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Animals In The First World War


Review of the book Animals In The First World War by Neil R Storey

Animals in the First World War provides a fascinating insight into the various animals that worked alongside our troops and those that were kept as pets to increase morale. It is full of historical photographs from the Great War displaying their work. Other notable images include enlistment posters such as those for the Army Remount Department.

Historian and author Neil R Storey begins with a general history of animals used during battles and wars. He describes that the first recorded animal distinguished in battle was the horse Bucephalus, the warhorse of Alexander the Great, who despite injuries carried him from the Battle of Hydaspes in 326BC.

Of relevance to readers of this website are examples such as assistant surgeon William Brydon's horse who helped his owner to the gates of Jalalabad from the retreat of Kabul in 1842 during the First Afghan War. This was depicted in the famous painting Remnants of an Army.

There are other medical and nursing references throughout Animals in the First World War and one of which we learnt here for the first time was the use of ambulance dogs of the British Red Cross. These were trained and used to seek out battlefield casualties and were especially useful in detecting those buried by debris. Another example is the fledgling crow that fell from its nest and was nursed by wounded soldiers at Sheffield Base Hospital in 1916.

We were moved to read about Jack, the pet of British nurse Edith Cavell. She was shot by the Germans by firing squad in October 1915 for helping Allied soldiers escape from German occupied Belgium. Locals feared being branded sympathisers if they took in her dog and it became ill from neglect and stress. Fortunately the Dowager Duchess of Croy took him in and nursed him so well that he lived into the 1920s. Other moving stories include the dog who followed his master one month after his posting to the front line in France and not only managed to cross the channel but track him down in the trenches and the pet kitten that was found asleep on a dead infantryman's chest after he was killed in action.

The formation of the Army Veterinary Service and the Army Veterinary School in Aldershot is detailed alongside the history of the Army Veterinary Corps. The author also describes the interventions of organisations such as the Blue Cross ODFL (Our Dumb Friends League) and the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and their work during the Great War.

A chapter looks at animal mascots of the Forces and interestingly starts with a pig rescued at sea after the German light cruiser Dresden was sunk. It was rescued by a sailor from HMS Glasgow, named Tirpitz, and became their mascot! It also records the first regimental mascot of the British Army as being a goat from the Welsh Fusiliers from the American War of Independence and in later years a bear mascot that was the inspiration for the Winnie the Pooh books.

There are also pictures and descriptions of animals at the Home-front such as the St Bernard with a collection box on his back for the British Red Cross Society.

Its main focus is on the valuable work of a range of animals such as mules, horses and camels in various terrains and how they helped win the war through moved equipment and providing transport. Carrier pigeons also feature in a variety of work such as those trained by the Emergency Pigeon Service to fly from minesweepers with information about newly laid minefields.

This book gains much merit for its large amount of pictures, photos and images that greatly enhances the interesting subject matter. It would make ideal reading material for those with an interest in WWI and our animal friends.

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PTSD assistance dog Lynne book


My PTSD assistance dog, Lynne, and I have written a book about how she helps me with my military Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety, and depression. I talk about my time in the QAs and the coping strategies I now use to be in my best health.

Along the way, I have had help from various military charities, such as Help for Heroes and The Not Forgotten Association and royalties from this book will go to them and other charities like Bravehound, who paired me with my four-legged best friend.

I talk openly about the death of my son by suicide and the help I got from psychotherapy and counselling and grief charities like The Compassionate Friends.

The author, Damien Lewis, said of Lynne:

"A powerful account of what one dog means to one man on his road to recovery. Both heart-warming and life-affirming. Bravo Chris and Lynne. Bravo Bravehound."

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Buy the Paperback.


QARANC Poppy Pin Badge Royal British Legion RBL
This beautiful QARANC Poppy Pin Badge is available from the Royal British Legion Poppy Shop.




For those searching military records, for information on a former nurse of the QAIMNS, QARANC, Royal Red Cross, VAD and other nursing organisations or other military Corps and Regiments, please try Genes Reunited where you can search for ancestors from military records, census, birth, marriages and death certificates as well as over 673 million family trees. At GenesReunited it is free to build your family tree online and is one of the quickest and easiest ways to discover your family history and accessing army service records.

More Information.




Another genealogy website which gives you access to military records and allows you to build a family tree is Find My Past which has a free trial.








New post apocalyptic military survival thriller

Former Royal Air Force Regiment Gunner Jason Harper witnesses a foreign jet fly over his Aberdeenshire home. It is spilling a strange yellow smoke. Minutes later, his wife, Pippa, telephones him, shouting that she needs him. They then get cut off. He sets straight out, unprepared for the nightmare that unfolds during his journey. Everyone seems to want to kill him.

Along the way, he pairs up with fellow survivor Imogen. But she enjoys killing the living dead far too much. Will she kill Jason in her blood thirst? Or will she hinder his journey through this zombie filled dystopian landscape to find his pregnant wife?

The Fence is the first in this series of post-apocalyptic military survival thrillers from the torturous mind of former British army nurse, now horror and science fiction novel writer, C.G. Buswell.

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Free Book Operation wrath

Free Book.
The death of the Brotherhood will be avenged.
RAF gunner Jason Harper and a team of Special Air Service operators are enraged after the death of their brothers by a terrorist drone strike. They fly into south-eastern Yemen on a Black-op mission to gather intelligence and avenge the death of their comrades.
Can they infiltrate the Al-Queda insurgents' camp, stay undetected, and call down their own drone missile strike and get home safely?
Will they all survive to fight another day?
Operation Wrath is a free, fast-paced adventure prequel to the non-stop action The Fence series by military veteran author C.G. Buswell.
Download for free on any device and read today.





This website is not affiliated or endorsed by The Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC) or the Ministry of Defence.


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