Brave Bess and the ANZAC Horses

By Susan Brocker

The true story of the courageous and loyal horses of World War One.

The jet-black mare galloped wildly across the scorching white sands, the guns and shells exploding around her with a deafening roar. Her master spurred her on, his legs tightly gripping her heaving sides. With foam-flecked lips and ears laid flat, she thundered on through the flying bullets and choking dust . . .

Every ANZAC Day we celebrate the brave soldiers who fought and died in World War One, but the story of the loyal horses who carried our troops in the desert war has remained untold until now. This is their story - and the story of Bess, one of only four horses to return to New Zealand.

Bess and her companions overcame their fear, standing by their masters in the battlefield, in harsh desert conditions. Brave Bess and the ANZAC Horses tells the tale of these valiant horses and the essential part they played in the war.

Susan Brocker lives with her husband and many pets, including horses, on a small farm near Tauranga. This is her third novel for New Zealand children, following Restless Spirit and the bestselling Saving Sam.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Australia
• Release date: Jun 1, 2010
• ISBN: 9780730446057

Susan Brocker

Susan Brocker lives with her husband and many pets, including horses, on a small farm near Tauranga. This is her fourth novel for Kiwi kids; following Restless Spirit and the bestselling Saving Sam and Dreams of Warriors. She also wrote the true story of our Anzac horses in Brave Bess and the Anzac Horses.www.susanbrocker.com

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DEDICATION

In memory of my grandfather,

Trooper Thomas McGee of the Wellington Mounted Rifles

CONTENTS

Cover

Title Page

Dedication

Map of the Middle East, 1916

Author’s Note

Introduction: The Forgotten Heroes

Chapter One: Leaving Home

Chapter Two: Settling In

Chapter Three: Skirmishes in the Sinai

Chapter Four: Rout at Rafah

Chapter Five: Battle of Beersheba

Chapter Six: Attack at Ayun Kara

Chapter Seven: Jaffa the Beautiful

Chapter Eight: Down to Jericho

Chapter Nine: The Mountains of Moab

Chapter Ten: The Valley of Death

Chapter Eleven: A Sad Goodbye

Chapter Twelve: The Green Grass of Home

Timeline of the Middle East Campaign

Glossary

Arabic Glossary

Appendix

Bibliography

List of Illustrations

About the Author

Copyright

MAP OF THE MIDDLE EAST, 1916

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Since I was a little girl, I’ve loved horses. I also love history and learning all about our past. I was surprised then when I first heard about the amazing story of Bess only a few years ago. It intrigued me that I hadn’t heard about her long before. I had to investigate.

I discovered that her story, and that of all the other Anzac horses, is simply incredible. I knew that far too many horses lost their lives in World War One in Europe, as did their human companions. What I didn’t know was that so many of our horses and men also fought in the Middle East under terrible conditions in a war that is often forgotten.

As I researched and read the many diaries, memoirs and official histories of the New Zealand Mounted Rifles and the Australian Light Horse in the Middle East campaign, a moving story unfolded of the bonds that grew between these men and their horses.

Before sitting down at my desk each morning to write Bess’s story, I spent time with my own horse, Barney. Like Bess, Barney is a thoroughbred. He’s a tall, gangly chestnut with a big heart. As I learned about the conditions Bess and the horses lived and fought under, I marvelled at how they ever coped.

Horses are flight animals — this means that when something frightens them their first instinct is to gallop away as fast as possible. This instinct comes from their days in the wild, when the ability to run fast could save them from becoming somebody’s dinner. The fact that Bess and her comrades faced booming guns and screaming shells with steadfastness and bravery amazes me. Barney is startled by the rustle of a plastic bag, let alone an exploding gun. As I discovered, the horses went through many hours of training and conditioning. But mostly they developed incredible loyalty and trust in their masters.

During the research for this book, I received valuable advice and support from many people. I’d like to thank Bob McNeil from TV3, who first brought Bess’s story to my attention. Thank you also to Steve Butler, webmaster and member of the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Association. The NZMR website is packed with interesting information, diaries and photographs, and I was in and out of the site a lot during my research. Also Terry Kinloch’s books, Devils on Horses and Echoes of Gallipoli, and Richard Stowers’ Waikato Troopers, were invaluable sources of information and inspiration. Both Terry Kinloch and Steve Butler kindly read my text and provided some helpful feedback.

Paul Sanderson has written and produced a DVD called All the King’s Horses, which includes some excellent footage of the mounted riflemen and their horses. Thanks also to Dave Oldham, Jock Phillips, Matt Pomeroy, Mark Rhodes and Richard Stowers, and Eris Parker from Cambridge Museum, for their photographs from the private albums of the troopers. Many of these photographs show the great affection the troopers had for their horses in a way that words cannot convey.

Finally, thank you to Bess and her four-legged friends. Without their courage and sacrifice, many more of our brave New Zealand troopers might never have made it home from that distant desert land.

INTRODUCTION

The Forgotten Heroes

Many books have been written and stories told about the brave New Zealand soldiers who fought and died in World War One. But there is one story that is seldom told. It is the story of their brave horses.

At the outbreak of war in 1914, the New Zealand troops left for the battlefields with more than 3,700 horses. The horses were the first of over 10,238 that were sent to war between 1914 and 1916, serving mainly with the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade in the Middle East.

Of the more than 10,238 horses that served in the war, only four ever returned home. One of these was Bess, and this is her story. Through her eyes, it is also the story of all the other Anzac horses that served with such great courage but never returned home to a heroes’ welcome.

The jet-black mare galloped wildly across the scorching white sands, the guns and shells exploding around her with a deafening roar. Her master spurred her on, his legs tightly gripping her heaving sides. With foam-flecked lips and ears laid flat, she thundered on through the flying bullets and choking dust.

Alongside the black mare, horses squealed and fell as the bullets thudded into them. Still the long line of war horses charged on ahead. Suddenly her master hauled her to a stop and leapt from her back. He grabbed her reins and ordered her to lie down on the burning sand beneath the blazing sky. Fear pounded in her heart like a hammer, but she obeyed the man she trusted with her life. She dropped to her knees and rolled over in the searing sand, the stirrups stabbing her side.

‘That’s my Bess,’ her master murmured through gritted teeth. Using her body as a shield, he crouched behind her and steadied the butt of his pistol across her burning back. He began firing. She could feel the gun’s recoil wrack her body. All about her, the bullets hissed and the shells crashed. But she remained deadly still, just like her master had trained her to do. As she lay on the screaming, scorching sand, she longed for the peaceful green fields and gentle cool rains of home.

CHAPTER ONE

Leaving Home

On 4 August 1914, Britain declared war on Germany. From all over New Zealand, excited young men rushed to the recruitment centres to volunteer to fight. This was their chance

Reviews for Brave Bess and the ANZAC Horses

[debbiemccauley-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Over 3,700 horses and troopers of the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade (NZMR) were sent to serve in the Middle East during World War 1. After the Gallipoli campaign they combined with the Australian Light Horse Brigades and formed the ANZAC Mounted Division. Charged with preventing the Turks from gaining control of the Suez Canal, they were also to drive the Turks from the Sinai Desert and Palestine. The horses were used to quickly carry troops close to the enemy lines where they would dismount and attack on foot. The horses were put through rigorous training and learned to overcome their natural fear of loud noises. An incredible bond of trust and love formed between the troopers and their riders as they both endured the heat, flies, shortage of food rations, desert sand and constant search for drinkable water. The troops were angry at the end of the war when they were told they were not able to take their horse’s home with them because of quarantine reasons. Many chose to shoot them rather then leave them to endure the cruel conditions that were the lot of the horse put to work in Cairo or down a mine.Bess was the only New Zealand horse to return home. She lived out her life at Flock House with her rider, Colonel C.G. Powles. She died in 1934, and her burial place is marked by a memorial where soldiers now gather on Anzac Day mornings to honour the life of the brave horses of World War 1.The story is told through Bess’s eyes and includes a great amount of historical details which lends authenticity to the story. The hardship endured by solider and horse alike is captured. A timeline, glossary, and appendix are also included. Although a list of the multitude of illustrations is included at the back of the book I would have liked each photograph to carry a caption as I didn’t discover this until I finished reading the book. Altogether this is an important and well written story.