"Preserving our Past for the Future since 1973"
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Rescue of a Princess                                                                      Regimental Mascot of the 8th Hussars by Makayla Cole

10/8/2018

4 Comments

 
​In the late summer and into the fall of 1944, the Allies were fighting to take down the Gothic Line, the last German defence line in Italy. Northern Italy remained under control of the Axis and contained factories and supplies vital to the German war efforts. As well, contained in this area were the cities of Bologna, Modena and Milan where rich agricultural land had been providing food to the Germans and the Axis. Therefore, they fought as hard as they could to make it impossible for the Allies to breakthrough.
 
The regions in Northern Italy that the Germans wished to protect were separated by a natural barrier – the Apennine Mountains. Sitting on this mountain range, the heavily armed Gothic Line stretched approximately from Massa to Pesaro. The mirrored Allied line stretched from approximately Pisa to Fano. The Canadians were situated on the Adriatic coast near Coriano, Italy with the objective of capturing Rimini. 
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Coriano was a very important agricultural area for the province of Rimini. It was a small village made up primarily of farmland. The 8th Princess Louise’s New Brunswick Hussars were on the front lines. This regiment based in the small town of Sussex, New Brunswick was made up of mostly farm boys, who were accustomed to the quiet, farming lifestyle. However, amidst the destroyed homes and farms, and the bodies of the dead and wounded, it was hard to tell that Coriano ever held any resemblance to their beloved town.  
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On the night of September 15th, the Canadians had been fighting continuously at Coriano Ridge. Although they were slowly advancing, the Germans were persistent and the sweltering heat was intense. The Canadians felt as if they may never see an end to the fighting. That night, in a moment of silence on the battlefield then men could hear an animal’s cry in distress. They came across a young foal of about 2 or 3 months old pacing around her dead mother. The foal was hungry, injured and confused. It was no question for these young men from New Brunswick that they must save her.
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The 8th Hussars now felt as though they had a purpose. They had a young, distressed animal in need of their help. The responsibility of looking after the foal was given to the mechanics, while this encouraged the soldiers to continue fighting. Gordon Bickerton was one of the mechanics who helped care for her. He recalls that she was very friendly and easy to take care of. When it came time to choose a name for the friendly foal, the men chose Princess Louise, after Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter who had given her name to the regiment in 1882.
 
The fighting continued for another 3 or 4 days before the Canadians took Coriano Ridge. This was one of the bloodiest battles fought in Italy during World War II and was the most action that the 8th Hussars had seen in the history of the regiment. The men had created a banner that said “Princess Louise” on it for the horse to wear on her back. Princess Louise was seen as the inspiration and a morale booster for the Canadians at Coriano Ridge, a true Canadian war hero.
 
 
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​Princess Louise became the mascot of the regiment, as well as emerging as a sort of celebrity. She was saluted by soldiers and marched in parades. The men of the 8th Hussars continued to care for her, and she travelled with them for the remainder of the war. Since they weren’t allowed to take any animals out of Italy, this meant putting her in trucks or hiding her while they were travelling from place to place. They even created a stall in a three-ton truck which they concealed with their army kits and baggage to carry Princess Louise through France, Belgium and Holland.
 
At the end of the war, Princess Louise was not able to travel home with the men on the troop ships. She remained in Britain for about 3 months with the British Army’s Royal Army Veterinarian Corps, before being shipped to New York aboard the Dutch liner Leerdam. She then travelled by train from New York to Saint John, New Brunswick where she was met by cheering crowds.
 
She was later reunited with the 8th Hussars, the men who cared for her throughout the war. She was met with an honour guard in Saint John and marched in a parade with full regalia. She was wearing her service medals which included the 1939-1945 Star, The Italy Star, The France and Germany Star, The Canadian Volunteer Service Medal, and 3 wound stripes. People came from all over to welcome the beloved war hero. School children in Rothesay were even given the day off from school to attend the parade.
 
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​Princess Louise became Canadian equine royalty. She was transported to Hampton where she was made a free woman of King’s County and the Community of Hampton. She was also made a naturalized Canadian and given a bale of hay, a bag of oats and a shovel. She was granted the “God given right to trample and eat from any and all vegetable gardens at will, or even from supplies at Sharp’s feed store.” As a final honour she also became a member of the Hampton branch of the Royal Canadian Legion by marking the membership form with her hoof print.
 
Princess Louise served as the Regimental Mascot for 27 years. Throughout her career she participated in ceremonies, church services, Remembrance Day parades and met various dignitaries. On her 25th birthday, a party was held in her honour complete with a large cake. The beloved mascot died at age 29 in 1973. She had 3 foals, Princess Louise II and 2 sons, Prince and Hussar. Princess Louise II took over for her mother after her death.
 
Gordon and Mary Bickerton cared for Princess Louise for most of her life in Canada, and were referred to as the horse’s parents. They recalled that the horse wasn’t only friendly, but was a comic as well. She enjoyed eating cigarettes and drinking whisky and beer. Sometimes during parades Princess Louise would fall asleep and Bickerton remembers having to tug on her ear and yell “Princess Louise, wake up!” 
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4 Comments
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8/21/2019 07:55:50

To rescue a princess is actually one of my dreams. Well, I became a police because I want to save people, but also because of a book that I read when I was a kid. The book was about how a knight helps the princess, ever since that, I have always dreamed of being that knight. I hope that I can save as many people as I can. To be a police means that I need to risk my life, and that is what I plan on doing.

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wo darrell tingley
11/25/2019 21:34:58

i joined 8ch april 1957 when she came back from germany acc by rsm smokey shaw and his wife thelma in1961 to petawawa ont my squadren bought her agoat companion (pure white ) as our squadren was c so we mamed him charley they wer very good companions so as i was very fond of her visited her of time lots of carrots

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Cpl (Ret'd) D. L. (Dave) Holmes
7/12/2021 19:27:17

I was a RCSigs Radio Tech attached to C Squadron. We acquired "Charley" the goat on the summer we were in Meaford doing Tank/APC trials and found myself transporting said goat (in a crate) in the back of my 3/4 panel van back to CFB Petawawa. (Under protest, as it was my mobile repair shop and emergency quarters when on exercise)

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Ron Bettle
11/12/2021 11:50:26

Our father, Daryl Stafford Bettle, Joe Silluck and Bob Glover were the 3 mechanics that orginally rescued the wounded colt. He told us the story many times. I have a picture of them with the colt; which I believe has already been shared with the museum.

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    Welcome to the 8th Hussars Museum
     The 8th Hussars Museum is located in the historic Train Station in Sussex, NB. The building has been restored to its original grandeur and is situated in the hub of the Town of Sussex. The Victorian-era structure houses many of the important artifacts of the museum and is accessible to the general public. Since the later part of the 19th century, countless Hussars arrived by rail to train at Camp Sussex and later to serve in the South African War, WWI and WWII.
    The collection includes many items representing the life of the Regiment with original uniforms dating back to 1881, original Routine Orders dating back to 1893, memorabilia from members who represented the Regiment at Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, WWI, WWII, UN/NATO peacekeeping tours as well as the Afghanistan engagement. Of particular interest are the flags from each of these eras. The Museum also proudly holds the original accouterments of HRH The Princess Royal who is Colonel Commandant of the Regiment.

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