Artillerymen Mourn Death Of Howitzer

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28896, 16 May 1959, Page 15

Artillerymen Mourn Death Of Howitzer

Artillery units in the South 1 'island were yesterday notified of 1 | the death of a horse. 1 The horse was Howitzer, aged t j 29. and one of the last two links f [with horse-drawn artillery in the j • Dominion. ] I A marc, Barbara —named after j the patron saint of artillery—sur- ] vives Howitzer at Waiouru. j • Advice .of Howitzer s death came to Southern Military District Head- ; quarters in Christchurch in a !£ teleprinter message to '‘heads of; ] corps and colonels commandant.". ( The message said that Howitzer ] died at 2 p.m. on Wednesday and ] that "suitable commemoration*’ was being arranged. j ‘This is quite something for ( both former and serving artillery- i men; Howitzer is a very significant ] horse.” an Army spokesman said Even those not of the artillery regiment would know of the • horse and would feel sorry at news of his death, he added. I The spokesman said that Howitzer and Barbara were on Army strength in retirement. 11 was the duty of non-commissioned officers to feed and care for them daily. "They have been treated like kings and queens—of the horse world, of course.” he said. 1 The spokesman said that there were many soldiers and former servicemen who would be familiar with the two horses and there were those who could remember ! riding them as long ago as 22 years. In recent years they had often featured on Christmas cards used by servicemen. Howitzer “joined” the Army in I i

1932 at Palmerston North. From 1933 to 1939 she was employed as an instructor s hack and troop horse for all forms of mounted training by regular and territorial force units. She ijormally took her place in the gun team at near lead. She was well-mannered, responsive to commands, and learned all phases of military riding very quickly.

Barbara is about 27 years old, and was broken in about 1937 as a 4-year-dd. She was frequently i ridden by the present Assistant Chief of General Staff (Brigadier R. C. Queree) and Brigadier J. R. Page. Howitzer received an appropriate burial service at Waiouru on Thursday. The head will be mounted and will go to the regimental museum at the artillery school at Waiouru.