The light horse and the grey Arab mare
After the evacuation from Gallipoli, the Anzacs were concentrated in Egypt and reorganised.
The Australian and New Zealand battalions had forged a reputation as a crack fighting force and were soon deployed to the Western Front.
The British high command maintained the view that the war would be either won or lost on the Western Front — France and Belgium — and that all other campaigns were diversions only.
However, as the Anzacs left Egypt, the Turks advanced from Palestine across the Sinai desert and established a base within striking distance of the Suez Canal.
The Australian Light Horse (which had been left in Egypt) and a British and New Zealand force, struck at the Turkish army and pushed it back towards Palestine.
After a successful campaign, which culminated in the withdrawal of all Turkish forces in Sinai, it was decided to advance into Palestine, with the ultimate goal the liberation of Jerusalem.
The campaign progressed slowly during 1917, with the Turkish front line finally being broken during the battle of Beersheba and Jerusalem being entered by the Western Australian 10th Light Horse in December of that year.
The Australian Light Horse spent several gruelling months in the oppressive heat of the Jordan Valley, while the army was built up for the advance to Damascus.
The offensive commenced in September 1918 and was a resounding success as the Turkish front line was broken and thousands of mounted troops poured through.
The 10th Light Horse seized the town of Jenin in a spectacular mounted attack.
The advance continued through enemy territory until the 10th Light Horse attained almost legendary status by being the first troops to enter Damascus in a daring thrust past thousands of Turks.
Major Olden of the 10th Light Horse accepted the surrender of the city and promptly left to chase a Turkish force in retreat beyond the city precincts.
The Turks were encountered and decisively beaten to the northeast of Damascus, where the 10th Light Horse and its sister units fought their last action of the war.
The weary light horsemen halted for the night at Duma on October 2, 1918.
Meanwhile scout officer Lt Charles Foulkes-Taylor, who had led the advance through Damascus, posted guards around the village.
Foulkes-Taylor observed an Arab on a horse, galloping across the fields towards the Homs road.
He later wrote in a letter to Lt-Gen Harry Chauvel: “We saw an Arab in gorgeous dress galloping towards us on a grey animal and another Arab just behind him, also on an Arab.
"On seeing us, he turned and tried to rejoin his folk (the Turks), his groom got away but I was able to get within 20 yards of him and called on him to halt in Arabic and Australian.
"I shot him and caught his mount, a beautiful Arab mare and rode her for the next day or so and decided to make every endeavour to bring her out to Australia.”
The horse was reputed to be a direct descendant of one of the four mares of The Prophet, with a traceable lineage of 1200 years.
Foulkes-Taylor named her Damascus and attempted to take her to WA, which would have introduced the Arabian breed to Australia years before it did eventually occur.
A few days later instructions were received to hand in all captured Arab mares, but she was hidden whenever provosts came looking for her.
Lance-Cpl Basil Craig, who was Foulkes-Taylor’s accomplice in the attempt to bring the mare to WA, wrote: “She was a four-year-old and her feet were shod with silver plates, which covered the whole foot to protect the frog on the stony ground.
"In order to disguise her, she was given several washings in a strong solution of permanganate of potash, changing her colour completely. This, apparently, did her no harm. Her tail was docked to the usual length of the English Yeomanry, then teased out to give her that cobbish look.
"Her mane was not cut, being too beautiful, but it was trimmed a little. Only one other person knew of her whereabouts, an officer in Brigade Headquarters and when the horse lines were about to be inspected, the scouts would be tipped off.”
Basil Craig later took the mare to an Arab five miles south of Lake Huleh, who was paid to take care of her until Craig could make suitable arrangements for her transportation.
However, he became sick with malaria and was invalided back to WA before this could be expedited.
Foulkes-Taylor, unaware of the mare’s whereabouts, returned to WA with the mare’s saddle and accoutrements, some of which were later donated by his family to the Museum of Western Australia.
Gallipoli to Tripoli: the History of the 10th Light Horse Regiment in World War I will be available this month. Contact Neville Browning on 9490 6495 or 0403 570 052 for details of the launch on Sunday at the barracks in Karrakatta.
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