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View Full Version : Australian horse soldiers in WW1 tv programme



spudfan
21st July 2019, 02:16 AM
This programme is on RTE 2 Television as I type.
It is called Great War Horses.
A powerful, moving account of the men and horses of the Australian Light Horse, and the pivotal role they played in World War I at the Battle of Romani (1916), the celebrated Light Horse charge at the Battle of Beersheba (1917) and the capture of Damascus in 1918. The horses that provided the backbone of the Australian Light Horse regiments in World War I were popularly known as Walers. Bred for Australia's tough Outback conditions, Walers were well-equipped for the harsh climate and terrain of the Middle East, where the ANZAC forces faced the armies of the Ottoman Empire.
You should be able to find the RTE player and watch it on that in the next couple of days.
Here is the link for the RTE player. They should have this up in the next day or two. Just type it into the search engine.
RTE Player (https://www.rte.ie/player/)

Xtreme
21st July 2019, 07:49 PM
'Bill the Bastard' was one of those horses and at Harden (NSW) there is a statue of Bill depicting the epic ride when he carried five soldiers from the battle of Romani.

https://www.aulro.com/app/data/1044/IMG_100a_Bill.jpg

ramblingboy42
21st July 2019, 08:27 PM
Where is that statue, I'd love to see it. Is it at an RSL?

Xtreme
21st July 2019, 09:02 PM
Where is that statue, I'd love to see it. Is it at an RSL?

The small (about 1.5m tall) statue in above photo is in a park at Murrumburrah/Harden NSW which is the home of the 1st Australian Horse.

If you wish to visit it, I'd wait a while as the local sculptor Carl Valerius has almost completed a life size (Bill was 17 hands!) bronzed model of Bill and the five riders. Due for completion IIRC in a few months. Plenty of information about Bill via google or email Carl.

I'd also recommend reading the book titled 'Bill the Bastard' by Roland Perry before you visit.

spudfan
21st July 2019, 10:12 PM
Yep, that incident is featured in the programme. The ending is poignant to say the least. Hope it is available to watch by now.
Just checked it is available on the RTE player now, for 30 days.