He was a well-known picnic race performer in Dubbo, Nyngan and Warren for the Brown family.

The Browns were owners of the stations 'The Angle', 'Cullengoral', and 'Egelabra', near Warren, NSW.

They bred and trained racehorses, as well as ran cattle on their properties. Brothers, Russell Brown and Reg Brown, were fine horsemen and enlisted in the AIF's 6th Light Horse Regiment.

Mr James G Brown, the boys' father, was chairman of Directors of 'Western Stores', Dubbo, and Russell James Brown, was one-time manager at Western Stores as well as overseeing the properties.

Russell also worked as an amateur jockey, and praised Dipso as "champion among grass-eaters".

Dipso was a natural stayer, beating many professionally trained horses.

He was by Goodfellow (son of Trenton) from a mare, Agnes, by St Swithin, tracing back to the Panic family.

Dipso became one of the original horses of the 6th Australian Light Horse Regiment, embarking for Egypt aboard HMAT Suevic, with Trooper Reg Brown, Regimental No. 84, on 21 December, 1914.

Trooper Reg Brown was evacuated from Gallipoli to Malta with dysentery, and then to England, on 7 September 1915.

He wrote to his mother that he was leaving Dipso with another trooper in Egypt, named Grimshaw [probably Trooper 718 William Grimshaw, 6th LHR].

However, the Australian War Memorial has recorded that Trooper Brown transferred his horse to the commanding officer of the 6th Light Horse Regiment, Captain (later Major, DSO) Stuart Archibald Tooth.

Major Tooth served out the duration of the war in Egypt, and rode Dipso in the Sinai and Palestine campaigns.

"There was a popular belief in Egypt that a racing camel could beat any horse over a long distance. Major Stuart Tooth threw out a challenge for Dipso to run any racing camel over a distance of from five to ten miles, but no one seems to have cared to back the camel. Dipso won a number of races in Egypt, among them the Grand Championship of that country, run over two miles. In toughness of fibre he must have been a second Carbine. The horse was hardly ever trained, yet after one gallop he could be depended on to run out a distance."

Well-known picnic performer of Western District wins at Army meeting on Rafa battlefield. The Referee, 5 Sept 1917, p. 6:

Lieutenant Herbert Dickson, of 'B' Squadron, 1st Australian Light Horse Regiment, writes from Palestine (20/6/17):

"Enclosed is a photo of Dipso, a well-known picnic performer in Dubbo, Warren, Nyngan, etc. The military authorities over here decided to celebrate the Rafa victory by holding a race meeting on the site of the battleground on April 4, and the principal race of the day was the Rafa Cup, one mile, 11st 7lb.

There were 32 runners, and they pretty well represented the world, as the English were represented by horses from all parts of the United Kingdom.

The field got away well together, and old Dipso soon took up a good, position, running about third, and when near the straight went to the front and won very easily.

Dipso is now ridden by Capt. Stuart Archibald Tooth, 'A' Squadron, 6th Light Horse Regiment, and is by Goodfellow from Agnes.

He was ridden in the race by Sgt. Thompson.

The majority of the races at the meeting were won by Australian horses, including a 2.5 miles steeplechase, 13 st up.

This was won by a horse named Seymore (pedigree I do not know), of the 3rd Light Horse Brigade.

The Pommies were very sure of this race, saying they had some picked horses from, England, but they had no hope with Seymore.

I thought the above would be of interest to you and the Western picnic sports.

As this is probably the first race meeting ever held in this part of the world (and it's one of the very oldest-known), and was held on the actual battle ground of Rafa. Capt. Tooth naturally values the cup as much almost as he would the Melbourne Cup."

Trooper/Lieutenant Reginald Brown was killed in France on 31 October 1918, having won the Military Cross while serving with the British Royal Field Artillery, to which he had transferred while recovering in England.

Trooper Russell Brown returned to Australia on 28 January 1919. Major Stuart Tooth, DSO, returned to Australia, on 28 June 1919.