Evening star., 1923-04-12
Great Britain to Erect Memorial
10 Animal Heroes of World War
By THE NARQUISE DE FONTENo

BIZ THE NARQUISE DE F,ONTENOY.
Great Britain somewhat late in the
day is about to raise a memorial on
one OF the most prominent sites in
the metropolis-in Hyde Park-to the
dumb friends who helped the empire
TO win the war. Nearly half a million
OF horses lost their lives in the con-
fiict. Dogs and pigeons employed in
carrying information to and from the
advanced lines perished in untold
thousands, and SO, too, did mice and
small birds to whose assistance re-
course was had for the detection OF
poison gases in the trenches. Even
elephants succumbed in huge herds
10 wounds and exhaustion in the
heavy transport service. and among
other victims were donkeys, mules,
camels, and even reindeer.
All these non-human allies of
Great Britain In the great war are
now TO have d stately cenotaph in
grateful memory of the sacrifices Of
their lives. and to the Royal Society
Tor the Prevention of Cruelty To AMI
lnals' initial subscription of $4,000
moro than twice that amount already
has been subscribed by the public.
ana as money is coming in all the
time Tor the monument IL promises
to be of a very stately character.
X = X X
Such post-mortem honors to ami
mails that have played their role in
national wars are by no means
without precedent. Thus, at the
close of Japans victorious war with
Russia in 1906. 4 magnificent monu-
ment was erected at a cost of nearly
100000 at Miyagi as a memorial to
the horses lost in tho campaign, its
inauguration being made the occa-
sion of grand funeral services in
which the governor, The leading mill
1tary, civil and religious authorities
took part, and at which the clergy
of the Buddhist and Shinto rites re-
cited prayers for the welfare and the
repose of the spirits-it would hardly
do to call them the names-of the
horses that had lost their lives in
the war service of their country.
Sacrificial offerings Of wheat and
oats were placed on a large altar,
ed a memorial address, while the
troops stood at attention. He recited
the services of the horses, the num-
ber that had fallen in this battle,
ana IN that He Solemnly thanked
their spirits-that Is to say, their
souls-in behalf of the emperor, of
the army and Of the nation, for the
assistance which they had afforded to
their human comrades in wrestling
victory from the Russians, and as
sured them that their names would
be held in affectionate and honored
remembrance by the squadrons and
by the regiments to which they had
belonged in the campaign.
The address of the general was, in
fact, very similar to the one delivered
by the late Admiral Togo when on
his return to Toxic, after the fall
rial service in honor of those who
had given their lives while under
his command in accomplishing the
destruction Of the Pacific ocean fleet
Of Russia The only difference be-
whereas the admirars invocation was
addressed to the souls Of dead off,
GERS and sailors of the navy, that of
the commanding general at Miyagi
was addressed to the spirits of the
war horses whose lives had been sac
rif1ced in behalf Of their country.
Alexander the Great, not content
with entombing his fayorite charger
Bucephalus in a superb mausoleum,
actually founded and built as a last
ing memorial to him the city of
Bucephala, which became one of the
most important and densely populated