The Waler: Australia’s Great War Horse

When the first convoys of the ANZAC Expeditionary Forces sailed from Albany’s majestic King George Sound in November and December 1914, they carried with them hundreds of horses. Many had been loaded in ports elsewhere in Australia and New Zealand. Some came from unexpected places, including Juna Downs, a vast pastoral station in Western Australia’s remote Pilbara region. Over 130,000 Australian horses were to serve our forces, around 70,000 were to die overseas in the line of duty, and only one was to return home. What was the fate of up to 50,000 Australian horses that were still alive when guns became silent in 1918?

This is the extraordinary story of Australia’s war horses - where they came from, where they served and what became of those that had survived when Great War hostilities ceased in 1918.