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War Horse MemorialPrint Page Print this page

1923 : State Library of South Australia - B-35794
1923 : State Library of South Australia - B-35794

Photographs supplied by Roger Johnson / Bryan Cole / Peter Williams

The water trough commemorates the horses which took part in World War One.  It is made of Harcourt Victorian granite and weighs 8 tons and is 16 feet in length.   The amount raised by public donations was £248 14s 9d and the money left after construction was donated to the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

It was originally in Victoria Square West, but later shifted to corner of East Terrace and Botanic Road. Australian soldiers had a great regard and affection for their horses, and were upset that at the end of the war, cost and quarantine concerns meant that horses could not be brought back to Australia.

Some were sold or transferred to other armies, but a number had to be destroyed. 39,347 horses did not return from the World War One, and only one horse came back.

At last arrangements have been completed in connection with the War Horse Memorial, and about £250 has been subscribed by horse-lovers towards perpetuating the memory of their four-footed comrades of the great war. The Lord Mayor (Ald. F. B. Moulden) is calling a meeting to be held in the Reception Room of the Adelaide Town Hall on Tuesday afternoon, when arrangements in connection with the proposed horse-trough will be discussed. It has been suggested that a horse-trough, is the best medium of remembrance, as it will be erected for horses and used by horses.
The Register (Adelaide), 30 July 1921.

Location

Address:East Terrace & Botanic Road, Rundle Park, Adelaide, 5000
State:SA
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -34.921272
Long: 138.61098
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Monument
Monument Theme:Conflict
Sub-Theme:WW1
Actual Event Start Date:04-August-1914
Actual Event End Date:28-June-1919
Designer:Alfred Wells
Monument Manufacturer:W. H. Martin Ltd

Dedication

Actual Monument Dedication Date:Tuesday 30th January, 1923
Front Inscription

War Horse Memorial

1914 - 1918

Back Inscription

Plaque :

This trough was erected by public subscription to commemorate the noble services of Australian horses toward the Empire`s victories in the Great War
1914 - 1918.

"He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength:
He goeth on to meet the armed men.
He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted;
Neither turneth he back from the sword."
Job 39, 21 and 22.

 

Source: SAM, TOH, MA
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au