BOOK REVIEW : THEIRS NOT TO REASON WHY.

This is a classic book from my library telling the history of the provision of horses to the British Army from 1875 to 1925 with an emphasis on the Boar War and World War 1. The author goes into fantastic detail on how horses were procured, the efforts made to ensure sufficient horses were available for mobilisation and the work that went into looking after horses especially after the appalling losses in the Boar War. The research that was done to write this book is highly impressive and took years of hard work. Whilst I admit there are some passages that go into a little too much detail about the various committees that looked into the matter of how to ensure sufficient of the right type of horse was bred at a time of declining civilian demand, this is more than compensated by the insights into the various types of horse needed and the enormous efforts made to import the thousands needed from 1914 onwards. To someone like me, who is highly interested in horse drawn logistics, this book is a wonderful source of fascinating detail.

The one thing that sticks in my mind is that although horses cost around £50 each throughout this time frame, which is the equivalent of three or more years pay for a soldier, the lack of care they were given, especially before about 1916 is truly depressing. Not only from a humanitarian point of view but also from a financial perspective the wastage was awful. Horses were frequently starved due to High Command imposing reduced rations or failing to provide the resources needed to construct adequate accommodation let alone the excessive work they were made to do. It must also be born in mind that the British clearly took far better care of their animals than the French or Germans who's losses were even greater.

Overall a fascinating book and highly recommended to those interested in the universal form of tactical transportation before the motor vehicle became common place.