International tribute in Pozieres as we unveil Somme tribute to fallen horses of World War One along with salute to invaluable contribution of donkeys

25 Sept

A partnership between The War Horse Memorial and the Donkey Breed Society provided the final chapter in honouring animals of war in a small rural village in northern France with a big history.

Pozieres lies in the Somme region and was the scene of a bloody battle and siege during World War One which lasted 43 days, costing 6,800 soldiers lives and 24,000 casualties. The Australian Imperial Force lost as many men over those few weeks as it did in more than eight months on Gallipoli. It is undocumented how many horses and donkeys who supported them perished in the bloodshed, but the number is estimated to be more than a thousand. British units were involved in support and adjacent attacks.

Monuments to the fallen dominate the region’s landscape and among them is a modest but poignant tribute to the many animals who too gave service and sacrifice. Now to join the dog and the pigeon silhouettes, provided by the Australian War Animal Memorial Organisation, are a horse and a donkey to commemorate the role these equids played in securing the peace.

A special unveiling ceremony took place attended by representatives of The War horse Memorial, The Donkey Breed Society, AWAMO, The Digger Cote 160 , a French organisation which promotes relations between Pozieres and Australia, along with more than a hundred local residents. Three Mayors from nearby villages joined the Mayor of Pozieres, Pascal Chalier who hosted a reception afterwords in the Town Hall (Mairie de Pozieres).

Horses and donkeys attended and Woody, a golden Labrador from England, was joined by a group of local dogs representing similar animals from long ago who lost their lives. A release of pigeons symbolised the vital contribution they made in communications as messengers.

The War Horse Memorial ambassador and poet, Roy Palmer, was guest of honour. The 87-year-old Chelsea Pensioner penned a special poem which he read out before the unveilings of the horse and donkey silhouettes.

Chelsea Pensioner Roy Palmer recites his poem

Nine million animals are estimated to have died or disappeared during the First World War, including horses, donkeys, mules, dogs and pigeons. Pozieres was chosen as the site of the memorial because of the enormous number of animals lost during the fighting on the Somme.

The original War Animal Memorial was officially opened at Pozieres in July, 2017, by AWAMO in cooperation with local residents. It honours animals from all nations that served during the First World War and was the first Australian war animal memorial established on the Western Front.

Susan Osborne, representing The War Horse Memorial of which she is co-founder, said it was because of the generosity of supporters that the money was raised to make the funding of the horse element of the memorial possible.

Silouette unveiled by the Donkey Breed Society

“This memorial is a fitting tribute to the many animals who lost their lives on the Somme in the First World War,” she said. “Thanks to our Australian colleagues, notably Nigel Allsopp and Mike Lee, Sarah Booth and the members of the Donkey Breed Society, Yves Potard and good friends in Pozieres, it will stand for all time to remember those horse, donkeys, dogs and pigeons who gave their lives. They provided invaluable support to the allied forces in what historians describe as one of the bloodiest battles ever recounted.”