MME // OAI → Australian War Memorial → Guide to the Animals Souvenir Collection. Collection number: Souvenirs 12
JSONNames
Guide to the Animals Souvenir Collection. Collection number: Souvenirs 12
IDs
AWM00028
http://www.awm.gov.au/findingaids/special/Souvenirs/animals.xml
Descriptions
Contains souvenirs relating to the role of animals in Australia's military history, particularly as unit mascots.
SERIES 1: First World War, 1914-1918. Description: The series contains souvenirs relating to animals during the First World War.; SERIES 2: Second World War, 1939-1945. Description: The series contains souvenirs relating to animals during the Second World War.
Animals have played varying and significant roles in Australia's military history, from assisting in battle to providing company and building comradeship within a unit as a mascot. Horses have been used extensively during war as a means of transport, and are especially useful as they are able to traverse deep mud, ditches and river beds that vehicles cannot cross. They have served with patrols, pulled wagons, ambulances and water carts, hauled ammunition and, of course, were the basis of the cavalry. Horses were joined in many of these duties by mules, oxen, camels and donkeys, the most notable example being Simpson and his donkey at Gallipoli. Other animals, however, have also served during wartime in less well known roles. Dogs were used as messengers and in sentry duties while pigeons were used as war messengers, with the Australian forces even establishing an Australian Corps of Signals Pigeon Service in 1942. Animals have also featured in our military history as mascots and companions for our forces. Many Australian units in the First and Second World Wars adopted an animal as a mascot. A popular mascot was the dog, but some units took kangaroos to Egypt and units adopted other animals such as monkeys, birds, goats and cats.
Contact Senior Curator, Published & Digitised Collections, Australian War Memorial.
Open - Contact Senior Curator, Published & Digitised Collections, Australian War Memorial.
Selected additional and related material available at http://www.awm.gov.au/search/collections/ using the search terms described under 'subject _local'. Copies of many items from the Memorial's collections may also be purchased @ http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/sales/.
Subjects
Animals; Mascots
Military service
Coverage Temporal
1914
Related Collections
Dates
2012-05-30 23:41
2011-03-07 11:57