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THE VETERANIZATION of BRITISH WAR HORSES, 1850-1950 By REMEMBERING THE FORGOTTEN LEGIONS: THE VETERANIZATION OF BRITISH WAR HORSES, 1850-1950 By CHELSEA AUTUMN MEDLOCK Bachelor of Arts in History Bachelor of Science in Genetics University of Kansas Lawrence, KS 2007 Master of Arts in History Oklahoma State University Stillwater, OK 2009 Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate College of the Oklahoma State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY December, 2015 REMEMBERING THE FORGOTTEN LEGIONS: THE VETERANIZATION OF BRITISH WAR HORSES, 1850-1950 Dissertation Approved: Dr. Joseph Byrnes Dissertation Adviser Dr. Lesley Rimmel Dr. John Kinder Dr. Martin Wallen . ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my committee members for their patience and support over the years. They allowed me to voice my theories and opinions throughout the entire process, openly and without judgment. Our brainstorming sessions afforded me the opportunity to experiment with my limitations and ambitions. I want to particularly thank my advisor for hanging in there with me through two degrees and a plethora of projects. I would also like to thank the staffs at the British Library, the Imperial War Museum, the National Army Museum, the Royal Society of Veterinary Surgeons, and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Archives. Their services, support, and patience during my visitations allowed me to navigate my sources with ease. Next, I would like to thank my parents for supporting me through graduate school. I was a long and hard road and they were always there for me. Finally, I would like to thank my husband and my children. None of this would have been possible without their understanding, support, and sacrifice. Whether it was supporting my endeavors overseas, supporting my conference attendance, or helping me organization my archival photographs, I will always be indebted to them for their understanding and love. This work is dedicated to Rocky, the war horse of my childhood. iii Acknowledgements reflect the views of the author and are not endorsed by committee members or Oklahoma State University. Name: CHELSEA AUTUM MEDLOCK Date of Degree: DECEMBER, 2015 Title of Study: REMEMBERING THE FORGOTTEN LEGIONS: THE VETERANIZATION OF BRITISH WAR HORSES, 1850-1950 Major Field: HISTORY Abstract: My dissertation, entitled, “Remembering the Forgotten Legions: the Veteranization of British War Horses, 1850-1950,” looks at the changing perceptions of war horses in the British military and society from nationalized brute resources to war veterans during the latter half of the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century. I assert that the industrialization and mechanization of the British military and society precipitated a transformation in human- animal relations during the world wars. This technological supplantation of war horses created higher instances of soldier-animal bonding in warfare, which led to a reevaluation of the war horse’s moral and veteran status in the military. Along with this change in soldier perceptions, the wartime activities of British animal welfare societies allowed for a discussion of veteran status and memorialization of war animals in mainstream British society during the interwar period. This discussion helped to establish in the minds of many at all levels of British society the contemporary sentiment that military service confers veteran status on war animals. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. SUPPLANTATION, BONDING, AND VETERANIZATION: AN INTRODUCTION ........... 1 Content and Argument ............................................................................................................... 2 The Literature .......................................................................................................................... 14 The Chapters ............................................................................................................................ 30 II.GRADUAL TECHNOLOGICAL SUPPLANTATION OF WAR HORSES, 1850-1950 ........ 34 Technological Advances in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries ..................................... 35 Delayed Obsolescence and the Great War ............................................................................... 45 The Mechanization Debate after World War I ......................................................................... 54 III. MILITARY POLICIES, BUDGETS, AND THE FOUNDATIONS OF VETERANIZATION, 1850-1914 ................................................................................................................................ 62 Military Policies and Budgets from the 1850s to the 1870s .................................................... 62 The Rise of the Army Veterinary Corps .................................................................................. 66 The Anglo-Boer War Debacle ................................................................................................. 68 Military Policy Changes after the Anglo-Boer War ................................................................ 72 IV. THE CONSEQUENCES OF MILITARY ECONOMICS ON SOLDIER-HORSE BONDING DURING THE GREAT WAR ................................................................................................. 79 Maintaining the War Horse Population during the Great War ................................................ 79 Crafting the Image of the War Horse ....................................................................................... 88 Veterinary Care and Bonding .................................................................................................. 96 Components of Bonding ........................................................................................................ 107 V. THE EFFECTS OF THE CASTING AND THE MEMORIALIZATION OF HORSES ON SOLDIER BONDING, 1919-1945 ........................................................................................ 117 The Mechanics of Casting ..................................................................................................... 118 The Effects of Casting on Bonding after the Armistice ......................................................... 121 Bonding and Memorialization ............................................................................................... 128 v Chapter Page VI. THE RISE OF BRITISH ANIMAL WELFARE INTERESTS IN HORSES IN WAR AND SOLDIER-HORSE BONDING, 1850-1914.......................................................................... 142 The Development of the Animal Welfare Movement in Britain ........................................... 142 The Rising Interest in Animal Welfare during War, 1870-1914 ........................................... 152 VII. BONDING AND VETERANIZATION IN THE WAR EFFORTS OF ANIMAL WELFARE SOCIETIES DURING THE WORLD WARS ...................................................................... 166 Animal Welfare Aid and the Great War ................................................................................ 166 Memorialization and Animal Welfare in the Interwar Years................................................. 181 Animal Welfare and the Second World War ......................................................................... 195 VIII. SUPPLANTATION, BONDING, AND VETERANIZATION: AN EPILOGUE ............ 200 Epilogue ................................................................................................................................. 203 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................. 212 APPENDICES .............................................................................................................................. 236 vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page 3.A ....................................................................................................................................... 236 3.B ....................................................................................................................................... 237 4.A ......................................................................................................................................... 82 4.B ....................................................................................................................................... 238 4.C ....................................................................................................................................... 239 4.D ....................................................................................................................................... 240 4.E ......................................................................................................................................... 97 5.A ....................................................................................................................................... 241 5.B ....................................................................................................................................... 242 5.C ....................................................................................................................................... 243 5.D ....................................................................................................................................... 244 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 3.A ......................................................................................................................................... 69 4.A ........................................................................................................................................
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