An intriguing report about horses in 1914
While researching a project about West Street during WWI, Heather Cadbury found this interesting report in the County Record Office. It’s an account of part of a meeting of the Territorial Force Association published in the Leamington, Warwick and County Chronicle in January 1914 – a full six months before war was declared following the assassination of Grand Duke Ferdinand.
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Leamington, Warwick and County Chronicle 1914
B50.12
30th January 1914 P8 col 5 Territorial Force Association
Question of army horses – exportation of horses
Colonel Ludlow said he would like to draw attention to the fact that during the last few weeks German and French buyers had been in the northern part of Warwickshire and the southern part of Staffordshire and in Worcester buying horses. The best horses were going out by the ship loads at the present time, and he was of the opinion that the exportation of horses, if any rate not prohibited altogether should be suspended, because if they had read the speech by Sir Evelyn Wood at the London Territorial Force Association, they would have seen that the association were absolutely at their wits end to get horses, and a contract with Messrs Tillings, which had been in existence for over a hundred years, had just been cancelled because they could not carry it out. He thought therefore that some expression of opinion should come from that association, which was in the centre of England, and a great horse breeding centre.
Lieutenant Colonel Ludlow was asked if he advocated the prohibition of all horses, and he replied that he would prohibit the exportation of all horsed suitable for military service.
Earl Craven reminded him that the War Office had the matter under consideration, and he thought it would be better to ‘wait and see’.
Col Woolcombe Adams thought it was their duty as an association to call attention to the fact. The best horses were leaving England, and the Government had to be content with what was left behind.
Sir H Fairfax Lucy said that on the previous day he was at a meeting of the London Territorial Force Association, when attention was drawn to the same thing. He afterwards went to the War Office to obtain further information and was informed that District Remount Officers were being appointed with smaller districts to take note of the horses within such districts. He mentioned the present scheme for the registration of horses, which was in vogue in the country district, and went on to say that the War Office realised how important it was that these foreign powers were buying quietly and very secretly. It was a very important matter. Mr Lee said they could not possibly restrict the exportation of horses unless the Government would buy them. (Hear, Hear).
They would hardly expect a farmer to sell a horse to the Government for £60 when other powers would offer him perhaps £80 for it. They wanted an increase in the horses, but at the same time he thought the Government should pay a remunerative price. If the exportation of horses was forbidden, and the Government would not buy suitable animals, he thought the farmer would give up breeding light horses and breed the more profitable heavy horses.
A motion was proposed and seconded that the Association should call the attention of the War Office to the matter.
Earl Craven said he did not think it would do very much good, as they already had it under consideration.
A member: Might it not strengthen their hands?
Earl Craven: I think we had better get on with the next business.
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It seems The War Office was already planning for a European war. During the conflict there was a severe shortage of farm horses in Warwickshire, restricting the harvests and contributing to the need for rationing.
In the end, more than eight million horses on all sides were killed during the First World War.