Mounted hide of a camel

Mounted hide of a camel in baracked (kneeling) position.

Mounted hide of a camel representing the experience of the Imperial Camel Corps during the First World War. This particular riding camel was bred in Sudan and purchased by the Egyptian Frontier Department in May 1926, when it was seven years old. It was allocated to their No. 10 Camel Corps Section until it was sold in Cairo in October 1936 after being selected for preparation as an exhibit in the future Australian War Memorial. It was euthanased in Egypt and the hide sent to the London taxidermists Rowland Ward Limited for preparation, before the completed animal was shipped to Australia. The camel exhibit was a tribute to the members of the Imperial Camel Corps Brigade who had fought in Egypt and Palestine during the First World War. The brigade was made up of four regiments, each numbering about 770 men - two Australian regiments, one British and a mixed Australian and New Zealand one, and up to 4,000 camels.

Camels were suited to the heat, lack of water and soft desert sand, and could carry heavier loads than horses. The operations of the Imperial Camel Corps in the Western Desert in 1916 were characterised by long patrols and brief skirmishes with the Senussi. British commanders in Egypt appreciated the fighting qualities of the ICC and in late 1916 the ICC was transferred to the Sinai desert to take part in operations against the Turkish army. Here the battalions of the ICC fought alongside Australian light horse units at Romani, Magdhaba and Rafa. The ICC remained an integral part of the British and dominion force that advanced north through Palestine in 1917 and 1918. It suffered particularly heavily during the Second Battle of Gaza on 19 April 1917, and in the operations conducted in November to destroy the Turkish defensive line between Gaza and Beersheba. As the ICC moved into the wetter, more fertile country of northern Palestine, its practicality declined. The camels needed more fodder and water than equivalent numbers of horses, and, unimpeded by the desert, horses could move much faster. The Brigade was disbanded in June 1918 and its Australian members transferred to the newly raised 14th and 15th Light Horse Regiments.

• Camel saddle: British army
• Camel headcollar with lead rope: British army
• Camel bridle: British army