War Horse Memorial: New statue at Ascot Racecourse honours heroic beasts of First World War
Just 62,000 equine recruits returned from battlefields of France and Flanders out of 1m enlisted
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A new memorial is being unveiled near Ascot Racecourse today paying tribute to the animals that served so bravely during the First World War.
The bronze sculpture of a horse - emaciated, head bowed in sorrow for fallen comrades, a tangle of barbed wire lying at its hooves - was designed by sculptor Susan Leyland and will appear on the Heatherwood roundabout close to the famous racetrack.
The statue was cast at a foundry in Scotland at a cost of £300,000, weighs one-and-a-half tonnes and stands eight foot six inches high atop a nine foot plinth of Portland stone.
It has been christened "Poppy" after the name proved the winning entry in a competition organised by Britain's Brownies and Guides.
Purple poppy rosettes will be sold in memory of military animals in time for 23 August, a new national day in their honour, with the funds raised going to the Household Cavalry Foundation and Mane Chance Sanctuary.
The memorial remembers the 1m British, Allied and Commonwealth horses, donkeys and pack mules who served in the bloody conflict a century ago, only 62,000 of whom returned from the battlefields of France and Flanders.
The beasts were used as cavalry mounts, to drag heavy artillery into position and carry supplies, ammunition and even the corpses of dead soldiers.
Just like their human counterparts, the animals suffered terrifying conditions as a result of loud shellfire and rattling machine guns, many dying in the mud from bullet wounds, disease, starvation, exhaustion and pneumonia.
Their story was memorably told in Michael Morpurgo's 1982 novel War Horse, the subject of a spectacular National Theatre production in 2007 and a star-studded film adaptation by Steven Spielberg in 2011.
The memorial is intended to ensure their vital contribution to the war effort is never forgotten.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments