78 THE HORSE AND THE WAR 



sure that the Ouartermastcr-Cieneral of the Forces (who is primarily responsible 

 for the feeding of our war-horses), the Director of Remounts at the War Ofhce 

 (who is responsible for meeting the demands of the armies in France and all 

 the theatres of war), and the Director of the Veterinary Service in France will 

 bear eloquent testimony to the incalculable good which is the outcome of 

 the " Chief's " personal interest. 



That is why I say there can be no fair comparison between then and now. 

 I will go further and congratulate myself that I am writing in 1918, and not 

 twelve months earher ; for one must have been depressed at that time by 

 the heavj^ wastage caused by the extraordinarily hard winter of 1916-17. 

 First, there were weeks on end of rain, then weeks of rigorous cold and icy 

 winds, and then rain again with the thaw. The greatest care could not over- 

 come the e\'ils that followed on those dreadful conditions. Flanders and the 

 Somme country are appalling areas in such circumstances. The mud was 

 awful and literally engulfed horses. There were parts where wheeled traffic 

 could not go, and yet supplies had to be got to their objectives and the guns 

 moved as directed. So loads had to be carried as packs, and, in this way 

 weighed down, our war-horses and mules were pulled to pieces. Added to 

 this was a serious curtailment of the oat ration, which could not possibly 

 have been avoided, since it was due to a circumstance beyond the control 

 of our splendid organizers of supply. Thus it was that the combined result 

 of operations in mud and short rations was to cause a wastage which, happily, 

 belongs to the past, and will, we hope, never occur again. In one month the 

 losses rose to 5 per cent., which is little under half the wastage of the whole 

 of the previous year. Matters speedily improved when the better weather 

 came and the full ration was restored, and animals were wonderful in the 

 vast improvement they showed. Most probably, the loss of their proper 

 food was more harmful than the frightful weather. 



It was about this time that the Commander-in-Chief showed his watch- 

 fulness and zeal for the welfare of his horses ; and one outcome, which I feel 

 sure has had most excellent results, was the appointment to each corps of a 

 chief horse master, who had under him subordinate horse-masters, each attached 

 to minor units. They were ostensibly what their designation implies — experts 

 in horse and stable management ; and it has been their duty ever since to 

 watch those units employing horses and to give useful advice for the improve- 

 ment of the necessarily hard lot of horses and mules on active service close 

 behind the Line. Really efficient and tactful horse-masters have, I am sure, 

 done good, though the splendid condition of the animals in France to-day 

 has been primarily due to the better and milder winter. Then, the Director 

 of the Veterinary Service in France has abundantly aided the good work by 

 instituting at each of his hospitals a ten-day course of lectures and instruction 

 for artillery and infantry transport officers. In this way 50 officers and 

 300 N.C.O.'s have taken the course each month. 



There was a time in the early days of the war when the horse knowledge 

 of such officers was more imaginary than real. For instance, an able and 

 genial Assistant Director of the Veterinary Service, who was working in a 

 particularly unhealthy part of the long Lino, told me a true story which amply 



