon.The use of dogs was mentioned and the bond built up between man and animal,i dont know if this play was fact or fiction or a bit of both but it was such a good play and the actors playing the parts did a great job,you almost felt you were there,especially at the end when at the start of an offensive,the men along with their dogs were going over the top and being mown down by gunfire and shells.Can anyone tell me about animals in the great war, any stories etc that you may have come across during your research, were animals awarded medal,any stories about animals surviving the war and coming back.I had never really thought about the effects of war on animals but if soldiers were suffering shell shock because of constant shelling and conditions etc, surely there must have been some effect on the animals too.Would like to hear your thoughts.

Thanks ,lynsey

[ianw]

Lynsey,

Horse and mule transport was vitally important . I think a greater weight of fodder was sent to France than shells !

There is a famous memorial to the horse on the Somme.

[paul guthrie]

The memorial Ian mentions is probably " Goodbye Old Chap" at Chippily, a Tommy and his dying horse, it's a divisional memorial but can't remember which one, want to say 41 but that's the fine one at Flers.

The Scottish National Memorial at Edinburgh Castle has a fine section devoted to the animals that died.

Now infromed it's to 58th London Division, thanks Andrew, it's a tear jerker.

[AndrewThornton]

The memorial at Chipily is to 58th (2/1st London) Division, Territorial Force.

[Kate Wills]

Lynsey,

Pigeons were the most-highly decorated non-human species in WW1, for their messaging across the battlefields, from trenches, and later in the war from tanks. Dogs were also used in this capacity and, certainly in the French army, were used by medical units.

The Brooke Hospital for Horses was born of war. Lady Dorothy Brooke, a British diplomat's wife, was appalled at the treatment of ex-Army equines sold-off to locals in the middle-eastern theatres of war. She founded a home and hospital for rescued horses, donkeys and mules in Cairo. The street where her work still flourishes is called 'the street of the English lady', and if you have any cash to spare this is a very good cause. Also, if you are travelling to any of the countries where the Brooke charity maintains hospitals, they are always grateful for any volunteer couriers to take-out medical supplies.

Which reminds me, there is a famous cartoon (Punch maybe), drawn just after the war, of a poor mis-used British horse standing at a Customs post, where the officer asks "Have you anything to declare?"

"Only that I am ashamed of my country" the horse replies.

If you type 'pets' names' into the search facility, you should find an interesting earlier thread on animals in WW1.

Kate (known locally as 'the cat lady')

[Annette Burgoyne]

Hi lynsey

I believe the Yanks awarded a pigeon a bravery medal, cant remember the details, I've got that many books and I am not sure were I read this. Our Yank Pals will hopefully give more details.

There is a shot in the "Somme" of master and best freind (his dog) both killed by the same shell or MG fire. Dogs were also used to carry messages, there is a picture in a book I have of a poor pooch hanging on the wire. Its sad we humans have to drag animals into our wars.

Regards

Annette

[Guest lynsey1]

Thanks everyone for info on animals in war,especially kate and annette, especially the cartoon quote from the horse.I agree, it is a great shame that animals have to be dragged into wars which are made by mankind

[paul guthrie]

The American pigeon Annette refers to was Cher Ami, bird was with the famous Lost Battalion in the Argonne Forest September 1918 near Charleavaux Mill. There is a concrete road marker there indicating the place. They had been surrounded and cut off for several days. Cher Ami was their last pigeon and when the damn bird was released it flew to a nearby tree and resisted efforts to get it to fly for some time. Finally made it back wounded and died. Now in Smithsonian.

The story of Lost Battalion is quite good and I will get ISBN etc of a classic book back in print if someone needs it.

There were two CMOH awarded one to Lt Col Charles Whittlesley who was in charge and haunted by deaths etc. walked off boat to Havana in 1920.

[Marco]

Elephants! Don't forget the elephants!

http://www.xs4all.nl/~aur/layout/frames.ht...nds/strange.htm

Regards,

Marco

[Cliff. Hobson]

A colleague qhose Father was in the R.H.A. told me the story of a minor problem they had with the horses shipped over to France, when they landed the horses insisted on walking on the left on the road.

Cliff. Hobson

[cooper]

Then there was A carrier pigeon awarded the Legion D'Honneur (I hope I spelt it right).

Fort Vaux was cut off and under severe attack in Feb 1916. The garrison, gassed and dehydrated could not hold out much longer. Colonel Raynal decided to send his last message prior to his surrender with his last pigeon. He released it from the fort and it flew to the citadelle (HQ) at Verdun.

Although the bird was gassed, it made it and promptly died upon arrival. The bird was postumously awarded the Legion D'Honneur.

I believe it is stuffed in one of Verdun's museums, although there is also a plaque on the front of fort Vaux dedicated to the bird.

Cheers,

Cooper

[Andrew Hesketh]

Isn't there some sort of organistion trying to get some sort of memorial to animals killed in the wars? I'm not certain but I'm sure I remember seeing one of those celebrity Weakest Link quiz shows and Jilly Cooper donated her winnings to some such group.

Hmm, managed to say 'some' three times in two sentences......

[Terry_Reeves]

Out of interest, on mobilization the Army had some 25,000 horses and mules. On 30 November 1918 this had risen to 735,409. On the same date there were also 56,287 camels, mules and donkeys employed in various theatres. 529, 564 horses and mules were either cast and sold, that is no longer fit for service, died, or were destroyed or missing.

Another interesting facet of the war was the use of messenger dogs, originally called "liaison" dogs. The idea was conceived in 1916 but was uncoordinated, their use being left to up to individual commanders. Where they were used, the animals quickly became unit pets which distracted them from their tasks. In 1917 a more formal system was set up with dogs being trained on mock battlefields, complete with shell craters and bangs and flashes to get them used to the battlefield environment. It is difficult to ascertain exactly how useful they were however they must have some impact as they were issued with specially made gas masks.

With regard to war memorials, there is (or was) one in South Africa to commemorate horses who were killed or died in the Boer War.

Terry Reeves

[Guest lynsey1]

Thanks everyone again,the knowledge some of you lads is amazing(and girls) Terry, i did,nt realise just how many horses were used,735,000 at one point,thats staggering! I can see how the problem could have arose with dogs becoming pets and the problems it may have caused.

regards lynsey

[paul guthrie]

There is a museum in the Vosges, St. Amarin I think but not sure, with a great US horse gas mask.

Rin Tin Tin was rescued by a US soldier in the Argonne and went on to fame as you know. He had been a German dog.

[Neil Mackenzie]

The 'Animals in War Memorials Fund' is funding a memorial by David Blackhouse to commemorate all animals who have died in conflict. This will be sited at Park Lane but not sure what the expected completion date is.

Some 8m horses, donkeys and mules apparently died in WW1 alone but the sculpture will commemorate all animals 'from elephants to glow worms'.

Neil

[mordac]

There was a British War Dog School located at Tyndurst, commanded by a man named Colonel Richardson. The dogs were trained to act as messengers.

In "The 50th Battalion In No Man's Land" written by Victor Wheeler, there is an amusing story of a daschund, being used as a German messenger dog, that wandered into the 50th's trenches. The message was sent to army intelligence and the dog was sent 15th/17th West Yorkshire Regiment as a POW.

Garth

[Tim Birch]

Neil

"elephants to glow worms". Is this just a figure of speech or were these animals actually used in the Great War? I can imagine elephants used for heavy logistical work, but what would glow worms be used for? (RFC flare paths?)

There is a beautiful memorial to the 58th (London) Division at Chipilly on the Somme depicting a soldier cradling the head of a dying horse in his arms. When I saw it it brought a lump in my throat and made my eyes moisten.

Tim

[Neil Mackenzie]

Tim.

The link below is to a page on the Friends of Memorials website. If you go to 'News' and then select 'Animals in War' there is an article by Maggie Goodall. Apparently glow worms were used for reading maps! I am sure this is right but I am have never seen any other reference to them.

Neil

Animals - FOWM

[Kate Wills]

Lynsey,

You may be interested in this information from the Brooke Hospital website

http://www.brooke-hospital.org.uk/brooke/h.../homeframe.html

"Dorothy Brooke arrived in Cairo in October 1930. Twelve years earlier, at the end of the First World War, the British Government had tragically sold some twenty thousand cavalry horses to buyers in Egypt. Mrs Brooke was so shocked by the condition of the surviving horses she saw working in the streets of Cairo that she at once set about putting an end to their suffering.

A single descriptive letter to the 'Morning Post' raised the modern equivalent of more than twenty thousand pounds. More letters followed. Within three years, and with the assistance of her husband, Major General Geoffrey Brooke, and a small committee, she had bought the remaining five thousand cavalry horses still working in Egypt. The vast majority, being more than twenty years old and often in the final stages of collapse, had to be destroyed. However, they ended their days peacefully amid the care and attention to which they were all once so accustomed"

The memorial mentioned earlier is based on Fortunio Matania's painting ‘Goodbye Old Man’. The original, I believe, is owned by the Blue Cross, which did so much work to alleviate the sufferings of horses at the front. This can be seen, along with a poem entitled ‘A Soldier’s Kiss’ on the WFA South Wales branch website

http://www.powell76.freeserve.co.uk/asoldierskiss.htm

[Guest lynsey1]

Thanks kate,how sad to think of all those horses left behind,especially after the service they had given and then to end up working while in poor condition,makes me feel quite sad and angry.If ever i come across this charity i will definately be making a donation,and long may the work continue

[Marco]

Lynsey,

The following book might be of interest:

ANIMAL WAR HEROES; London, A. & C. Black [Oct.]

1933: SECOND EDITION/First Printing (1st ed. was

March 1933), 8vo, tan cloth, 130pp, frontis photo,

introduction, foreword by Maj.-Gen. Sir John Moore

(Dir. of Veterinary Services, B.E.F., 1914-18),

'His Two Horses' (a poem) by William H. Parr, 17

b&w photos, covers sunfaded, else VERY GOOD/no

dustjacket. ** From the Introduction: ~The numbers

of animals employed by the British forces during

the War is difficult to imagine. At one period,

during 1917, the strength of animals on all fronts

totalled over one million, of which 436,000 were

in France. the total number employed by all

belligerents has been estimated at over

16,000,000, while the Animal Roll of Honour for

British forces alone totals 500,000. As active

workers and mascots all kinds of animals were

pressed into service -- horses, dogs, mules,

pigeons, oxen, camels, elephants, cats, goats,

even geese. This book does not aim to be a history

of the War Animals, but rather to give the

individual stories of a few...~ Twenty two stories

on animals in service during World War I;

including those of "Rags" the messenger dog from

Gallipoli, "Pitoutchi" the cat (born in the

Belgian trenches), "Peggy" the mascot dog of the

H.M.S. Iron Duke and "Rin-Tin-Tin", the American

acting dog (who was actually abandoned by his

German master at Metz), "Raggie" (short for

"Ragtime"), a war horse in Mesopotamia, "Jimmy"

the donkey, the mascot of the 1st Scottish Rifles,

and more. The final chapters are titled "The

Welfare of Animals in Wartime", "After the War"

and "War Memorials to Animals".

Haven't seen it yet, but I just bought this second hand copy for US $ 45

Regards,

Marco

[Guest lynsey1]

Thanks marco, i will try to get the book,it sounds very interesting.You mentioned cats,did,nt realise cats were used or were they mascots.

regards lynsey

[Tim Birch]

I think cats were useful for keeping down the rat population in the trenches

Tim

[Guest lynsey1]

Thanks tim,must sound thick,my only excuse is i,ve had al long day at work and my brain switched off!!!!

Hence the mistake i just made regarding the 87th anniver visit