Banner: bold '15,000 DUMMY HORSES' text on left, a tattered horse sculpture on the right, desert hills in background.

A remarkable Ruse
in Australian History

Before the decisive attack at Megiddo in September 1918, General Sir Harry Chauvel’s forces needed to conceal the movement of men, horses and supplies toward the real battlefield.

To mislead Ottoman and German commanders, troops in the Jordan Valley constructed thousands of dummy horses. The decoys helped suggest that the next assault would come from inland bridgeheads rather than from the coast.

Line of canvas-covered dummy horses set up as wartime decoys in a rocky desert Jordan Valley, with a caption reading 'Dummy horses in the Jordan Valley' from the original wartime album.

“I wholeheartedly endorse the Dummy Horses project. It illuminates a remarkable moment in history, while enriching the lives and landscapes of regional Australians today, bringing art, memory, resilience and community together in a profoundly meaningful way.”

— JOHN KELLY, SCULPTOR

Contact Us

Interested in the Dummy Horse Project, community participation or the story behind the 15,000 decoys? Send us a message and the Foundation will be in touch.