History, Real Life, and Faith
Who would have guessed that A.A. Milne‘s famous Winnie the Pooh was the result of World War I? Oh, I know you think he sprang fully to life from the Hundred Acre Woods, but in actuality Winnie (who became the Pooh) was born in Canada. She was female, and the pet of Lieutenant Harry Colebourn of the Canadian Royal Army Veterinary…
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The first homing pigeons were used by the Egyptians 3000 years ago. The idea of using a pigeon to send messages obviously was not new to Army troops during World War I. They proved an excellent means of communicating for all sides throughout the war. Some 100,000 pigeons were used and, according to Pigeons and World War I, they got through…
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The fascinating uses of animals during WWI.
Imagine, elephants played a role in Britain during World War I. At the start of the war, the British army had 25,000 horses that were used for everything. The leaders quickly estimated they’d need another 500,00 horses for the army. To that end, horses were requisitioned all over the country. Rural areas like Sussex and Surrey on the southern coast were…
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The book and movie War Horse immortalized World War I horses. A tear-jerker of a film, it told the story of a beautiful stallion raised in the British countryside and requisitioned for war. The title character, Joey, changed hands with numerous people who appreciated him over the course of the war and when it ended . . . you’ll have to see or…
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Wars invariably involve not just nations, cities, towns, and people, but animals as well. World War I was no exception, and over the next few weeks, I’m going to write about a variety of animals and their involvement in the war. Owing to the movie War Horse, many are familiar with the torturous events of horses and the trenches. Horses…
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