Horse and Soldier on the Ship : Human-Animal Experiences of First World War Maritime Horse Transports
Abstract
While horses and mules were absolutely essential for the war effort of all parties of the Great War, most of the armies very soon found themselves short of suitable animals due to their enormous losses. Therefore horses and mules had to be exported from other continents and transported to the battlefronts on transoceanic ships.
These transports began shortly after the outbreak of the war and were crossing the oceans throughout all its duration. The paper will present the experiences of these animals on board and their interactions with soldiers who cared for them, with focus on the British Army.
The animals were tied in stalls inside the ship for several weeks. They were often scared and many suffered from enormous stress, evidenced by the fact that heart attack was among the most common sources of death for horses on board.
Diseases and deaths were frequent. After weeks spent on board, all horses had to rest for several weeks before they were strong enough for service.
Ships carrying horses were also targets of German torpedoes - thousands of horses perished due to the attacks. Soldiers that were responsible for the animals were in daily contact with them.
It was often dangerous to handle raging horses and could result in serious injuries for the men. Soldiers' memories include putting down unmanageable and scared horses, horses breaking out from their stands, or animals who went 'berserk'.
Most often however, the soldiers recall the pervasive and unbearable smell. The author uses a wide range of written and visual sources of British, ANZAC and other origin, including biographical documents such as diaries and letters, official documents and regulations.