MEMBERS of Minehead Quilters have produced a stitched banner depicting ‘Horses in the War’ as part of a project run by the charity ‘Away from the Western Front.

The two-year project, from 2017 to 2019, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, is about an often overlooked aspect of World War One. Each posting away from the Western Front meant adapting to the local conditions alongside the fulfilment of duties.

This was particularly evident in the campaigns in the Balkans and the Middle East, and the project identifies issues encountered by troops during these campaigns, with a particular focus on the role of equines. 

Minehead Quilters’ banner took inspiration from the book ‘On That Day I Left My Boyhood Behind’, by Susan Burnet. The book is based on Susan’s grandfather’s grandfather, Norman Woodcock, who served in World War One away from the Western Front, and who had a horse with him, called Timbuc.

Each square on the banner portrays a story, from the beginning when horses were supplied from Army Remount Depots, through the different campaigns and difficulties encountered, finishing at the end of the war with a story of why Dorothy Brooke started the charity Brooke.