Dolly the War Horse Trust is fundraising to install a bronze life-sized replica of Dolly the war horse sculpted by Matt Gauldie who sculpted Hamilton’s statue of Te Utu, the only other recognition of the warhorses in New Zealand.
The war horse monument is to acknowledge that, after the 1918 armistice, only four of the 10,000 horses that left New Zealand during World War One returned home.
Major General, Sir Andrew Russell’s mount Dolly was one of them. Dolly returned to Tuna Nui Station at Sherenden and the Trust wishes to reunite Dolly with her much decorated master, ‘The General’, to graze in perpetuity by erecting the sculpture of Dolly in the vicinity of the statue of Major General Russell in Civic Square Hastings.
Major General Sir Andrew Russell was knighted for his planning of the successful overnight evacuation from Gallipoli. After that, he was recalled to the Western Front in France where it’s understood he and Dolly reunited.
Dolly spent about three years on the Western Front culminating in the 1918 New Zealand Division’s last major action of the war, the capture of the French town of Le Quesnoy. This represents one of the high points of the war. The town’s residents have maintained close links with, and a high regard for, New Zealand ever since.
Purple Poppy Day commemorates the horses, dogs and pigeons that had to endure such horrible privations in adverse conditions. The Trust who plans to unveil the bronze statue on Purple Poppy Day 24 February 2026 hopes the sculpture will provide opportunities for physically, mentally and socially disadvantaged children and young people to participate in equestrian activities that will improve their wellbeing.
