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Gallipoli - bringing in horses by Matania, WW1
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Gallipoli - bringing in horses by Matania, WW1
Telegraph work in Gallipoli - an unrecorded incident of individual bravery. Two men of the 1st Royal Munster Fusiliers bringing two uninjured horses back to British lines during a severe Turkish bombardment. According to an eye-witness account by an officer, This incident deserves to be recorded. We were in trenches just on this side of the foreground; a four-horsed wagon containing poles for telegraphic purposes was coming over the hill, and just as it got to the crest a shell dropped near the waggon, badly damaging it and killing two of the horses. There were, however, still two horses left, and as the shaft pole was now sticking up at an angle the Turks evidently took it to be a gun and began dropping shells at a rate of four a minute. The horses seemed to possess a charmed life. Shell after shell dropped. It seemed impossible that they could live. Then through my glasses I could see two men trying to cut the animals loose. When they heard a shell coming I saw one man take cover behind a tree, and the other get behind the wagon. A few minutes later they galloped the horses bareback past our trenches amid cheers from their friends. They were two men of the 1st Royal Munster Fusiliers. They both received their promotion that evening. Date: 1916
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Media ID 14165138
© Illustrated London News Ltd/Mary Evans
Bombardment Bravery Bringing Campaign Dardanelles Fusiliers Gallipoli Heroism Incident Matania Munster Saving Shelling Telegraph Wagon Uninjured
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EDITORS COMMENTS
This evocative print by Italian war artist Fortunino Matania captures an unrecorded yet remarkable moment of individual bravery during the Gallipoli Campaign of World War I. In the foreground, two brave soldiers of the 1st Royal Munster Fusiliers are seen bringing uninjured horses back to British lines amidst the chaos and danger of a severe Turkish bombardment. The scene unfolds as a four-horse wagon, carrying telegraphic poles, approaches the crest of a hill. Just as it reaches the top, a shell explodes nearby, damaging the wagon and killing two of the horses. Miraculously, two horses remain, but the Turks, mistaking the shaft pole for a gun, begin to drop shells at an alarming rate. The horses, seemingly possessed of a charmed life, endure the relentless barrage. Through the eyes of an eyewitness officer, we watch as two men, identified as soldiers of the 1st Royal Munster Fusiliers, attempt to free the horses. With each approaching shell, one man takes cover behind a tree, while the other bravely stays by the wagon. Minutes later, they manage to gallop the horses past the British trenches, receiving cheers from their comrades. Their heroic actions not only saved the horses but also prevented the Turks from gaining valuable intelligence from the telegraphic equipment. This unnamed incident of individual bravery is a testament to the courage and resilience of the soldiers during the Gallipoli Campaign. The date of this event is recorded as 1916.
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