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Western Mail, Thursday 30 November 1933, page 2
THE WALERS.
The horses that left W.A.in '14 and the early part of '15 were in the seventeen and eighteen thousands. They were numbered 17 or 18 on the off fore hoof and the rest of the number on the near-fore. The best of them left with the 10th Light Horse on the S.S. Mashobra, and the pick of the bunch was 17/971, a bay gelding commonly known as Gerry; the best horse in the 10th.
One old farrier-sergeant knew every one of them and on seeing asked:-"Dad, do you know this horse?" He would look the horse over for a minute or two and reply:
"Yes, that is one of our Mashobra horses. That is a good horse - one of our original horses. That used to be so and so's horse."
At Solomon's Pools the machine gunners put a roughie on the old chap. They borrowed a horse off the 18th Bengal Lancers with 18 (No. of the Regiment) on his off-fore and a regimental number of three figures on his rear. "Do you know this horse Dad?"
The old chap looked it over for some time but the 18 on its hoof misled him. "That is one of our Mashobra horses. That is a good horse - one of our original horses. That used to be so and so's horse."
He never understood why they cheered him.
Good old Mashobras! There were only about 120 of them left after the armistice, and they were shot to prevent them falling into the hands of the Egyptians after the Aussies had gone home. - J. Ryder, Lake Biddy.
Those in the story:
S.S. Mashobra = The HMAT A47 Mashobra weighed 8,174 tons with an average cruise speed of 12.5 knots or 23.15 kmph. It was owned by the British India SN Co Ltd, London, and leased by the Commonwealth until 21 December 1916. The Mashobra was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean, 15 April 1917.
HMAT A47 Mashobra
old farrier-sergeant = 214 Farrier Sergeant George DAY, a 49 year old Meat Inspector from Beaconsfield, Western Australia. He enlisted on 19 October 1914; and at the conclusion of the war Returned to Australia, 29 April 1919.
Narrator = 218 Sergeant James RYDER, a 36 year old Farmer from Maylands, Western Australia. He enlisted on 20 October 1914; and at the conclusion of the war Returned to Australia, 27 January 1919.