Men remembered here
The linked biographies identify each man’s connection with this workplace. This is a partial list; the men may have served in different years.
Edwin ABRAHAM
A Hawkesbury College student, born at Taihape in New Zealand. His sister Mrs McTaggart was his next of kin.
Read his storyWhat the men did here
A Mobile Veterinary Section collected, examined and cared for animals that could no longer remain with their units. Men assisted treatment and prepared those needing longer care for evacuation.
The June 1917 diary records sick horses sent on for hospital care while the section itself changed location.
Where it fitted
Care began with horses and mules in the division’s artillery, transport and other horse-using formations. Animals needing further attention could pass to the mobile section and then to rearward care. Less serious cases could be treated locally.
Abraham’s brief move to the Australian Veterinary Hospital and return supplies a documented personnel connection. The diary’s horse movements are separate evidence of the section’s work.
Brief history
The section served the 5th Australian Division in Egypt and on the Western Front. The UNSW AIF order of battle dates its formation to Egypt in March 1916 and identifies personnel from the former 1st Veterinary Section. The AWM diary series is AWM4 27/17.
Historical material
The June 1917 diary records evacuating sick horses to “No 7 V.H.” on 1 June and again on 22–24 June. On 16 June the section moved from Villers-au-Flos to Bellevue Farm, Albert. These entries show a working section treating and moving animals while following its formation. They do not name Abraham or establish that he handled these drafts.
June 1917 diary, handwritten page 393. The entry records sick-horse evacuations and a change of location. Australian War Memorial, AWM4 27/17/11, digital page 2 of 3. Select the page to read it at full size; the catalogue also provides the complete three-page file.
Sources and further reading
- AWM4 27/17/11, June 1917 diary, digital page 2; full 5th MVS diary series.
- UNSW AIF Project: veterinary order of battle.
- Abraham’s supplied service papers, reviewed on 27 September 2026, and his biography.