Silhouette statues of a donkey and a horse will be unveiled in a ceremony in France to commemorate the horses, donkeys, mules, dogs and pigeons that lost their lives on the Somme in World War I.
The ceremony will take place at Le Memorial des Animaux, a memorial dedicated to animals that served and died in war, at Le Parc du Moulin in Pozieres on Saturday 12 September.
The silhouette of the horse has been sponsored by the War Horse Memorial Association while the statue of the donkey has been funded by the Donkey Breed Society (Northern Region).
Fundraising effort
“In early 2025, the Northern Region of the Donkey Breed Society agreed to sponsor the forthcoming donkey sculpture,” said Sarah Booth from the Donkey Breed Society.
“Fundraising began in earnest – it was not just a question of funding the silhouette, but taking into consideration transport, insurance, the building of foundations, maintenance going forward and so on as well. We set our sights at raising £6,500 and shared our plans with our members.
“Members rose to the challenge and none more so than Olwen Brown, stalwart member of the DBS for over 50 years, who not only makes knitted soldiers and donkeys for our Poppy Tour displays but for sale too, along with many other beautifully crafted items.”
Olwen will be in Pozières for the ceremony alongside Pam Moon, chair of the Donkey Breed Society.
Dr Neil Smith, Honorary Colonel Commandant of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps and Patron of Australian War Animal Memorial Organisation (AWMO) is the guest of honour at the ceremony. Horses and dogs will also be in attendance and there will be a ceremonial release of homing pigeons at the end of the ceremony.
‘A total privilege’
“It is a total privilege to work alongside friends in our partner organisations to give due commemoration and respect to our beloved animals,” said Sarah.
“We hope that people in the future will always remember what these brave animals went through as they experienced the most traumatic of situations. We hope that experiences of the past can be used to positively shape the roles of animals involved in warfare today and in the future.”
In the Battle of the Somme, horses and mules were used to move artillery guns and haul wagons containing supplies under enemy fire while donkeys were used to transport injured soldiers from the front line to safer areas. Dogs and pigeons carried messages when phone lines were cut by artillery.
Image credit: Roll & Scroll.
