0:00:13 > 0:00:16Separated from their mounts, men from the Light Horse
0:00:16 > 0:00:19are slaughtered on the killing fields of Gallipoli.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26Forced to charge on foot into Turkish machine guns.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38Reunited with their beloved horses,
0:00:38 > 0:00:42the survivors will try to avenge their comrades
0:00:42 > 0:00:43and bring down an empire.
0:00:45 > 0:00:51Together they will create the legend but bear the tragedy of the Waler,
0:00:51 > 0:00:53Australia's great war horse.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21One of the great symbols of our soldiers is our light horseman.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25The slouch hat with emu plumes.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28Riding Walers and coming home victorious.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34The outbreak of the First World War in 1914 is the beginning
0:01:34 > 0:01:38of an historic partnership between man and beast.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43The men are from Australia's vast outback.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45The Australian light horsemen,
0:01:45 > 0:01:48they were just blokes who could ride a horse and shoot a gun.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53Take six bullets into the desert and you get six kills.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10Their horses are Walers, a ragged Australian mixed breed
0:02:10 > 0:02:13with a bloodline stretching back to convict times.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18It was a hard country, and you had to be tough to survive,
0:02:18 > 0:02:20the horses had to be tough to survive.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27The Waler just evolved as a very, very tough stock horse.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36They are part of our history, the Waler,
0:02:36 > 0:02:39part of the development of Australia.
0:02:39 > 0:02:40My pick of a horse,
0:02:40 > 0:02:43and they have been ever since I was a little bloke.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45Goes back to where he was bred, in the bush.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54Any foals that couldn't keep up, they were left behind.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57The strongest survive, you know, and that's what they were looking for,
0:02:57 > 0:02:59because when they got over there, they had tough horses.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18To fight the war, the Australian Government calls for volunteers,
0:03:18 > 0:03:20and begins building an army.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29The raising of the Australian Imperial Force
0:03:29 > 0:03:33really was a demonstration of massive national patriotism.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39We expected to be able to raise an expeditionary force
0:03:39 > 0:03:42of 20,000 soldiers. We did that in the first few days.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50These were mates, they were men who'd grown up together,
0:03:50 > 0:03:52they'd been to school together, they'd worked together,
0:03:52 > 0:03:54they enlisted together.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57And particularly every light horse regiment.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02There were certainly plenty of examples of men
0:04:02 > 0:04:05who rode their own horses into the recruiting depot.
0:04:10 > 0:04:15One is Guy Haden, born on the same stud in New South Wales
0:04:15 > 0:04:17as his trusted Waler, Midnight.
0:04:21 > 0:04:22Midnight was born here at Bloomfield.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26She was out of a mare called Moonlight
0:04:26 > 0:04:28and she was born at midnight.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33Guy was probably about 16 when she was born
0:04:33 > 0:04:36and he had this great bonding with her, you know, from day one.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40He would have done a lot of stock work on her, marshalling the cattle.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44The bonds between the men and the horse was just amazing.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52Guy's younger brother, Barney, is also determined to join up.
0:04:52 > 0:04:53Barney took a horse called Polo.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58And both the brothers, they enlisted in 1915 down at Liverpool in Sydney.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03I'm sure they had no idea of the horrors that were ahead of them.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17They are trained at massive training camps around Australia.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21Blackboy Hill in Western Australia, Holsworthy in New South Wales,
0:05:21 > 0:05:22Broadmeadows in Victoria.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29There were a lot of city slickers who wanted to join
0:05:29 > 0:05:31the Light Horse, as it turned out.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36And so they were trialled in the depots around the cities
0:05:36 > 0:05:39and if they could ride, they'd normally got a run.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45A lot of them couldn't, and tried out, and failed.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49Those who don't bring their own horses
0:05:49 > 0:05:52are meeting their charges for the first time.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57This man and horse team develops in training camps.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59This is where the bond begins,
0:05:59 > 0:06:01because they're going to war as a unit.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10The basic building block was a four-man section.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16Three would dismount to fight and a fourth man was the horse holder.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23Light horsemen were not born, they were created
0:06:23 > 0:06:25by the army in which they served in.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34Australia convinced many of the local steamers
0:06:34 > 0:06:36to do troop transports.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41The plan is to go to Britain to fight the war in Europe.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46Each soldier was responsible for his horse
0:06:46 > 0:06:50and it became a source of pride for a regiment to make sure
0:06:50 > 0:06:53that these horses were groomed every day,
0:06:53 > 0:06:56and often by the soldiers who were going to ride them.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00"When the bugle blows for watering and feeding horses,
0:07:00 > 0:07:04"it is simply astonishing how it's recognised by them.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06"A pawing and neighing goes on.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10"There was a dreadful noise over the whole ship until they are fed.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13"They have almost become like human beings."
0:07:14 > 0:07:16Trooper Roland, 4th Light Horse.
0:07:16 > 0:07:21The bond between man and horse can only get stronger as these men
0:07:21 > 0:07:24and their animals are going off to the great adventure together.
0:07:30 > 0:07:36But as the convoy sails north, the health of the horses deteriorates.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40The horses went through the hottest part of the year.
0:07:40 > 0:07:45It was a constant, constant, gruelling grind every day
0:07:45 > 0:07:47and not every digger was used to that.
0:07:49 > 0:07:54The average horse loss across the convoy was 12%, which is quite high.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58Influenza was an enormous cause of loss.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02Unfortunately, not every horse made it.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10Then comes a sudden change of plan.
0:08:12 > 0:08:17The convoy and its 30,000 men and nearly 15,000 horses
0:08:17 > 0:08:19is redirected to Egypt.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24They genuinely believed that they were off to fight the Germans
0:08:24 > 0:08:26on the Western Front.
0:08:26 > 0:08:31Suddenly, they find themselves being off-loaded for training,
0:08:31 > 0:08:35for acclimatisation, for making sure they were able to maintain
0:08:35 > 0:08:38the health of their horses and of the men.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48So in many cases, the horses go into rest camps.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Meanwhile, the guys are excited.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53They want to go sightseeing.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57They're going down to Cairo, they want to check out the pyramids,
0:08:57 > 0:09:01they want to look at this amazing city.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03They're on the world's greatest adventure,
0:09:03 > 0:09:05and somebody else is picking up the bill.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17But the Australians have arrived in a volatile part of the world.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24The war is now spreading into the Middle East
0:09:24 > 0:09:27and the Turkish dominions.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31For 100 years, the Ottoman Empire had been referred to
0:09:31 > 0:09:35by the Western powers as "the sick man of Europe".
0:09:35 > 0:09:41The Empire is huge, it extends from Asia to southern Europe.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45And it's, on its fringes, a seething bed of dissent.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51And so, the Ottomans have a whole range of problems
0:09:51 > 0:09:56before they even decide to buy into the great argument in Europe.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07The fact that they do, on the side of the Central Powers,
0:10:07 > 0:10:13means that they are creating a huge threat in the eastern Mediterranean.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18In March 1915, Britain and France struck
0:10:18 > 0:10:21at the heart of the Ottoman Empire,
0:10:21 > 0:10:24attempting a naval siege of its capital, Constantinople.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28Their fleet was trapped in the narrow straits of the Dardanelles
0:10:28 > 0:10:32and crippled by land-based bombardment and floating mines.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38In response, the Allies land troops
0:10:38 > 0:10:40to attack the fortified Turkish defences.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45Australians and New Zealanders are sent to a tiny cove
0:10:45 > 0:10:47on the Gallipoli peninsula.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14After months of stalemate and over 50,000 Allied deaths,
0:11:14 > 0:11:18the British high command concedes the battle is lost.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22After it was obvious that they weren't going to get off the beaches
0:11:22 > 0:11:25at Anzac and the decision was made to evacuate the peninsula
0:11:25 > 0:11:30in December 1915, all of the troops were withdrawn
0:11:30 > 0:11:33and returned to Egypt.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40How heartbreaking, the scenes of return,
0:11:40 > 0:11:43where the survivors are being reunited with their horses,
0:11:43 > 0:11:48they're also seeing the horses of the blokes who are still buried
0:11:48 > 0:11:50on the peninsula.
0:11:52 > 0:11:57They have to rebuild the spirit that is lying in largely unmarked graves.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02But this turned out to be an important moment,
0:12:02 > 0:12:06because all those men wanted revenge, in a broad sense.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08And they were then told, right,
0:12:08 > 0:12:10it's going to be a different playing field here,
0:12:10 > 0:12:13the Turks are going to come at us, but we'll have our horses.
0:12:15 > 0:12:16In a perverse way,
0:12:16 > 0:12:19the horses benefit quite a lot from the men going to Gallipoli,
0:12:19 > 0:12:22because it means that while the men are fighting and dying in Gallipoli,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25the horses are actually being very well taken care of
0:12:25 > 0:12:28and getting used to their environment.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32But military bureaucracy can be cruel.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36Some men, traumatised by battle,
0:12:36 > 0:12:39are denied a reunion with their original horses.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42Including brothers Guy and Barney Haden.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44They reallocated horses and, of course,
0:12:44 > 0:12:48there are so many horses there, Guy, he got given another horse.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51These are special horses and the thought of someone else riding them,
0:12:51 > 0:12:53I think, would have been devastating.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58For days, Guy searches desperately for Midnight.
0:12:58 > 0:13:03Finding one horse amongst thousands is all but impossible.
0:13:03 > 0:13:08Then, a single letter from home makes the difference.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13He spread the world around and this guy came sidling up to him one day
0:13:13 > 0:13:16and he said, "Hey, I've found your mare, got your brand on it."
0:13:16 > 0:13:19He then was reunited with her and that was just amazing
0:13:19 > 0:13:21that Guy could get her.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25He managed to get Barney his horse back, he got him back Polo.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27It was a major part of their campaign that they got reunited
0:13:27 > 0:13:29with their actual correct horses.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40Suddenly, it is apparent to this generation
0:13:40 > 0:13:44who'd thought that the war was going to be over by Christmas...
0:13:45 > 0:13:46..well, it isn't.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50These amateur and enthusiastic armies
0:13:50 > 0:13:52have got to become professional.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57They realise they've got to establish strong links
0:13:57 > 0:14:01with home, because they need a constant supply of men,
0:14:01 > 0:14:04but they need a very constant supply of horses.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15The horses have to be rounded up and have a degree of training,
0:14:15 > 0:14:17or at least breaking in.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22Well, what does that mean?
0:14:22 > 0:14:26In some cases, there are accounts of stations in far north Queensland
0:14:26 > 0:14:29where some poor aboriginal kid has been stuck on a horse
0:14:29 > 0:14:32for a matter of seconds, thrown around a yard,
0:14:32 > 0:14:36so that some inspector can say, yes, I saw somebody ride this horse.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41And so the Australian Imperial Force developed these remount units.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48One is led by celebrated bush poet Major Banjo Paterson.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53"Australia had been scoured to find a couple of hundred rough riders,
0:14:53 > 0:14:56"possibly the best lot of men that were ever got together
0:14:56 > 0:15:00"to deal with rough horses. They decided to give the war a fly."
0:15:00 > 0:15:04Banjo Paterson, Major, 2nd Remount.
0:15:04 > 0:15:10Great horsemen, do a remarkable job in getting hardly broken horses
0:15:10 > 0:15:14trained and combat ready in a matter of months.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18One of them was called Bill.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20And he was a bastard of a horse.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25He used to pig-root, he used to buck people off, just impossible to ride.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32He was 17.1 hands, that's five foot nine, at the shoulder.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35I mean, he's like a tall rhinoceros.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37And he behaved like one.
0:15:39 > 0:15:40Grandfather heard about him.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44Being what we call these days a horse whisperer, I guess,
0:15:44 > 0:15:46he went down and he used to go up and talk to the horse,
0:15:46 > 0:15:49he used to run his hands over it and used to bag him,
0:15:49 > 0:15:52and he'd do this every time he got a spare moment and eventually,
0:15:52 > 0:15:56Bill allowed him to get up on him, he pig-rooted, he bucked a bit,
0:15:56 > 0:16:00and Grandad stayed with him and from then on, that was his horse.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14Reinforcing men and horses has become a race against time.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19The aspirations of the Ottoman leadership are changing.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22Turks were hugely confident
0:16:22 > 0:16:26they were going to wipe out the British force and take Egypt.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29And they've got these combat experienced soldiers
0:16:29 > 0:16:31released from Gallipoli.
0:16:31 > 0:16:36They can threaten the vital British supply line at Suez.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44The Suez Canal's important because you've got every bit of shipping
0:16:44 > 0:16:47going down through to India, and everywhere up to Europe,
0:16:47 > 0:16:48cargoes, men, everything.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52So if you control the canal, you control Egypt, essentially.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56And Romani, where they were going to hit and take, was the key point.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00Once they took Romani, it's 70 miles from the canal,
0:17:00 > 0:17:02it is all over, red rover - they take Egypt.
0:17:05 > 0:17:10The British was very frightened, because the Ottomans knew
0:17:10 > 0:17:12the terrain better than the British.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17Some of the Egyptian decided to change sides,
0:17:17 > 0:17:21so the British got into a panic.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24They thought that, OK, a nightmare scenario's happening.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28The Turks are advancing on the canal.
0:17:28 > 0:17:33There's almost 20,000 Turkish infantry moving across the desert.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36It was very quickly decided that the best defence
0:17:36 > 0:17:38was a more active offence.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43The major force that was going to stand in the way
0:17:43 > 0:17:46was 1,700 light horsemen under Harry Chauvel.
0:17:50 > 0:17:54Brigadier General Harry Chauvel leads the Anzac Mounted Division.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57A fine horseman and brilliant tactician,
0:17:57 > 0:18:00Chauvel can finally use his men the way they have been trained.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05Harry Chauvel said, we are going to have them come onto us,
0:18:05 > 0:18:08you will fight them and you will withdraw slowly
0:18:08 > 0:18:11towards the town of Romani in the hope that you'll wear them out
0:18:11 > 0:18:12during the night.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14In fact, Harry Chauvel said,
0:18:14 > 0:18:16"This battle will be about the water bottle."
0:18:24 > 0:18:25Just after midnight,
0:18:25 > 0:18:29the main Turkish column collides with the Australian Light Horse.
0:18:30 > 0:18:35It's a very, very intense, savage battlefield.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39They were actually digging trenches as they were pulling back, you know,
0:18:39 > 0:18:42in the sand and they'd get off their horses and fire their weapons.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45And the horse holders have got to know where their mates are,
0:18:45 > 0:18:48so they can ride in quickly and remount and relocate.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51But they've also got to protect those horses
0:18:51 > 0:18:53from Turkish long-range artillery.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04As the fighting continues through the night,
0:19:04 > 0:19:07the Australians suffer heavy losses.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10The Turkish Army advances to within a kilometre of Romani.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16Then, with the battle in the balance,
0:19:16 > 0:19:19an Australian legend is born.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26In the middle of the Battle of Romani was Bill the Bastard.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31Even with Grandad on, he'd give a bit of a shy and a buck
0:19:31 > 0:19:33before they went into battle.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36And here was Shanahan, under orders, going up and down the lines,
0:19:36 > 0:19:40keeping his men in it. Now, to get the idea of the energy, the drive,
0:19:40 > 0:19:42the power of this horse,
0:19:42 > 0:19:44he went five or six hours running,
0:19:44 > 0:19:46and other horses were lasting 30 minutes.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06As the fighting withdrawals continue,
0:20:06 > 0:20:10four men find themselves stranded, with their horses dead.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17That horse, Bill, and my grandfather, they were one,
0:20:17 > 0:20:22they didn't have time to think about fear, or how tough the job was.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28He'd only need to put his hand on the horse's neck
0:20:28 > 0:20:31and that horse knew exactly what to do.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34Bill's ears lay back and he'd charge in.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46Shanahan said, "Get up on Bill.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49"Get up. One on each stirrup, two on the back, we'll get out."
0:20:57 > 0:21:01Bill, this horse that no-one could ride three months earlier,
0:21:01 > 0:21:03took the five men out,
0:21:03 > 0:21:07and they got out and back to Romani.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17Shanahan went back into battle for another hour and a half,
0:21:17 > 0:21:20and that's when Shanahan was badly wounded, in that case.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27Unfortunately, somewhere in the melee, he was shot in the left leg.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30Went on fighting, collapsed on the horse,
0:21:30 > 0:21:32and Bill did an amazing thing.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Bill very gently got back to the base.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39Now, had Bill been a frightened horse,
0:21:39 > 0:21:42he might have galloped, and he would have been thrown off.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44But he was definitely saving his life by taking him back.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53It was really a duality, they were a team.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58This is why there was a terrific affinity
0:21:58 > 0:22:00between the horses and the troopers.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02In some way, their lives were saved
0:22:02 > 0:22:03by the horse at some point.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15By dawn, Romani is saved.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19A few thousand Australian light horsemen fight themselves
0:22:19 > 0:22:22to absolute exhaustion. But they stop a Turkish army
0:22:22 > 0:22:24many times their number.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31If you can stop an army in the desert, he's got to go home,
0:22:31 > 0:22:35he can't carry enough water to stay in place.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44Over 200 Allied soldiers die at Romani
0:22:44 > 0:22:49and almost 1,000 are wounded, including Major Shanahan.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52Unfortunately, by the time they got him
0:22:52 > 0:22:55to any sort of medical attention, gangrene had set in,
0:22:55 > 0:22:56so they had to chop his leg off.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59And then they sent him back to England to convalesce.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04These are the medals that Grandfather won
0:23:04 > 0:23:06in the First World War, the Battle of Romani.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10In particular, this is the DSO, the Distinguished Service Order,
0:23:10 > 0:23:13which he won when he brought the four lads out on his horse,
0:23:13 > 0:23:15Bill the Bastard.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20Bill, once a delinquent, is the toast of the Australian Light Horse.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22He will never again be sent into battle.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31The Suez Canal is saved.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34But this victory is far from decisive.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38The Ottomans aren't going to be pushed around.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40Australians have tried to push forward very quickly,
0:23:40 > 0:23:43run into very heavy Ottoman artillery and rifle fire.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48The Ottomans retreated in quite good orders.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52They just returned back to their old lines
0:23:52 > 0:23:54without suffering major casualties.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03To consolidate their victory, the Allies need to go on the offensive.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07Now it will be the Australians' turn to cross the desert.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13British imperial thinking starts to chip in.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16It's not just about defending the Suez Canal,
0:24:16 > 0:24:20it might be an opportunity to start expanding British influence
0:24:20 > 0:24:23and power in the Middle East at the expense of the Ottoman Empire.
0:24:26 > 0:24:31The desert campaign tests everybody and everything to the limit.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35Nobody's going to beat the desert -
0:24:35 > 0:24:38just being able to survive is a victory.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42It was a terrible journey.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47The heat was horrific.
0:24:47 > 0:24:52They had to cope with lice and fleas, scorpions.
0:24:54 > 0:25:00But worst of all, horses were just covered in flies, so were the men.
0:25:03 > 0:25:08If a horse went down through lack of water, then the horse was left.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11Throughout the campaign, this was a constant nightmare.
0:25:11 > 0:25:16The rider begins to appreciate how absolutely critical it was for him
0:25:16 > 0:25:19to take personal responsibility for his horse.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21No horse, no ride.
0:25:21 > 0:25:22No going home.
0:25:31 > 0:25:32Over the next five months,
0:25:32 > 0:25:36thousands of horsemen try to cross the formidable Sinai,
0:25:36 > 0:25:39skirmishing all the way the rear-guard of the Ottoman Army.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47As the Australians scout deeper and deeper into the desert,
0:25:47 > 0:25:50dehydration becomes the greatest enemy of all.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55In the end, it is the men's unique background
0:25:55 > 0:25:57that helps keep them alive.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05Time in the Australian outback is going to equip you
0:26:05 > 0:26:08for managing that desert environment.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12So they find dry watercourses, they find oases that have dried up
0:26:12 > 0:26:16and they can use the sort of technology that you would have used
0:26:16 > 0:26:18on the Canning stock route, on the Murranji,
0:26:18 > 0:26:21in the Northern Territory, and they are able to source water.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27And it is their horses' rugged breeding that carries them on.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31This is an account from an English cavalryman.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35"Indeed, the hardships endured by these horses was almost incredible.
0:26:35 > 0:26:40"They carried the soldier, the saddle, ammunition,
0:26:40 > 0:26:42"sword, rifle, clothes,
0:26:42 > 0:26:47"on half rations and only one drink in every 36 hours.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50"It is no doubt these Australian horses make the finest
0:26:50 > 0:26:53"cavalry mounts in the world."
0:26:58 > 0:27:04By the end of the year, they are on the frontier of the Ottoman Empire,
0:27:04 > 0:27:07they are ready for an offensive war
0:27:07 > 0:27:11and they come against probably the greatest defensive line
0:27:11 > 0:27:13the Turks have been able to create,
0:27:13 > 0:27:17beginning with Gaza on the coast and stretching inland
0:27:17 > 0:27:21almost as far as the water wells of Beersheba.
0:27:21 > 0:27:22Gaza was the big block -
0:27:22 > 0:27:25if you didn't take Gaza, the war's in stalemate.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27Even though you've cleared them out of the Sinai,
0:27:27 > 0:27:30you're not going to take Palestine if you haven't got Gaza.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37In March and April of 1917, British and Imperial forces,
0:27:37 > 0:27:40including the Australian Light Horse,
0:27:40 > 0:27:42make two full-scale assaults on the fortified town.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48Using head-on tactics more at home on the Western front,
0:27:48 > 0:27:50the results are disastrous.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59The British had a marvellous opportunity to overpass
0:27:59 > 0:28:03the Ottoman defences and be able to reach Palestine
0:28:03 > 0:28:05or inside Syria easily.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09But at the time, the British military command in Egypt
0:28:09 > 0:28:13did not understand the potential of this mobile forces.
0:28:13 > 0:28:19So that was the reason why they try the Western Front approach
0:28:19 > 0:28:23during the first and second battles of Gaza.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26So, this is a letter that Guy wrote home to his parents
0:28:26 > 0:28:29here at Bloomfield. It was about the Gaza offensive.
0:28:30 > 0:28:32"The fire was terrible.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36"Rifle, machinegun and shrapnel swept the ground
0:28:36 > 0:28:41"and it was so dusty that at times, one could only see about 20 yards.
0:28:41 > 0:28:45"There we lay with our noses glued to the ground
0:28:45 > 0:28:48"and the shrapnel ripping all amongst us.
0:28:48 > 0:28:53"How the devil any of us got out of there alive, the Lord only knows.
0:28:53 > 0:28:58"The old hands say that is the heaviest scrapping we had had.
0:28:58 > 0:29:02"Worse than the landing on Gallipoli and even worse than in France."
0:29:06 > 0:29:10So the Battle of Gaza is very costly for the Australian Light Horse.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13It's the loss of those soldiers and the stalemate
0:29:13 > 0:29:16that develops along those lines that the British
0:29:16 > 0:29:19are very concerned about, because it looks like the war
0:29:19 > 0:29:22in the Mediterranean may end up bogging down,
0:29:22 > 0:29:27like the war on the Western Front was at this time.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30So concerned are the British high command,
0:29:30 > 0:29:32they dismiss General Archibald Murray
0:29:32 > 0:29:35as the leader of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force.
0:29:35 > 0:29:38His replacement is General Edmund Allenby,
0:29:38 > 0:29:42an ex-cavalry commander and veteran of the war in Europe.
0:29:44 > 0:29:48Allenby comes up with the proposal to get around
0:29:48 > 0:29:50the Gaza defensive line -
0:29:50 > 0:29:53a huge flanking march to find the end of the line
0:29:53 > 0:29:57and attack the fortifications at Beersheba.
0:29:57 > 0:30:01It's essential that he takes Beersheba, because it's got water.
0:30:03 > 0:30:07He is a gambler, and he's got the men and horses to do it with.
0:30:10 > 0:30:14But he knows that he's got to do it in a short amount of time,
0:30:14 > 0:30:18otherwise man and beast will die in the desert.
0:30:20 > 0:30:25A massive column of men and horses now march inland.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28After three days, they near the town of Beersheba.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31But the desert has done its damage.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34The horses hadn't had water, some up to 72 hours.
0:30:34 > 0:30:38They were practically dying on their feet.
0:30:38 > 0:30:42They were at the limit, the absolute limit of their endurance.
0:30:48 > 0:30:53On the morning of the 31st October 1917, the assault begins,
0:30:53 > 0:30:56with British infantry doing most of the fighting.
0:30:57 > 0:31:01By late afternoon, the town is close to falling,
0:31:01 > 0:31:03but there is a new problem.
0:31:03 > 0:31:06They realise that the German technicians that are part
0:31:06 > 0:31:09of the Ottoman garrison have mined the water wells.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11It's all going to be empty
0:31:11 > 0:31:13if they don't capture those water wells intact.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16The commander on the ground, Harry Chauvel,
0:31:16 > 0:31:19realises that he needs dash,
0:31:19 > 0:31:22and so he just takes the great gamble of the entire battle
0:31:22 > 0:31:26and he finds his spare light horse brigade,
0:31:26 > 0:31:29the 4th and 12th from Victoria and New South Wales.
0:31:29 > 0:31:33Their commander is Brigadier Grant and Chauvel turns to his staff
0:31:33 > 0:31:35and says, "Put Grant straight at it."
0:31:39 > 0:31:41One thing when you do ride a horse
0:31:41 > 0:31:43is you've got to have a little bit of belief
0:31:43 > 0:31:46that I'm going to go in and I'm going to do that job,
0:31:46 > 0:31:50and your horse becomes focused then.
0:31:50 > 0:31:55They begin in very, very strict lines over open ground.
0:31:58 > 0:32:03They knew that they faced terrible death, but they took it on.
0:32:07 > 0:32:11A horse mounted attack is a very scary thing to behold
0:32:11 > 0:32:13if you're on the receiving end.
0:32:16 > 0:32:20The Turks were very nervous because they saw this mounted force
0:32:20 > 0:32:23getting ready to come at them from several miles.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28The German officers, who were sitting behind the Turkish officers,
0:32:28 > 0:32:31said, don't worry, we can see the emu plumes.
0:32:31 > 0:32:35They're Australian Light Horse, they will not go right through.
0:32:38 > 0:32:42They move from the walk, to the trot, to a canter.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44They can see Turkish field artillery,
0:32:44 > 0:32:48they can see Turkish machine guns and there are at least two aircraft
0:32:48 > 0:32:52flying out of Beersheba, dropping bombs in their path.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55It is an impossible gamble.
0:32:55 > 0:33:00Amongst the 800 men are Guy Hayden and Midnight.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07As soon as they fired, we started to gallop.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12And you've never heard such war yells as our boys let out.
0:33:14 > 0:33:16They never hesitated or faltered for a moment.
0:33:19 > 0:33:23Suddenly, they can hear thousands of hoof beats getting faster
0:33:23 > 0:33:25and more rapid.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28The ground beneath them would've been shaking as the Australians got
0:33:28 > 0:33:34closer, and then it's just a flat-out charge across open ground.
0:33:34 > 0:33:36It's insanely heroic.
0:33:38 > 0:33:42The sheer impetus of this heaving, charging,
0:33:42 > 0:33:45galloping mass on a terrified enemy took over
0:33:45 > 0:33:47and it had its own momentum.
0:33:49 > 0:33:54You have a large number of men galloping down at you very quickly.
0:33:54 > 0:33:58You're firing back, but you're not necessarily seeing much result
0:33:58 > 0:34:01of that fire, and that is one of the reasons cavalry charges
0:34:01 > 0:34:03are called shock action.
0:34:21 > 0:34:25Riding hard, Guy and Midnight reach the Turkish line.
0:34:27 > 0:34:30At that critical moment when he actually jumped the trench,
0:34:30 > 0:34:31a Turkish soldier shot a bullet.
0:34:38 > 0:34:41And it went up through Midnight's stomach, it went through the saddle,
0:34:41 > 0:34:44it went through the bed roll and lodged in Guy's back.
0:34:49 > 0:34:53"A bullet hit me high in the left buttock, just under the belt,
0:34:53 > 0:34:55"lifting me clear off my horse
0:34:55 > 0:34:57"and dropping me sprawling on a heap of dirt."
0:35:11 > 0:35:15Childhood companions Guy and Midnight lie wounded,
0:35:15 > 0:35:17struck by the same bullet,
0:35:17 > 0:35:19while their comrades sweep forward to victory.
0:35:24 > 0:35:28And that's where Beersheba enters Australian legend
0:35:28 > 0:35:31and they capture the wells intact and the town falls.
0:35:36 > 0:35:38The casualties are not light.
0:35:40 > 0:35:45The horses must have sensed fear and noise and confusion,
0:35:45 > 0:35:48but they had faith in the men that were on their backs
0:35:48 > 0:35:51and they rode across that beaten ground and they took that position.
0:35:53 > 0:35:55They've got to perform under fire, don't they?
0:35:55 > 0:35:59And the courage was there. They are in a unique horse.
0:35:59 > 0:36:01Put your life on them.
0:36:01 > 0:36:02They'll get you home.
0:36:05 > 0:36:07It was an extraordinary feat of arms.
0:36:07 > 0:36:12I believe that it's one of the great cavalry charges of all time.
0:36:14 > 0:36:17The Beersheba battle was incredibly important
0:36:17 > 0:36:19and it had other ramifications,
0:36:19 > 0:36:22in that there was the so-called Balfour Declaration.
0:36:22 > 0:36:26British Foreign Minister Lord Balfour put out a letter saying
0:36:26 > 0:36:30that the Jews were allowed to come into Palestine.
0:36:30 > 0:36:35The diaspora of Jews, the migration, could build up under our control.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38So this is fundamental, this is the beginning of the Jewish state,
0:36:38 > 0:36:40and that was that Battle of Beersheba.
0:36:46 > 0:36:50Guy slowly recovers from his wounds, but his faithful mare does not.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55This is the bullet that was taken from Guy's back.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58Midnight saved his life because she took the brunt of it
0:36:58 > 0:36:59as it went through.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02It was only just a hair's width from his spine,
0:37:02 > 0:37:04so Guy was very, very lucky.
0:37:04 > 0:37:06Another fraction and he wouldn't have made it.
0:37:10 > 0:37:11The Light Horse has pulled off
0:37:11 > 0:37:15one of the last great cavalry charges in history.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19Now outflanked, the Turks are routed from Gaza
0:37:19 > 0:37:23and soon give up control of Jerusalem without a serious fight.
0:37:25 > 0:37:28From a dramatic, political, psychological point of view,
0:37:28 > 0:37:32to take Jerusalem back from the Muslim power
0:37:32 > 0:37:34was incredibly important.
0:37:34 > 0:37:36No-one was going to fight in the Holy City,
0:37:36 > 0:37:40but all the battles went around that particular city and slowly,
0:37:40 > 0:37:44relentlessly, the infantry and the Light Horse began to clear them.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49The Australians now find themselves in the Holy Land.
0:37:52 > 0:37:56Suddenly, these young men from the other side of the world,
0:37:56 > 0:37:58with their horses,
0:37:58 > 0:38:01are visiting places that are in the Bibles that their parents have
0:38:01 > 0:38:05sent them from Australia with a gum leaf folded between the covers.
0:38:09 > 0:38:13They are riding through the locations in the Old Testament,
0:38:13 > 0:38:15the stories that they've grown up with.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21But the war is far from over.
0:38:21 > 0:38:25The Turks and Germans build a new defensive line to the north.
0:38:25 > 0:38:27It stretches from the Mediterranean
0:38:27 > 0:38:31through the Jordan Valley and beyond, into the Syrian desert.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39The Jordan Valley campaign was a nightmare.
0:38:44 > 0:38:46The Turks didn't want to give ground.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49Indeed, many of the Turkish units would be recruited
0:38:49 > 0:38:54from the local area, so they are fighting on their home soil.
0:38:54 > 0:38:56They are fighting with a will as intense
0:38:56 > 0:38:59as they demonstrated at Gallipoli.
0:38:59 > 0:39:02The horses do have a fairly hard time in the advance
0:39:02 > 0:39:06from Beersheba northwards into central Palestine.
0:39:06 > 0:39:09The horses no longer have a ready supply of fodder coming forward,
0:39:09 > 0:39:11they have to graze.
0:39:11 > 0:39:13Horses grazing on campaign means they are generally
0:39:13 > 0:39:15not getting enough sustenance.
0:39:15 > 0:39:17Water is hard to come by.
0:39:17 > 0:39:21The men are living off bully beef, iron rations,
0:39:21 > 0:39:24which are essentially emergency rations that they carried.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28They were surrounded by high cliffs,
0:39:28 > 0:39:32it was boiling hot and the horses and the men were exhausted.
0:39:35 > 0:39:39We've moved away from the soft sands of Sinai to rocky ground.
0:39:39 > 0:39:43This creates problems for horses' feet, for shoeing.
0:39:43 > 0:39:46All of those sorts of issues which really could make an inroad
0:39:46 > 0:39:48into the effectiveness of a fighting unit.
0:39:49 > 0:39:54Short advances, desperate battles and then another short advance.
0:39:59 > 0:40:01And then they encounter the disease.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05Men and horses are dying.
0:40:07 > 0:40:09You've got malarial swamps.
0:40:09 > 0:40:11Diseases that herd animals are carrying.
0:40:11 > 0:40:15Poorer food, they're trying to live off the land a lot more.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18They claw their way through Palestine.
0:40:19 > 0:40:24General Allenby is also fighting a battle with his superiors in London.
0:40:24 > 0:40:28He needs more soldiers and supplies, but they are slow to arrive,
0:40:28 > 0:40:33as the Western Front continues to devour a whole generation of men.
0:40:35 > 0:40:38It takes time to build the force he needs.
0:40:39 > 0:40:45Ten and a half months after the breach of the Gaza-Beersheba line,
0:40:45 > 0:40:49Allenby is within striking distance of Damascus.
0:40:49 > 0:40:54The road to Damascus has been the goal since biblical times.
0:41:06 > 0:41:10Allenby was confident that if he could take Damascus,
0:41:10 > 0:41:13there would be a military and strategic victory,
0:41:13 > 0:41:17but there would also be an enormous morale and propaganda victory.
0:41:20 > 0:41:24By now, the Ottomans have amassed three entire armies
0:41:24 > 0:41:26stretching across a final defensive line.
0:41:26 > 0:41:31It is the last stand of one of the greatest empires in history.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35So, you're dealing with 100,000 soldiers on the enemy side,
0:41:35 > 0:41:39then you've got to really be tactically brilliant to win this.
0:41:39 > 0:41:44What he wanted to do is to swing from the Jordan Valley
0:41:44 > 0:41:48back to the coast, across the plains of Chevron
0:41:48 > 0:41:51and advance through Megiddo,
0:41:51 > 0:41:54across the biblical battlefield of Armageddon,
0:41:54 > 0:41:56and draw down on Damascus.
0:42:03 > 0:42:06Prophesized as the place where man's final battle will erupt
0:42:06 > 0:42:09on the Day of Judgment,
0:42:09 > 0:42:11General Allenby concentrates his forces
0:42:11 > 0:42:13near the ancient fort of Megiddo.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18It is a path taken by the great invading armies of yesteryear.
0:42:21 > 0:42:23The plan was to pound a hole in the Turkish line,
0:42:23 > 0:42:28then exploit it with what has become the British Empire's secret weapon,
0:42:28 > 0:42:30men on horseback.
0:42:42 > 0:42:47Australian airmen and British airmen knock out the lines of communication
0:42:47 > 0:42:49behind the Turkish lines.
0:42:51 > 0:42:53The British launch an infantry breakthrough,
0:42:53 > 0:42:56driving one Turkish army back along the coast
0:42:56 > 0:42:58while leaving the others in situation.
0:42:58 > 0:43:02A gap occurs between these two Turkish armies
0:43:02 > 0:43:06and his mounted soldiers ride through that gap.
0:43:07 > 0:43:12Harry Chauvel is able to unleash two of his cavalry divisions -
0:43:12 > 0:43:15the British and Indian 4th and 5th Cavalry divisions
0:43:15 > 0:43:16ride through the gap.
0:43:16 > 0:43:20The leftmost division is literally riding up the beach.
0:43:20 > 0:43:22The Australia Mounted Division
0:43:22 > 0:43:24aim to get right behind the Ottoman Army,
0:43:24 > 0:43:27push all the way across to the Jordan River
0:43:27 > 0:43:29and cut off its withdrawal routes with a view
0:43:29 > 0:43:31to destroying those armies piecemeal.
0:43:31 > 0:43:35A swing around behind the Turkish troops
0:43:35 > 0:43:38that are still in contact, cutting off a massive number
0:43:38 > 0:43:40of Turkish soldiers.
0:43:41 > 0:43:44I've seen the German cables, they'd say,
0:43:44 > 0:43:47"The Anzacs will go where no man or horse should go, they are madmen."
0:43:48 > 0:43:51The Australians and the British mounted soldiers
0:43:51 > 0:43:55are advancing faster than the enemy can retreat.
0:43:55 > 0:43:58The Turkish coordination starts to fall apart.
0:44:00 > 0:44:04The Megiddo offensive is a truly remarkable military feat,
0:44:04 > 0:44:06an astounding victory.
0:44:06 > 0:44:08It destroys three Ottoman armies
0:44:08 > 0:44:13and ultimately it results in exploitation that pushes well beyond
0:44:13 > 0:44:15what anyone had ever hoped.
0:44:21 > 0:44:24So they can actually push the Turks out of the region for the first time
0:44:24 > 0:44:28in 400 years of control of the Arabs in that region.
0:44:31 > 0:44:34Within a week of the Battle of Megiddo,
0:44:34 > 0:44:37Allenby's army is on the outskirts of Damascus.
0:44:42 > 0:44:45Harry Chauvel chose the 10th Light Horse for Damascus
0:44:45 > 0:44:46and he said categorically,
0:44:46 > 0:44:49it's because of what happened at the neck.
0:44:49 > 0:44:53You deserve the honour of taking the town of Damascus.
0:44:57 > 0:45:01As the 10th readies itself, chaos erupts inside the city.
0:45:01 > 0:45:05The Turkish forces are in disarray.
0:45:07 > 0:45:09They knew that the British were coming.
0:45:09 > 0:45:11That's those inside Damascus.
0:45:11 > 0:45:13So the Turks and the Germans were going to get out.
0:45:14 > 0:45:17To the west of Damascus is the Barada Gorge,
0:45:17 > 0:45:18one of the main routes out of the city.
0:45:18 > 0:45:21So they were taking trains, they were taking any vehicle they could,
0:45:21 > 0:45:24horses and everything, through that gorge.
0:45:26 > 0:45:29The Light Horse have this covered from on high.
0:45:29 > 0:45:31Remember, these are blokes six bullets, six kills.
0:45:31 > 0:45:33All can shoot.
0:45:33 > 0:45:36And the Turks were going to surrender - smartly, I thought -
0:45:36 > 0:45:39but the German command said, no, you fight to the last man.
0:45:48 > 0:45:52Every living thing was slaughtered in that gorge that night.
0:46:01 > 0:46:04Next morning, the 10th begins its advance on Damascus.
0:46:12 > 0:46:15But first, they pass through the carnage,
0:46:15 > 0:46:18an echo of their own experiences at Gallipoli.
0:46:24 > 0:46:26Is this slaughter a sign of what lies ahead?
0:46:27 > 0:46:30Will entering Damascus become the bloodiest battle of them all?
0:46:38 > 0:46:40Before the Australians can enter the city,
0:46:40 > 0:46:42colonial politics intervened
0:46:42 > 0:46:46in the form of one of the British Empire's greatest heroes.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55Allenby's been told to secure Damascus
0:46:55 > 0:46:58but make sure that the city falls to Faisal's army
0:46:58 > 0:47:00and Lawrence of Arabia.
0:47:04 > 0:47:07Lieutenant Colonel TE Lawrence has been helping King Faisal
0:47:07 > 0:47:11and his Arab army fight the Turks through the eastern deserts.
0:47:13 > 0:47:16However, he is still some distance from Damascus.
0:47:20 > 0:47:25The authorities in the town are watching one of the oldest cities
0:47:25 > 0:47:27on Earth tear itself to pieces.
0:47:27 > 0:47:31People are rioting in the streets, fires are breaking out, it's chaos.
0:47:31 > 0:47:36Allenby sends in the Australian Light Horse to skirt around
0:47:36 > 0:47:39the town to make sure the Turks have gone and to make sure
0:47:39 > 0:47:42that there's some order, so that the Arab Army
0:47:42 > 0:47:45can successfully consolidate the city.
0:47:45 > 0:47:48It is led by a major named Olden.
0:47:50 > 0:47:51He was a very keen horseman.
0:47:51 > 0:47:55My mum and my dad, they had a horse that they named Pie,
0:47:55 > 0:47:59in memory of Grandfather's horse that went into Damascus that day.
0:47:59 > 0:48:04And he's weaving his way, with the soldiers behind him,
0:48:04 > 0:48:07through these chaotic, tiny little streets.
0:48:07 > 0:48:10But they keep bumping into these slums
0:48:10 > 0:48:12and these tiny little blind alleys,
0:48:12 > 0:48:15not the sort of place you can take men and horses,
0:48:15 > 0:48:19and so he gets edged closer to the centre of town,
0:48:19 > 0:48:22he knows he's not supposed to get there but he can't find another way
0:48:22 > 0:48:26through the city, and suddenly, there he and his men are,
0:48:26 > 0:48:30formed up on the square in front of the great Soraya,
0:48:30 > 0:48:31the great town hall and meeting place
0:48:31 > 0:48:34in the centre of the oldest city on Earth.
0:48:40 > 0:48:44He is covered in dust, he's got his revolver in one hand.
0:48:44 > 0:48:46He is not sure what he's supposed to.
0:48:46 > 0:48:50He's not supposed to have an official function.
0:48:50 > 0:48:54This is supposed to be Faisal and Lawrence of Arabia.
0:48:56 > 0:48:58Well, this is my grandfather's book.
0:48:58 > 0:49:01"The officers advanced and halted in the centre of the room
0:49:01 > 0:49:04"and called for the Governor to approach.
0:49:04 > 0:49:07"Olden asked, 'Does the city surrender?'
0:49:07 > 0:49:10" 'Yes, there will be no further opposition in the city.' "
0:49:12 > 0:49:14He gets the surrender in writing.
0:49:14 > 0:49:17He holds up the piece of paper to his men,
0:49:17 > 0:49:19they can all hear him, and he says,
0:49:19 > 0:49:23"I'm in the line of Ramesses II of Egypt,
0:49:23 > 0:49:28"Alexander the Great of Greece and Napoleon of France
0:49:28 > 0:49:30"in the surrender of Damascus."
0:49:30 > 0:49:32He was taking the mickey, of course.
0:49:32 > 0:49:35And there's a huge roar from the men because they know Olden,
0:49:35 > 0:49:38he's a bit of an eccentric, but he knows his history.
0:49:38 > 0:49:41And it's interesting that he got them to write out the surrender
0:49:41 > 0:49:44so he'd have it for ever, to say, well, we were first in,
0:49:44 > 0:49:47not Lawrence and the Arabs, and here it is, here's the piece of paper.
0:49:50 > 0:49:52So, this is the original document,
0:49:52 > 0:49:55surrendering the city of Damascus to Olden.
0:49:55 > 0:49:59And it reads, "I have the greatest honour in meeting
0:49:59 > 0:50:02"Major Arthur Olden, who was the first British officer
0:50:02 > 0:50:06"to enter Damascus in the bravest manner known of the Saxon race.
0:50:06 > 0:50:08"I have written these words as remembrance
0:50:08 > 0:50:10"of this glorious meeting.
0:50:10 > 0:50:14"Signed by Amir Mohammed Sayed, son of Amir Ali,
0:50:14 > 0:50:17"son of Amir Abdul Kadir."
0:50:20 > 0:50:24It must have been a remarkable scene for these men on horses
0:50:24 > 0:50:26that had been on campaign for years,
0:50:26 > 0:50:29being presented with the keys to the oldest city,
0:50:29 > 0:50:34and of course, it's indicative of what a citizens' army the AIF is.
0:50:34 > 0:50:38Olden is a dentist from Narrogin in Western Australia.
0:50:42 > 0:50:46Two hours later, Lawrence arrives in a Rolls-Royce to officially accept
0:50:46 > 0:50:50the surrender of Damascus, for the record books.
0:50:56 > 0:51:00By now, the Australians have raced forward on their great ride,
0:51:00 > 0:51:02sweeping their enemy north and driving home
0:51:02 > 0:51:06the long campaign's most important victory.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12The greatest cavalry feat in British history,
0:51:12 > 0:51:16the great drive that went so far, so fast and was so devastating
0:51:16 > 0:51:19to the enemy, was the crowning achievement.
0:51:19 > 0:51:25Then on the 11th of November 1918, the Armistice is announced.
0:51:27 > 0:51:29The war in Europe and in the Middle East is over.
0:51:32 > 0:51:35The Australians have forced the Turkish Army back
0:51:35 > 0:51:38to less than 50 kilometres from their homeland.
0:51:38 > 0:51:41The Ottoman Empire is in ruins.
0:51:48 > 0:51:50Forged under fire,
0:51:50 > 0:51:53the incredible partnership between the men and the horses
0:51:53 > 0:51:57of the Australian Mounted Division has achieved greatness.
0:51:57 > 0:52:01With open lands, desert, classical history,
0:52:01 > 0:52:03stories popping up from the Bible,
0:52:03 > 0:52:10Australia had the potential to show the capacity of their bushmen,
0:52:10 > 0:52:14their love of their horses, their sturdiness.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16It's the perfect story.
0:52:17 > 0:52:21The horses were paramount in winning the desert war,
0:52:21 > 0:52:24and if they came out with glory, it was because of the horses.
0:52:33 > 0:52:36Now, with the years of conflict finally over,
0:52:36 > 0:52:39that bond faces a new challenge.
0:52:39 > 0:52:43They often said, my best mate was the horse.
0:52:43 > 0:52:45And they all dreamt of going back to their towns
0:52:45 > 0:52:48and riding down the main street, victorious.
0:52:50 > 0:52:53Hard economics will soon shatter that dream.
0:52:54 > 0:52:56At the end of the war,
0:52:56 > 0:53:03the equipment needed to be either recycled or destroyed.
0:53:03 > 0:53:07And the horses fell into that equation.
0:53:08 > 0:53:11It's a sad thing, but the war's not only a war,
0:53:11 > 0:53:14it's probably a business as well at the end of the day.
0:53:14 > 0:53:17They'd done their job and they left them there.
0:53:22 > 0:53:26Although the price of going to war had never mattered,
0:53:26 > 0:53:28the cost of coming home now does.
0:53:31 > 0:53:34The emotional investment between a man and horse,
0:53:34 > 0:53:38years of campaigning together, is suddenly going to end?
0:53:40 > 0:53:43All the horses are classified.
0:53:43 > 0:53:47The fit and young will be sold to the British and Indian armies.
0:53:47 > 0:53:51But soldiers fear some may be sold on.
0:53:56 > 0:54:02They did not want to see proud Australian war horses being treated
0:54:02 > 0:54:06the way that farm animals were in the Middle East.
0:54:09 > 0:54:14It was very tragic after what these horses had meant to these soldiers
0:54:14 > 0:54:16to think that the Government would not help them out
0:54:16 > 0:54:18and bring these horses home.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21I think they felt very let down, yes, at the end of the war, by that.
0:54:22 > 0:54:27In some cases, they took the law into their own hands.
0:54:29 > 0:54:31Peter Hayden's other great-uncle, Barney,
0:54:31 > 0:54:34has survived with his horse, Polo, to the very end.
0:54:36 > 0:54:38He now faces a terrible decision.
0:54:41 > 0:54:46Along with others, he chooses to take one last unofficial ride.
0:54:46 > 0:54:50Barney, he would have ridden out on his horse, Polo, a very upsetting,
0:54:50 > 0:54:52you know, a very emotional time, no doubt.
0:55:09 > 0:55:12They just return with their saddle and their bridle
0:55:12 > 0:55:13and hand that back in,
0:55:13 > 0:55:17and there's no way they were going to hand their horse back in.
0:55:17 > 0:55:20They had nightmares for the rest of their life of that moment
0:55:20 > 0:55:22when they shot the horse, it hit the sand
0:55:22 > 0:55:24and the relationship was broken.
0:55:26 > 0:55:31To this day, it is unclear just how many men make this choice.
0:55:31 > 0:55:35I've found very few instances where diggers just took neddy
0:55:35 > 0:55:36over the sand dune
0:55:36 > 0:55:39and put a bullet through the poor steed's head.
0:55:42 > 0:55:45For many, there is no point to intervening in this way.
0:55:47 > 0:55:50Classed as too old or unfit for sale,
0:55:50 > 0:55:53the fate of their horses is already sealed.
0:55:55 > 0:55:59"The melancholy information came to hand that the time is drawing near
0:55:59 > 0:56:02"when we were to be finally separated from our beloved horses.
0:56:02 > 0:56:05"We were now to experience the heart-rending business of hearing
0:56:05 > 0:56:08"the death sentence pronounced by the veterinary officers
0:56:08 > 0:56:10"upon so many noble animals which had,
0:56:10 > 0:56:13"through the trials and triumphs of the long campaign,
0:56:13 > 0:56:16"grown to be part and parcel of our very lives."
0:56:21 > 0:56:24It was a highly organised event.
0:56:24 > 0:56:27It was done en masse by units.
0:56:30 > 0:56:33After the horses were classified by the veterinary officers
0:56:33 > 0:56:38to be destroyed, the horses were taken away from the camps,
0:56:38 > 0:56:42their manes and tails were shorn, because that was horsehair,
0:56:42 > 0:56:45and horsehair was a commodity, you could get money for it.
0:56:45 > 0:56:49The horses were then shot under the supervision of a veterinary officer
0:56:49 > 0:56:51by the working parties working for them.
0:56:55 > 0:56:59The horses were skinned, because the skin was also a commodity.
0:56:59 > 0:57:02And the carcasses were left where they were in the desert,
0:57:02 > 0:57:04to be picked over by scavengers.
0:57:09 > 0:57:11"To me, the most cruel part
0:57:11 > 0:57:15"was having to lead them through the dead to be shot themselves.
0:57:15 > 0:57:18"Don't tell me the horses didn't know
0:57:18 > 0:57:20"what was going to happen to them."
0:57:22 > 0:57:25Trooper Bostock, 10th Light Horse.