How two families were linked by a Scottish war horse
Two families linked by a heroic Scottish horse that served in some of the bloodiest battles of World War One have met for the first time.When the conflict started in 1914, Vic was a farm horse owned by the McGregor family near Montrose.She was specially chosen to serve with Cpt Alexander Wallace in France – and was the only horse from the area to return from the war.Vic was later briefly reunited with Cpt Wallace, who arranged for her to return to Angus and live out the rest of her life at the McGregors' farm.
More than 100 years later, the soldier's descendants have travelled from the US to meet the McGregors and hand over Cpt Wallace's war diaries to the Montrose Air Station Museum.
Cpt Wallace's grandson John said it was "totally amazing" to connect with David and Jean McGregor, the great-grandson and granddaughter of Vic's original owner William McGregor.He said: "I can't really describe how fun and grateful and heartfelt it was that another family grew up with the story of Vic, unaware of us for 100 years."I just get chills telling the story."It's amazing, this story about Vic being carried along by two different families, completely unaware of each other."
Cpt Wallace's father, who was the vet for Arbroath, had specifically obtained Vic for the young officer in August 1914, only days after the war began.Vic was attached to Cpt Wallace's unit, the Forfarshire Battery of the Royal Field Artillery (RFA).She arrived in France after 10 months of training and a bout of pneumonia.A 1919 article in the Dundee Courier, listed the pair's "exciting adventures and miraculous escapes".It said: "At Festubert in 1915, when the territorial battalions whacked the Prussian Guards, Vic was in the fray."On the Somme in 1916 she again distinguished herself."At the taking of Passchendaele in 1917 she was again with the Battery, and in the spring of last year when the Germans by a great drive threatened Amiens, Vic with her battery, put up a gallant fight."
The pair were parted at the end of the war. Vic was sent back to Britain, avoiding the fate of the many war horses who were shot following their service.Cpt Wallace discovered Vic was to be auctioned in London, so he wired his brother from France, asking him to buy her back so she could be returned to the McGregors at her home farm in Angus.Despite fierce competition, he secured Vic with a winning bid of 45 guineas, almost £1,400 in today's money.In an amazing coincidence, Cpt Wallace was able to see Vic again before he emigrated to the US.He had arrived at King's Cross station on short leave and spotted her as she was being readied to board the train to Arbroath, en route to her home farm.The Dundee Courier reported: "At the greeting "Hullo, Vic, old girl!" the mare pricked up her ears and seemed as delighted at meeting her old friend as he was at securing his faithful and making sure that she would have a good home for the rest of her days."
Cpt Wallace received the Military Cross in the 1919 New Year Honours list for his bravery during the conflict, before emigrating to America. He died in 1977.Vic returned to the McGregors and her home farm, where she went on to have a number of foals and won competitions.David McGregor said his family had discovered pictures of Vic and correspondence between William McGregor and Cpt Wallace in his late aunt's house.He added: "There was an article in the Courier in 2021 looking for information on the horse and that's where we read about it."We thought, this has to be the same horse."
Cpt Wallace's family had previously donated his army tunic and medals, including his Military Cross, to the Montrose museum.John Wallace said he could remember pictures of Vic with his grandfather, and pictures of her at Rossie of Main's farm with a foal."It was a favourite story for my parents to repeat to us, but also for my grandfather to tell us about," he said."We would go up to his closet and try on his jacket, which is also here at the museum, so it's been part of my family and my life forever."
Museum trustee Sian Brewis said it was an incredible story."Not only has the story survived, the two families involved were aware of it."They had the diaries, the tunic, the letters, and it is just incredible over the past couple years that all of this has come together, and we have such a complete and incredible story now."It's just nice to have a World War One story that's a happy one as well."It's so amazing, of 131 horses from this area Vic was the only one to come back."
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