May 17th 2015: Household Cavalry

[Carruthers]

Millions of horses were requisitioned by the Army in WW1 to serve alongside troops in France and Belgium. At the end of the war, most were sold off and few were repatriated.

They are creatures of habit and routine, well illustrated by this account of two who were fortunate enough not only to have survived the four years of the war, but who were also repatriated.

Two horses, Jones and Joubert, of the Royal Horse Artillery where sent to the front in 1914. They were sub-section leaders and stayed together through German shot and shell fire. Despite being in the thick of the action for 4 years, they were among the few who returned home unharmed. When untacked at their Aldershot base in 1919 they walked to the stables and stalls they had occupied before the war. They were awarded campaign medals which they wore on their browbands and were later retired to the countryside. The Commander considered Jones to embody the spirit of the plucky light draught horse. A silver statue of Jones takes pride of place in the centre of the dining table of the Officer's Mess at the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery and bronze copies are given to officers when they retire.

Real war horses remembered

[Snakeadelic]

Horses and the US military worked together for a long, long time; I believe the last surviving US Cavalry horse was named Black Jack and was part of President Kennedy's funeral processional.

My favorite story of horses in wartime is from WWII. http://www.historynet.com/patton-res...-stallions.htm

Sneaking 350 horses out of an area given by treaty to one of the hungriest countries on the continent because no form of art should be lost to the world. WOW.

One of the most famous modern Arabian horses bred in Russia was a bright red chestnut stallion named *Muscat. http://www.windmasterfarms.com/f_muscat.htm

When a US farm bought him from the Russian government, in order to export him they had to get him to a western European port city. Along the way, it turns out, his actual name was left off his export papers as much as possible because they had to trailer him through several unfriendly countries highly likely to confiscate him. His distinctive high white stockings and blaze with a big dot in it made it a very tense trip--he was extremely recognizable at that point in time. His father, *Salon (the * in front of an Arab horse's name means it was exported from its country of birth) spent his own last few years in the US with a stud fee of $25,000 in the 80s. Sadly, *Muscat did not live in the US for long; whoever bought him decided that a stallion who had only bred by AI in Russia could start doing "live cover" breeding at the age of 24 and in the middle of a heat wave. Poor bugger did manage to breed a very few mares before heatstroke and unfamiliar levels of excitement caused him to drop of a massive heart attack.

[xoxoxoBruce]

It is estimated that 484,143 British horses, mules, camels and oxen died in WW I, not to mention the dogs, carrier pigeons and other animals.

[Carruthers]

Originally Posted by Snakeadelic

My favorite story of horses in wartime is from WWII. http://www.historynet.com/patton-res...-stallions.htm

Sneaking 350 horses out of an area given by treaty to one of the hungriest countries on the continent because no form of art should be lost to the world. WOW.

I have a feeling that there was a film based on that operation.
I'm sure that I saw it years ago but both the cast and title escape me, I'm afraid.
Can you help?

[Sundae]

From the link,

the basis for the 1963 Disney film Miracle of the White Stallions

But surely not. Disney?

I sent a link to your OP to Mum btw.
Nanny lived in Peckham for years.

[Carruthers]

Originally Posted by Sundae

From the link,
But surely not. Disney?

Whoops! Missed that. Ta!

Divided attention strikes again.

[Gravdigr]

Sgt. Reckless

More about Sgt. Reckless

OO-RAH!!

[Carruthers]

Originally Posted by Gravdigr

Sgt. Reckless

More about Sgt. Reckless

OO-RAH!!

That reminds me of an episode of MASH, when Radar found a stray wounded horse and gave it to Colonel Potter.

That is all.

[Lamplighter]

That was a very touching episode.

I think Harry Morgan actually had a soft spot for horses when he played that scene.

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by Sundae

But surely not. Disney?

In the 60s, and actually all the way up through the end of the 80s, Disney did a lot of stuff that would be considered boycott-able by parents today. The only real criteria seems to have been that at least one main character had to be either a child or an animal. The distinction between PG and PG-13 wasn't even invented until 1984. It was either for adults, or slightly too boring for adults, and that was it.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Disney did lots of great shit. They brought wonderful nature flicks to the general public. Their time lapse nature stuff like flowers opening and birds hatching, was fabulous. Granted sometimes the story lines to match their footage were ...um, contrived, but they brought us stuff nobody else would, pre-internet. Who else would show you a room full of mousetraps and Ping Pong balls. It was after Walt died that Disney became an evil empire.

[Carruthers]

I've found a few more images.

Below is the original photo shown only as an inset in the opening post.



The latest scene offered in two versions. I think I prefer the sepia.






Have a look at War Horse comes to Peckham. The scene appears in panorama but click twice on the image and the result is astonishing.

[Lamplighter]

Originally Posted by Carruthers

I've found a few more images.

Have a look at War Horse comes to Peckham. The scene appears in panorama but click twice on the image and the result is astonishing.

Clicking around on that panorama is fascinating, all the detail you can see.

But what is this on the corner... a mechanical horse ?

[xoxoxoBruce]

There's people inside the horse, probably French.

[Carruthers]

Originally Posted by Lamplighter

Clicking around on that panorama is fascinating, all the detail you can see.

But what is this on the corner... a mechanical horse ?

It's the life-size puppet Joey from the National Theatre's production of War Horse adapted from the book by Michael Morpurgo.

Evening Standard