Australia’s greatest war horse was Bill, but he was given the dubious title of BILL THE BASTARD because he was fierce and difficult to handle and refused to be beaten into submission. Bill the Bastard’ was a ‘Waler’, a hardy type of horse bred under the extreme climate and challenging working conditions of Australia. Bill was a massive 17.1 hands high, weighed approximately 730 kg and had strength and intelligence unmatched by any others of his breed. Bill showed courage, endurance and strength that became legendary. He had only one problem – he was the most cantankerous horse that had ever been encountered by the Lighthorsemen.

Bill travelled over to the Middle East on a troopship under the watchful eye of his minder, Australian writer, poet and journalist A.B. ‘Banjo’ Paterson. Banjo, despite all of Bill’s bad habits and behaviour, became very fond of the chestnut stallion. Bill met his match when he met Major Michael Shanahan, a 46 year old builder from Roma in Queensland. Major Shanahan won the horse’s respect and trust with gentleness, perseverance and a large quantity of liquorice allsorts. Major Shanahan and Bill fought together, depending on each other for their survival.

It was August 4, 1916, the noise of the battlefield at 2 am was deafening as the Australians fought the Turks in one of the most important battles – the Battle of Romani, the turning point of the war in the Middle East. The Australians were severely outnumbered with a force of 1,700 troopers pitched against 26,000 Turks, and when the chips were down, Bill’s heroic efforts and exceptional instincts in battle, saved the lives of his rider and four other troopers at the Battle of Romani. Bill carried four Tasmanian troops over 3km to safety from the Turkish Soldiers. Later in the battle of Romani, Shanahan was shot in the leg and passed out. Bill, sensing that his rider was unconscious, carried Shanahan three kilometres to medical aid.

When Great Britain declared war on Germany in August 1914, the Australian Government offered 20,000 troops for immediate service anywhere under British direction and the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) was raised. The acquisition of horses was relatively easy. Background or breeding didn’t matter, the horses just had to be disease-free and strong. The hardy Waler — the horse named for its state of origin was the main equine export for WWI. They usually stood between 14 and 16 hands and weighed on average 500kg. They were sired by English thoroughbreds from breeding mares that were often part draft horse but could include genetic input from Welsh ponies, Timor ponies and the brumby.

Bill was a fractious, fierce and some thought unbreakable chestnut stallion who became a Great War legend for his incredible stamina and effort in saving many soldiers’ lives. He was one of over 130,000 Australian horses that served in the First World War, who were never to return home. His eyes were cool and yet at the same time alert and nothing seemed to ruffle him. Instead he ruffled others, especially potential riders. There was something in his independent nature that would not allow him to be dominated. Bill had never been fully broken-in, like many of the horses sent to war.

Bill caused trouble even before the convoy set sail. He refused to go down to a stall on the lowest deck. He was then eased up to the top deck but was unable to be coaxed or forced into a stall. At this point the ship’s adjutant was starting to get frustrated and Bill was almost left behind. Finally, Bill was then led down to the middle deck where it was well lit and nicely ventilated. Happy with his current position Bill walked straight into the stall, giving no further trouble at all. Bill’s minder on the long journey by sea was writer, poet and journalist Banjo Paterson. Paterson’s true passion was horses. He could ride almost before he could walk.

Bill worked tirelessly carrying loads up and wounded or fallen soldiers down the steep and twisting tracks. The Anzac field ambulance men and animals showed as much courage as any of the combatants as they moved up the valley retrieving the fallen. Everyone noticed Bill in particular, along with a gritty yet always cheery Englishman John Simpson and his small donkey. Bill would be the one who would carry the limp body of John Simpson back down the valley the day Simpson’s luck ran out as he was hit by a spray of shrapnel. Each day a rider carrying urgent dispatches would make the seven-kilometre run from Suvla Bay, north of Anzac Cove, to British campaign headquarters. The mail delivery had to be done at a gallop as the rider was fired at by Turkish snipers from the moment he left the shelter of Suvla Bay. Light Horsemen competed to get the job and hundreds would place bets on whether the rider, his horse and the treasured mail would make it safely to the other end.

During October, Captain Anthony Bickworth, an exceptional English cavalryman, was ordered to mount the most difficult horse in an attempt to get a despatch through. The bet was usually that either the mail would get through or it would not. Once word got out that Bill was involved, the bet quickly changed to whether the mail would arrive with or without the rider. The result was Captain Bickworth lying unconscious on the ground after two kilometres and Bill completing the gallop safely and delivering the mail riderless but with a bullet lodged in his flank. During August 1916, Shanahan persuaded Paterson to let him take Bill into the pivotal Battle of Romani. Paterson agreed and from then on Bill was matched with Shanahan. Bill soon gained the reputation for being fearless, standing his ground in an ambush and warning his rider of danger ahead, using his keen instinct and sense of smell.

Approaching the end of the First World War the Australian Light Horse were planning a major offensive against the Turkish Empire. In order to lull the enemy into believing nothing unusual was afoot, a race meeting was organised on the eve of the assault.

Lieutenant General Harey Chauvel in September of 1918 was able to effect a secret redeployment of three of his mounted divisions and launch a surprise attack on the Turkish Army that won the Battle of Megiddo. The ruse, to allow Chauvel to amass some 34,000 light horsemen, hidden in the orange groves near Jaffa, was a five event race meeting, held in full view of the Turkish Army, watched by over 10,000 spectators. The main event, or race, was called the Jericho Cup. Bill the Bastard was entered into the main race, a three mile event and was ridden by an Aboriginal horse handler, come jockey, whose name was Jackie Mullagh. Bill won the race by half a length, beating the race favourite Khartoum.

Within twenty-four hours of the Jericho Cup, Chauvel’s corps was positioned thirty to forty miles behind the disorganized Turkish armies, astride their communications and moving to seize the few crossings of the Jordan. The battle of Megiddo was one of the most completely successful operations of the Suez / Palestine campaigns.

Officers, including Paterson, turned a blind eye as many troopers took their mounts into the desert and shot them to stop them from being sold into Middle Eastern markets where they potentially would lead a life of abuse or be used as meat. Bill, on the other hand, had the best possible ending. He was smuggled back to Gallipoli as part of the group of packhorses used on an artefact-gathering trip. There he was left, together with his best mate, a grey mare called Penny, with some villagers who remembered seeing him during battle. It was made clear to the village elder that Bill was only to be used as a packhorse and stud, never to be ridden.

The Jericho Cup has been re-run annually from the 100th anniversary in 2018 to honour Bill the Bastard, the Australian Light Horsemen and their magnificent mounts – The Walers 1914 to 1918. It is held at Warrnambool in November each year over a distance of 4600m - replicating the three miles run and won by Bill in 1918. It holds a purse of $300,000 and includes a New Zealand ANZAC horse who qualifies alongside Australian stayers through a points system on selected races in and around the Australia. If you are a patriotic Australian, and you love horse racing, this is the race to win if you can't have the Melbourne Cup.