THE British declaration of war
on Germany on 4th August 1914
followed the assassination of
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and
then the triggering of treaty
obligations.
Most people thought that it would
be a short, sharp fight that would be
over by Christmas. Patriotism was
widespread.
The Army and
Territorials were
mobilised at once
and men literally flocked to the
recruiting stations.
The strongest
remembered
images of the First World War are the
awfulness of trench warfare and the
indiscriminate slaughter of thousands
of men, usually in fruitless offensives.
Few recognise the role played
(unwillingly) by the animals – horses,
mules, oxen, camels, dogs and pigeons
– employed by the opposing armies,
mainly in Europe, but also around the
world.
It was the equines, however, who
were the largest group and who
suffered the most. They were the
backbone of the fighting forces. The
responsibility for keeping these animals
in condition to work and also caring
for their health and injuries fell to the
Army Veterinary Corps (AVC). Now, a hundred years from the event, very
few people appreciate not only the task
they had but also the reality of daily
veterinary life in the war zones.
Public opinion had been aroused by
the sickening waste of animal life in
the South African War (1899-1902).
RCVS representations to the Secretary
of State for War for an effective
reorganisation of the Army Veterinary
Department were finally accepted and the Army Veterinary Corps was
created in 1906. As a result, veterinary units and hospitals staffed entirely with
veterinary personnel were established.
AVC sections with veterinary stores
in readiness were headquartered at
Woolwich.
Major-General Frederick Smith
became director-general of the
AVC in 1907 and spared no effort
to raise the Corps to the highest standards of technical efficacy based
on fundamental principles of animal
management and veterinary science.
Smith built a veterinary organisation
which could support a large mounted eld force and keep it mobile, he
reorganised the veterinary service of
the Territorial Force on modern lines
and created a special reserve of AVC
officers as well as arranging for the
holding of mobilisation stocks of
veterinary stores and equipment for the
Field Army and the Territorial Force.
By introducing new instruments,
dressings, drugs and equipment,
he improved and
modernised eld
veterinary supplies and
encouraged officers to
adopt the most up-to-
date methods.
In 1913 sanction was
given for the creation
of mobile veterinary
sections, one to each
cavalry brigade and
infantry division, to
serve as links for sick
and lame animals to be evacuated from eld units to the hospitals (following
the disastrous South African War
experience).
Ready for action
Following Smith’s work, the AVC in
1914 was structurally ready to mobilise
and carry out its role: it then had 164
officers and 208 other ranks.
The British Expeditionary Force
was rapidly organised in August 1914
and transhipped to the Continent with
53,000 horses and mules and the AVC
providing six veterinary hospitals for
250 patients each, 11 mobile veterinary
sections and two base store depots.
There was little realisation of what
would eventually be needed.
The total allied forces of some 4.2
million men were initially overwhelmed
by the fast-moving German Army of
1.5 million men operating the pre-organised Schlieffen Plan.
Before long, as is usual in
war, plans ended in chaos
and by November the two
sides locked together.
And so began the new
and awful experience of
trench warfare: stinking,
sodden (most of the time)
and with the occupants
suffering from an assault
of bullets, shells and later
gas as well as rats, lice and fleas. No one was prepared
for this, or for the means of
supplying the troops.
The military mindset on
both sides expected the
horse to play its part in both
cavalry and wagon supply
trains. As it happened, their
role was very different, but
more important.
Trench warfare could not
have been sustained without
horses and mules to transport supplies
to the base camps and then to the front
lines, as well as moving guns.
Motor vehicles failed in the mud
and also could not reach the front-line
trenches. Horses, dogs and pigeons
also proved to be essential for front-line communications.
The war that started in Belgium and
France soon became
global and British
forces, with the AVC,
were also active in
Italy, the Balkans,
Russia, at Gallipoli,
in Egypt, Palestine,
Mesopotamia, South
Persia and Africa as
well as in training and
remount operations
in India, and North and South America. While the initial
AVC numbers were small, they were
well prepared.
The animal welfare societies
immediately offered their help but were
rebuffed: the War Office “deemed it
unnecessary for charitable societies to
augment the veterinary work already
arranged for by the Army authorities”.
Later they told the RSPCA that they
had enough supplies; however, in April 1915 they announced that only the
RSPCA was authorised to collect funds
for British Army animals in France.
This upset Our Dumb Friends League;
however, the French Army were
pleased to have their help and, licensed
by the French Ministry of War, they
changed their name to The Blue Cross
and created four equine hospitals in
France.
Meanwhile, on the home front,
a multitude of new issues began to
emerge. First, the huge purchases and
requisitioning of horses to supply the
army started to affect farming and
transport; also initially many poor
quality animals were bought and then
rejected.
Veterinary surgeons soon became
in short supply; in a few months the
Army wanted more and more – but
who was to run the practices they were
leaving?
A horse shortage began to develop
and then a pharmaceuticals shortage,
as many key products were made in
Germany.
By January 1915 there was a
realisation that this war was going
to go on for a long time, but no one
thought as long as November 1918,
and what was still to come.
- To be continued…
