Brave Bess and the ANZAC Horses

Every year we celebrate our ANZAC heroes and commemorate the fallen at Gallipolli, wearing poppies in their memory every ANZAC Day. But there were other heroes and heroines of the First World War whose stories have remained largely untold – the horses shipped to the Middle East to carry our troops who fought in the desert. Privately owned, they were often farm horses who followed their masters to war, and who fought and suffered alongside them in atrocious conditions. Brave Bess was the only one to return, and in telling her story, Susan Brocker brings to life a little known aspect of our military history, which is both courageous and poignant. With superb black and white photographs including Bess herself, who is today commemorated by her own memorial, Brave Bess and the ANZAC Horses celebrates the men and their mounts in an honest, ultimately challenging way, as the fate of the brave horses continues to sit uneasily with modern sensibilities. A compelling story in its own right, this book is also a superb teaching tool for anyone who wants to learn more about the First World War.