Out of the 10,000 horses that left for World War 1 to carry troops and supplies into battle, only four returned to New Zealand.

All four horses that made it home belonged to officers. Beauty to the late Captain Richard Riddiford, Bess to Captain Charles Powles, Dolly to Major General Sir Andrew Russell, and Digger to the late Lieutenant Colonel George King, who was killed at Passchendaele.

Dogs, pigeons, donkeys and even bullocks played a huge part in assisting our soldiers.
They certainly deserve to be recognised along with service dogs, police dogs and rescue dogs who also put their lives on the line.
Wear your purple poppy on the 24th February.

Thank you for your service :)

I only just found out about Purple Poppy Day, when I saw the Museum article in my FB Feed a few minutes ago ... surely there needs to be greater publicity about this important commemoration in the days leading up to the 24th Feb. As an animal lover I feel quite emotional about animals serving in war, but there are just some jobs that require their special skills. And I believe they must have been, and are, a great comfort to their human counterparts. A huge thank you to every one of those furry and feathered soldiers who have served in our history. 💜💜

We would like to thank all animals (and their humans) who have served in war and other conflicts for New Zealand.