I'^roiii llic lorcKoint;" wf iii;i\' suri-'K' see 

 th.U Hi last people ha\-e come lo realise the 

 V'alue of the horse in warfare, not only as a 

 most important factor in the success of a 

 campaign, but also a sentient creature for 

 whose comfort, health, and well-heiiig e\ery 

 care should he taken. Horses are not only 

 essential for caxalry and for despatch riding, 

 they are needed for drawing the guns and 

 annnumtioii, and, winch is perhaps of e\'en 

 more importance, for bringing food and 

 baggage for the troops. Motor traction can in 

 many ways replace the horse, but across rough 

 country or along broken and bad roads it is 

 the horse alone that can bring the supplies. 

 And so horses in war — regrettable as it is that 

 these fine animals should have to be so utilized 

 and sacrificed — are at last, and as tar as 

 possible, coming into their own, lor, with a 

 special corps to look after them, tlu'\- are 

 witliin sight of being treated on a It-xcl willi 

 their human friends and foes. Alas, that the 

 time has not \'et come when the\- too are 

 recognized as deserving protection under the 

 llag of the Red Cross Society. At the close of 

 this war that important recognition, which 

 has been accepted, in principle, on the plan 

 suggested b.\- the R.S.P.C.A., by the IJritish 

 Government, will surely receive international 

 sanction. And why should it be withb.eld ? 

 Everyone recognizes the intelligence ot the 

 horse: should there be anv that still doubt 



this, the lollowing true stor\- sent b\- a rurre^>- 

 l)oiulcnt at tlu' front, must without a doubt 

 pr(j\e our point. ,; ... r^ r, ■^.-^- '"- 



1 should like to tell you this true story 

 — not an ' ]^>\tra Special,' writes a soldier at 

 the front : 



" We were in the thick of the fighting at 

 W'estroosebeke, dismounted, and a mile and 

 a half from our horses. After doing a deal 

 ot damage with our maxims and rifle fire, the 

 enemy's shells found us and we had to retire. 

 One of my chums lost his horse, so jumped 

 on to the horse of a man who had been killed. 



" Three days afterwards we w'ere at 

 Zounebeke, eight miles further on, and rest- 

 ing lor a while in a wood. I w'as sitting 

 beside m\' chum when his old horse suddenly 

 walked up to us and poked his old master in 

 the bark, as much as to sa\' ' We been looking 

 lor \i)U." He looked none the worse for his 

 three (la\s' absence." 



GIVE. I BEG YOU, GIVE! 



I'ntil the time comes when the Red 

 Cross of Gene\a protects human and animal 

 combatants alike, we, who have made laws to 

 protect animals in peace time, must take all 

 care to protect them also in war time. It is 

 the privilege, therefore, of e\ery animal lover 

 to take a share in the work entrusted to the 

 U.S.l'.C.A. by the British Army Council, to 



In the King's Service. 



R.S.P.C.A. Inspectors, cis members of the Army Veterinciry Corps, supervising the cntrciinirtii of horses from a Conw.ieseenl 



Horse Depot back to the remount department. 



