Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1921-06-09
She did her Bit
Soldiers Tribute to Faithful
Dumb Buddy.
VIII Appeal % Others Besides Thoss
Who in Franos Made Thsls
Dseds ImmorfaI


When I first saw Joan in 1919
writes Major u. n. Lund In the Lon
don Times Magazine. she was already
an old soldier. standing In q muddy,
bleak field near the ruined village OF
Elverdinghe. She was only q typical
English shire cart horse that mad
come through the refxeaf'' with sew
eral other horses n our string.
remember sez tfie - her dur
Ing those first sfNnge weeks IN our
forward billet. D when we moved
back into rest wv nc the end Of a
column OF steami@g horses Joan and
her team mate. ID by. That summer
we lost horsesL We moved slowly
forward and somst @nes backward. day
and night In actin, with the horses
never far away n open fields.
With the auturan came rain, mud
and cracked heelsl and I'm the village
Of Souastre Darby had to be led away
with open gashes Iun both hind feet.
Joan worked badly that day and
: ate scarcely anything. The next day
she stayed In and fed out OF my hand.
The following Dry she seemed well
again; but Darky's place had been
hard to hil 1hrough that winter
and q summer 3f defensive wnrfnre
rntions were seldom late. though they
were often deitvSre under fre. Joan
maintained her Pid gait. apparently
caring httAs ahone he goiOG Or whesA-
er she drew mob than fer share of
the load
The winter OF i1o17-1S found rs at
Potijze. and the horses in a ruin ut
Ypres. There was lot Of hard work,
but no action. One day Joan's mate
and her driver were struck down by
her side at feeding time, and Joan
was the only one left Of our old
horses.
Then the tide turned, and we began
to advance-Arrns 20 Cambrai In a
week. When we pulled out os Cam
brai the Huns were In full retreat !;
and we were told 10 keep up with
the advance" AZ dusk, footsore, tired
and hungry. we pulled our few re
maining carts into a small field near
the ruined chateau Of Escaudoeuvres.
We unlocked. tied our famished
horses. unrolled our blankets and fell
into ditches-tht for once the rations
were not up.
And there wAs no sleep that night.
A battery Of 6gis ha1 .pulled into the
chateau dE1,ws .EAunAr aA airpiane
had seen their M9hes and had spotted
the transport On the road. All night
long we were carrying and tying up
wounded. At last daylight came. but
no rations: where were they-and
Joanf
Finally the Smelling stopped, and
out Of the mass of transport on the
road came q battered wagon, piled
high with food. drawn by q solitary
horse bleeding from the hind leg and
nostrils-merely staggering along
with the driver wearing a red band
where his helmet should have been.
A great cry went up from the weary,
hungry men.
But at once I saw the wagon stop
inside the field and q great horse
sway for an instant. sink to her knees,
topple over and lie still.
Q
They say that ip some devastated
parts OF France w9nen at night have
seen ghosts of thdr loved ones rise
and walk with them. II this is so.
then some Of my Id st men may march
with me once more. And In a peaceful
meadow that l knPw of, near a re-
built chateau. mAy cne night hear
the creaking Of d wagon and the
sound OF wheels, dnd I shall see a
horse that once knew, driven where
there should be twok and she shall be
covered with foam aIld bleeding Mt the
nostrils and lame. And shall hear
a well-known voice shout, "Rations
upr and ghosts Of weary fighting
men shall echo. Thank God and
as I stumble away I shall n1urmur,
"and Joan"