 Portrait of 'Caesar' (spelled incorrectly as Ceaser) | |
| Other name(s) | Ceasar, Caesar the Anzac Dog |
|---|---|
| Species | Dog |
| Breed | Bulldog |
| Sex | Male |
| Employer | New Zealand Rifle Brigade, A Company, 4 Battalion, |
| Known for | War dog |
| Owner | Thomas Samuel Tooman |
| Awards | Blue Cross Medal |
Caesar (the Anzac Dog) was the mascot of the A Company, 4th Battalion, with the New Zealand Rifle Brigade. He was trained with the Red Cross and served in France during World War I.
Caesar was a bulldog that worked in the A Company, 4th Battalion of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade. Throughout records his name was often misspelt "Ceaser" and is often referred to with both spellings. [1]
Caesar led a parade down Auckland's Queen Street, toward the wharf with the Rifle Brigade before they left New Zealand for the Western Front. [2] [3] His name appears in The Mokoian Troopship Magazine alongside passengers in the A Company. [4]
Caesar's arrival in France was reported:
Some of the units of the Expeditionary Force that have left New Zealand have taken dogs with them as mascots. Those that survived the trip on the transport were usually lost sight of in Egypt where the animals sometimes develop a profound dislike of the natives, with inevitable results. Word has been received in Auckland that the bulldog taken by the fourth battalion of Lord Liverpool's Own has actually reached the trenches in France, where the mascot was reported to be healthy and cheerful. The dog wears a collar presented by an Auckland resident.
— Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 165, 12 July 1916, Page 4. [5]
Caesar was handled by Rifleman Thomas Samuel Tooman (15 June 1886 – 7 November 1956). [6] While Tooman was sent to be an ambulance driver, Caesar was trained in Egypt in search and rescue with the Red Cross stretcher-bearers, before heading to France. [7] [8] He was taught to locate wounded soldiers on the battlefields of the Western Front and guide them back to safety. [9] Caesar was equipped with a harness that held water, medical supplies and letter writing materials, which he took with him to retrieve soldiers. [9] Caesar could deliver handwritten messages back to the trenches or, if the soldier was unconscious, would collect a piece of their equipment or clothing to help a rescue party evacuate them. [8]
He was able to identify living soldiers, and left the dead. [8] He was even trained to differentiate between allied and enemy uniforms and had a gas mask fitted to his face in case of a chemical attack. [8]
During his service career, Caesar rescued around 16 people. [10] This included one rifleman Henry George Johnson (13 April 1896 – 15 October 1917), buried alive in a trench until he was dug out by Caesar. [11] [7]
Caesar also boosted soldier morale, providing companionship and comfort during the war. [2]
Caesar was killed in action close to the trenches in France during the Battle of the Somme, likely felled by a German sniper. [12] His body was discovered in No Man's Land alongside a dead soldier, [8] his hand resting on Caesar's head. [2] They were buried together near a Casualty Clearing Station. [10] [8]
During World War I, Thomas Samuel Tooman wrote letters to his niece Ida, sharing stories of Caesar during the war. She later recalled these stories to her daughter, Patricia Stroud, who in 2003 wrote a children's book titled, Caesar the Anzac Dog, with illustrations by Bruce Potter. [6] [1]
In 2019, Caesar was awarded the Blue Cross medal for service and bravery at the National Army Museum in Wairouru. [10] The medal is on permanent display at the National Army Museum. [10] [1] Caesar's collar is part of the Auckland War Memorial Museum collection. [13]
The 1951 New Zealand waterfront dispute was the largest and most widespread industrial dispute in New Zealand history. Over the period, up to 20,000 workers went on strike in support of waterfront workers protesting against financial hardships and poor working conditions. Thousands more refused to handle "scab" goods. The dispute was sometimes referred to as the waterfront lockout or waterfront strike. It lasted 151 days, from 13 February to 15 July 1951. During the lockout, the Watersiders' Union was deregistered and its funds and records were seized, and 26 local watersiders' unions were set up in its place.
Viaduct Harbour, formerly known as Viaduct Basin, is a former commercial harbour on the Auckland waterfront that has been turned into a development of mostly upscale apartments, office space and restaurants. It is located on the site of a formerly run-down area of the Freemans Bay / Auckland CBD waterfront in Auckland, New Zealand. As a centre of activity of the 2000 America's Cup hosted by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, as well as the 2022 Rally New Zealand, the precinct enjoyed considerable popularity with locals and foreign visitors.
The involvement of New Zealand in the Korean War began in 1950 as a response to the United Nations Security Council's call for combat assistance in the erupting Korean War. New Zealand was one of the first nations to respond with support.
Seddonville is a lightly populated locality on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. It is most famous for the historical role it played in New Zealand's coal mining industry.
Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand Limited was once the biggest shipping line in the southern hemisphere and New Zealand's largest private-sector employer. It was incorporated by James Mills in Dunedin in 1875 with the backing of a Scottish shipbuilder, Peter Denny. Bought by shipping giant P&O around the time of World War I it was sold in 1972 to an Australasian consortium and closed at the end of the twentieth century.
Cyril Geoffrey Edmund Harker was a New Zealand soldier, lawyer and politician of the National Party.
Otautau is a small farming, forestry and milling town located inland on the western edge of the Southland Plains of New Zealand on the banks of the Aparima River. Otautau is located approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) north west of Invercargill. The average elevation of Otautau is 60 metres.
William Arthur Greener Penlington was a New Zealand school principal and educationalist.
Hester Maclean, was an Australian-born nurse, hospital matron, nursing administrator, editor and writer who spent most of her career in New Zealand. She served in the First World War as the founding Matron-in-Chief of the New Zealand Army Nursing Service, and was one of the first nurses to be awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal.
The Northern Steam Ship Company Ltd (NSS) served the northern half of the North Island of New Zealand from 1881 to 1974. Its headquarters, the Northern Steam Ship Company Building, remains in use on Quay Street, Auckland as a bar and is listed by Heritage New Zealand as a Category I Historic Place.
Rangiaowhia was, for over 20 years, a thriving village on a ridge between two streams in the Waikato region, about 4 km (2.5 mi) east of Te Awamutu. From 1841 it was the site of a very productive Māori mission station until the Invasion of the Waikato in 1864. The station served Ngāti Hinetu and Ngāti Apakura. Only a church remains from those days, the second oldest Waikato building.
The Mangatangi River, or Mangatangi Stream, originates on the eastern slopes of the Hunua Ranges in New Zealand and flows roughly southwards until it is joined by the Ruaotehuia Stream just north of State Highway 2 between Mangatāwhiri and Maramarua, where it becomes the Maramarua River. Mangatangi can be translated as manga tangi to stream of weeping, or as rippling stream, or babbling brook.
Kaihere is a dispersed Waikato rural settlement on SH27, overlooking the Hauraki Plains. It has a school, hall, domain a rest area and is the starting point for the Hapuakohe Walkway.
Ohinewai Railway Station was a flag station on the North Island Main Trunk line, serving Ohinewai in the Waikato District of New Zealand, 59 mi (95 km) south of Auckland. It was 8.18 km (5.08 mi) north of Huntly, 7.26 km (4.51 mi) south of Rangiriri and 33 ft (10 m) above sea level. It was in the village, just north of Tahuna Rd.
Te Rore was in the 1850s an important transhipment point on New Zealand's Waipā River, between the agriculture of the Waikato basin and its Auckland market. That was ended in 1864 by the Invasion of the Waikato, when Te Rore was, for a few months, part of the supply route to four redoubts set up nearby. It is now a rural community in the Waipa District, 6 km (3.7 mi) north of Pirongia and roughly the same distance south of Ngāhinapōuri on State Highway 39.
Native Island is off the east coast of Halfmoon Bay, Stewart Island, New Zealand. It is north east of Ulva Island in the northern mouth of Paterson Inlet. It is separated from Stewart Island by a narrow channel 50 metres (160 ft) in width. There has been evidence of small and temporary past Māori settlements on the island. Multiple Māori relics have been found, including bone fish hooks, axes, and chisels. Native Island is part of the Ulva Island-Te Wharawhara Marine Reserve, which is on the south part of Native Island.
Albert Victor Sing also known as Private Albert Victor (Vincent) Singe was a New Zealand World War 1 veteran of Irish and Chinese descent.
Herbert Stanley Sing also known as Private Herbert Singe was a New Zealand World War I soldier of Irish and Chinese descent.
Louise Elizabeth Brandon (1879–1945) was a military nurse during World War I with the New Zealand Army Nursing Service Corps and the Samoan Expeditionary Forces in 1914.
Pelorus Jack was the name of the two bulldogs who were mascots of the Royal Navy ship, HMS New Zealand, from 1913 to 1919. Pelorus Jack, the first bulldog died in 1916 and was replaced by Pelorus Jack the II who died in 1920.