Eric Bogle - As If He Knows

Song written by Eric Bogle.

ONE BRAVE MILITARY HORSE MADE IT HOME
Of the more than 136,000 Australian horses sent to World War 1, only one made it home.
Sandy the gelding was donated to the war effort and found a master in the revered Major General Sir William Throsby Bridges, the founder of Australia's first military college at Duntroon.
Bridges had more than one horse and Sandy, though not a handsome horse, was thought to have been his favourite.
The legend goes that Sandy attended Bridge's funeral following the soldier's death at sea in 1915 from wounds sustained at Gallipoli.
But there is no evidence supporting the romantic theory.
While pictures of the Major General's Melbourne state funeraldo show a horse behind his casket, UNSW visiting fellow Christopher Clark said it could not be Sandy. "The markings (of the two horses) are not the same," he said.
It is possible the gelding was at Bridge's initial burial in Egypt, before the soldiers remains were exhumed and sent back to his family.
Wartime defence minister George Pearce requested the horse be returned as a tribute to Bridges.
Sandy finally returned in November, 1918.

[kazzwill]

my grandfather and his two brothers were at gallipoli and all were lighthorsemen and until a few years I never understood his reactions around horses, this vid helps to explain all those emotions that he must have been going through until 1961 when he died.
thanks for posting, it really got to me.

[johncox]

I think it is the sadest most moving song i have ever heard. Makes me cry every time. Nice one Eric.

[amalfie]

I openly admit that this song will make me cry every time I hear it. A superb indictment of war.

[irresponsibledad]

It's an Eric Bogle song. Of course I should have expected a hard edge to it, some uncomfortable truth. He still got me with that last verse.

[patnewson]

I’ve only listened to this song once - it is so utterly devastating & heartbreaking I cannot bear to ever listen to it again.

[BRIANPATRICKGABRIEL]

I listened to this song with the tears streaming down my love horses, gentle, lovable friendly creatures, unlike the humans who sometimes control in Ireland have a great love of the horse, hence my tears.

[someoldcoot]

Beautiful tune. MY dad served in the 1st Light Horse Regiment. He joined up after Gallipoli and survived the war.

[Tia-Marie]

I served in Operation Enduring Freedom and this song is the one I come back to remember the middle eastern translators, who volunteered in their home lands to help us protect the people from insurgents with a promise we would bring them home to help protect their families...

Their reward, was being left behind. These men were my friends and saved my life and the lives of my companions. I'm an atheist, but I'd pray to the gods my translator friends believe in, that their families are safe.

War is wrong and it breaks the hearts of the people who have to go there and learn much more than they signed up for.

RIP BANJO

[donholland]

MY AUSSIE MATES PETER AND RUSSELL TURNER HAVE EDUCATED ME ABOUT THE GREAT SONGS AND POETRY OF ERIC BOGLE, BANJO PATERSON, SLIM DUSTY, AND GORDON PARSONS. MANY OF THEM ARE AMONG THE BEST I EVER READ OR HEARD!!!! DON HOLLAND US NAVY RETIRED

[diannemay]

Very soon it will be Armistice day. I shared this on Facebook so that people will lest we forget about the horses too. Thank you Eric Bogle. Hope I am spelling things correctly. Having trouble seeing through my tears too.

[kieranowen]

How can anyone thumbs down this song??? It's a thing of beauty in memory of the forgotten heroes of so many wars.

[frankharris]

This just might be the saddest song I’ve ever heard.

[peterallmand]

On this 100th anniversary of Beersheba, this song stands out as one of Eric’s finest.

[frankwalsh]

This has to be one of the greatest anti war songs.It touches all the emotions and always brings a tear to my eye and a sadness to my heart

[baggyanddillthedog]

48 years old and just heard this on Robbie Shepherd's programme.  Tear in my eye.

What a tragic story.  How could

[TheCaptain]

Found the two soldiers buried at 36secs with the 2 horses looking on Trooper Radburn & Sgt Brook are on the Jerusalem memorial but lists Radburn as 19yrs old and Brook killed 28th, "Lest we forget" song brought a tear to my eye

[rayhoward]

❤ WOW WOW WOW, SO MANY TEARS, MY FOREVER SONG 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢.RAY TWELVE STRINGS U.K

[mixwizard]

Such a profound song sung with so much genuine you pay so much respect to these defenceless animals.

[barrenbertie]

Such a beautifully written and sung song that makes me cry, each time I hear it.
It is so hard to comprehend why these lovely animals had to suffer for man's hate.

[johntart]

eric bogil was, nt even born at the time of the light horse incident, seems like some people think he should not have written it, , well for me it could not have been written and sang better by anybody, , a real tearjerker carry on