From the Tooth to the (Horses) Tail of the Army—British Expeditionary Force Transport Services During the First World War

Mary Tefft White Cultural Center, University Library

From the tooth to the (horses) tail of the army – British Expeditionary Force transport services during the First World War Whilst equines have not been totally ignored in First World War historiography, they are largely absent in historical reconstructions. This is perhaps because military historians have found themselves bound to Clausewitz’s view that war is an inherently human phenomenon, and thus the experience of nonhumans is often overlooked. Where scholarly works do touch upon the equine contribution, they are most often regarded as tools utilized by man, rather than sentient beings whose needs and behaviours had a direct effect on the war effort. Research has also tended to focus on the role of the cavalry, rather than the 70% of the 700,000 equines used by the British Army in transportation roles to support the largest army Britain ever produced, in a conflict more materiel-intensive than any that had come before. Meeting the subsistence requirements of troops and the increasing use of artillery placed ever greater demands on the logistics network, with 5,253,338 tons of ammunition alone shipped to France between 1914 and 1918. Despite the growing use of motor transport, equines remained central to maintaining supply and operational tempo throughout the war - this paper will explore why this was, the contribution of these animals and what happened when they were unavailable.