War horse Blackie to take pride of place on Merseyside housing development

CLOSE PARTNERS: War veteran Blackie and Lieutenant Leonard Comer Wall who died in battle aged just 20. Such was the bond between man and horse that Leonard left money in his will to make sure his trusted steed would be well looked after.

Blackie, a horse from Merseyside with a remarkable record of service during World War 1, is to be commemorated in a memorial created by world-renowned artist Simon O’Rourke whose previous work includes a commission for world-renowned TV drama Game of Thrones.

Unususally, it will be located within a development of 1,300 homes in Halewood. The sculpture will depict a black horse with hills and purple poppies, sited around eight metres from Blackie's Grade II Listed gravestone, which is enclosed by two hedgerows on Baileys Lane in Halewood.

Simon, who specialises in wood sculpture, has been commissioned by house builders, Miller Homes, to create an imaginative tribute. The sculpture is expected to be unveiled in May to signify the important service and sacrifice of horses in wartime and other animals during the First World War. Plans for the public artwork were approved by Knowsley Council at a meeting last month,

Blackie, who features as one of our 100 Hero Horses, was involved in the battles of Arras, Somme, Ypres and Cambrai. He served with the 275th Brigade Royal Field Artillery during the First World War, alongside his master Lieutenant Leonard Comer Wall. Blackie is believed to have been born around 1905 and would have been stabled and trained in Spekeland Street, Liverpool, before moving to France with the Division in September 1915.

In June 1917, a week after his promotion to Lieutenant, Wall was killed in action after being hit by shrapnel from an exploding shell. He was just 20 years old and engaged to be married. Blackie was also hit and badly injured, but survived the blast.

Heather Charles, an historian from Hale Village, has conducted research on Blackie's life and is assisting with the art project and memorial. She said: "Blackie survived the war which was quite an achievement. Lieutenant Wall had left provision for Blackie in his will and there was money to repatriate the horse. Happily, he was eventually retired in 1930 and sent to Halewood to spend time with other horses in the countryside."

In his will, Lieutenant Wall left £180 dedicated solely to the care of his faithful horse. Blackie was eventually retired and pensioned off in 1930 to the 'Horses' Rest' in Halewood. The marks of his shrapnel wounds were clearly visible until his death at the age of 37 in December 1942.

Artist Simon O'Rourke and local historian Heather Charles at the gravestone of war horse Blackie. Picture credit Liverpool Echo

Blackie was buried in the north-west corner of the western field fronting Higher Road with his master's medals. Blackie’s gravestone has been cleaned in recent years making the inscription legible again.

To prepare for the memorial to Blackie, artist O'Rourke was able to dive into the rich history of war horses and particularly the life of Blackie. He said: "Remembering contributions horses made to the war is really important. I have done quite a few war memorial pieces but this is the first one involving a horse.

“I wanted to capture that moment of peace in Blackie's retirement.The horse came back from the war and was retired here in Halewood. It got to live out his life quite peacefully here before passing away. I love the feel of that idea; the fact he experienced so much turmoil in his early life, but he was also able to experience peacetime. Any memorial is supposed to be for reflection and we want to capture the feeling of hope and peace.”