Learning Objective: To explore the involvement of animals in WWI.
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www.planbee.com Do you know of any animals which were used during WWI?
What were they used for?
How do you know? What kind of source did you find out from? Back Next
www.planbee.com Before the development of all-terrain vehicles and modern communications, many communities relied on animals to take on jobs to make tasks easier. This was true during the war too. Many different species of animals did their part in the war by providing transportation, communication, pest control and even comfort and increased morale (the confidence and enthusiasm within a group of people) for a battalion. Back Next
www.planbee.com Before WWI, battles had been fought by cavalries: soldiers on horseback using swords and guns. Officers would have the choice of the best, fastest or strongest horses to ride into battle. Horses had to be trained to be used to the sounds of gunfire and to charge into the enemy. As the war developed, officers realised that cavalries were not going to be effective in trench warfare and horses were used for Back transportation instead. Next
www.planbee.com Horses and mules were used to carry heavy ammunition for the artillery guns as well as other supplies like food, water and medical supplies. They would also pull carts with wounded soldiers on them, or pull along the heavy artillery guns. The horses and mules had to battle through thick mud and uneven ground. They could travel to areas that most https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5410734
vehicles couldn’t as they would 3.0 de, 3.0, CC BY-SA Bild 101I-289-1091-26 / Dinstühler CC-BY-SA By Bundesarchiv, Back get stuck. Next
www.planbee.com Homing pigeons were a vital method of sending messages during the war. The pigeons would always fly back to their home coop, so taking pigeons with them when they advanced, meant that soldiers could send messages back to headquarters, who could then pass on the message to the relevant people. 95% of the messages sent by pigeon reached their intended destination. Like aeroplanes, the birds could also be used to take aerial photographs of enemy camps by strapping a camera to them. The camera would be timed to go off once the bird was in flight. Back Next
www.planbee.com Soldiers would attempt to shoot down birds as they knew that they could be carrying vital information. This either stopped the message being passed on, or meant that they could intercept it and gain information about the enemy.
One such homing pigeon named Cher Ami (Dear Friend) was able to deliver a message despite being badly injured. She had lost a foot and an eye during her flight to deliver the message. This message saved 194 US soldiers and she was awarded the French ‘Croix de Guerre’ (Cross of War) for her heroic service. Back Next
www.planbee.com Up to 20,000 dogs were trained for use in WWI. They were some of the hardest working and most trusted animals used during the war.
What sort of jobs do you think dogs might have done during the war?
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www.planbee.com Dogs were very versatile in their uses during the war as they could be trained for lots of different purposes. Many dogs, like pigeons, were used as messengers. They could run faster than a human over any terrain and were harder to shoot.
Dogs would also be used as guard dogs, raising the alarm by quietly gaining their handler’s attention and making them aware of enemies nearby. Back Next
www.planbee.com Dogs would also be used to There were also transport different supplies, ambulance dogs who and weapons. In groups, they wore packs across would pull carts with machine their backs with basic guns, along with ammunition medical supplies in and supplies. them. The dog was trained to sniff out injured soldiers, to give the supplies to them and then alert the human medics to the position of the Back injured soldier. Next
www.planbee.com Dogs, especially smaller breeds like terriers, were also excellent rat catchers. This served as a relief to the soldiers that had to live amongst the huge rat populations in the trenches. This photo shows off a terrier’s catch hunter.html, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69361927 CC BY-SA hunter.html, By TERRIMAN'S DAILY DOSE - https://terriermandotcom.blogspot.ae/2013/03/rat-hunter-wwi-trench- By TERRIMAN'S DAILY after just 15 minutes in the trenches! They were also popular mascots to the soldiers that spent months away from home in poor conditions. They would cheer up homesick men and their loyalty and friendliness would increase the morale of the battalions Back that they served with. Next
www.planbee.com Sergeant Stubby was the official mascot of a US regiment during WWI. He served as a morale boosting member of the group as well as alerting them to gas attacks and comforting the wounded soldiers. He would also warn the soldiers to take cover because of incoming artillery shells (as he could hear them coming before humans could). There is even a film based on his life and service during WWI! Back Next
www.planbee.com Cats were also used as mascots and rat catchers alongside the soldiers fighting in the trenches.
Camels were used in similar ways to horses in battles fought in the Ottoman Empire. Elephants were used to pull heavy machinery and resources when needed. In the UK, An elephant pulling due to all the horses being taken to ammunition in Sheffield. help in the war in France, elephants were taken from zoos and circuses to fill-in for the jobs the horses left behind. Back Next
www.planbee.com Plenary
What do you think the war would have been like without these animals?
What sort of things would have been easier or more difficult?
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