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'Where are
the horses?'
On December
25th 1915, the Mercury carried a report from the ‘Live Stock Journal Almanack’
under the heading ‘Where are the horses?’ by Colonel Ricardo. Here
are several extracts from the article:
It has been for centuries our proud boast that we are a horse-loving nation; we
have for years produced all that is best in all our breeds, we send our choicest
sires to our Colonies, and also to countries not owned by us.
[Colonel Ricardo warned of an impending shortage after mares had been sent to
the Front].
It is true that the Government point to the different way all war is waged now;
the whole of transport is brought up to the very trenches by motor, and this has
made an enormous difference to the work of the A.S.C.
-
Can we horse
our Cavalry with motor cycles?
-
Can the
Horse Artillery trust to motors to race their guns to the front?
-
No, we must
have horses, we must mount our men, so that when called upon they can again ride
through the German ‘Uhlans’ as if they were paper;
-
we must have
the Horse Artillery, the pride of the English Army; we cannot lightly cast the
horse aside.
[There was a
plea to keep hunting going; the newspaper always included lists of Hunting
appointments, though none were for the area around Arborfield itself until late
1916.]
Rumour states that a large quantity of the horses of the gallant yeomen who so
worthily kept their end up in Gallipoli have been sold in Egypt
for a song, to save the cost of bringing them home. The mares in the force might
have been spared and brought home.
No remount department appears strong enough to even suggest this to the powers
that be, but surely it would be a sound undertaking! They have been wise enough
these last 3 months in getting an enormous stock of mules into the country, and
these most useful animals will save the horses a lot, but even the most sanguine
statesman cannot contemplate mounting the Army on mules.
[The article continued in some depth.]
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