ANZAC DAY TRIBUTE | SANDY: AUSTRALIA'S WORLD WAR 1 WARHORSE

Anzac Day, 25 April, is one of Australia’s most important national occasions.

It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War.

ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The soldiers in those forces quickly became known as Anzacs, and the pride they took in that name endures to this day.

When war broke out in 1914 Australia had been a federated nation for only 13 years, and its government was eager to establish a reputation among the nations of the world. When Britain declared war in August 1914 Australia was automatically placed on the side of the Commonwealth.

In 1915 Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of the expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli peninsula in order to open the Dardanelles to the allied navies. The ultimate objective was to capture Constantinople (now Istanbul), the capital of the Ottoman Empire, an ally of Germany.

The Australian and New Zealand forces landed on Gallipoli on 25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the Ottoman Turkish defenders. What had been planned as a bold stroke to knock Turkey out of the war quickly became a stalemate, and the campaign dragged on for eight months. At the end of 1915 the allied forces were evacuated from the peninsula, with both sides having suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. More than 8,000 Australian soldiers had died in the campaign. Gallipoli had a profound impact on Australians at home, and 25 April soon became the day on which Australians remembered the sacrifice of those who died in the war.

Although the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives, the actions of Australian and New Zealand forces during the campaign left a powerful legacy. What became known as the “Anzac legend” became an important part of the identity of both nations, shaping the ways in which they viewed both their past and their future.

In 1916 the first Anzac Day commemorations were held on 25 April. The day was marked by a wide variety of ceremonies and services across Australia, a march through London, and a sports day in the Australian camp in Egypt.

Today, Australians recognise 25 April as a day of national remembrance, which takes two forms. Commemorative services are held across the nation at dawn – the time of the original landing, while later in the day, former servicemen and servicewomen meet to take part in marches through the country’s major cities and in many smaller centres.

Commemorative ceremonies are more formal, and are held at war memorials around the country. In these ways, Anzac Day is a time at which Australians reflect on the many different meanings of war.

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In the First World War 136,000 horses were sent oversea by the Australian Imperial Force (AIF).
Only one horse made it home to Australia… His name was SANDY.
Sandy was a bay gelding who stood at 16 hands high.
He belonged to Major General Sir William Throsby Bridges. Gentle in his temperament, Sandy was the Major's favourite steed.
Sandy was one of 6,100 horses sent by ship to Gallipoli - but he never made it ashore as there was limited room on the crowded beachhead.
On May 5, 1915 Lieutenant General Sir William Birdwood sought approval to send the horses back to Alexandria, Egypt.
On May 15, Major General Bridges was shot in battle at Gallipoli, he died three days later on a hospital ship.
It was his dying wish for Sandy to be safely returned to Duntroon, Canberra.
Under the care of Captain Leslie Whitfield from August 1, 1915 Sandy was transferred from Egypt
to Calais, France in March 1916. Calls were made by the Minister of Defence for Sandy to return home.
He was sent from Calais to Swaythling, England at War's end in September 1918.
Sandy boarded the freighter Booral and travelled from Liverpool to Melbourne.
He lived out his days at the Central Remount Depot in Maribyrnong.
Sandy was put down in May 1923 due to blindness.
Bridges was the only identified Australian soldier who died in WW1 to be returned to Australia.
In 2015, a racehorse in Canberra, Australia was named after Sandy.
This story serves as a reminder of the sacrifices made by soldiers and their brave compatriots in war.

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