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[Page 64]
January and February 1918
Deaths 14. Evacuations 103.
Included amongst the evacuations are a number of debility cases as the result of the previous operations.
Tibbin was only issued for a few veterinary cases during these months.
March and April 1918
Deaths 17. Evacuations 109.
36 of those evacuated were suffering from debility and the rest were mainly injuries, and cases of lameness.
May 1918
Deaths 23. Evacuations 55.
This period covers the Es Salt operations, where there were 10 horses killed and 24 wounded.
June and July 1918
Deaths 66. Evacuations 208.
43 of the deaths were from a bomb raid. 71 animals were also wounded in the same raid, 6 of which were afterwards destroyed in Mobile Veterinary Section.
Amongst the evacuations were 39 wounded horses and 58 cases of skin disease, most of which were probably mange.
August and Sept. 1918
Deaths 30. Evacuations 161.
18 of the deaths were horses killed in action in the Damascus operations.
October and November 1918
Deaths 103. Evacuations 136.
There was very little wastage during the end of September, so that the above, (October and November), period practically covers the wastage during the operations through Damascus, Homs and back to Tripoli. The horses stood the trip to Damascus exceptionally well. The day the Brigade went through the town, the work was fairly strenuous and a few of them dropped out, but this was mainly due to shortage of fodder, most of the horses not having had a feed since the previous afternoon.
Sore backs were very prevalent after reaching Damascus. In my opinion they were due mainly to the rifle buckets which had only been issued to the Units a little over a week before the Brigade left Ludd. I took a census of the sore backs and found that 62% of the sores were on the rifle bucket side, (off side), and the remaining 38% anywhere else on the back.
The last 24 hours of the trek to Homs was very hard on the horses, owing to the shortage of water, none of which was available for them for the last 45 miles, with the result that several became exhausted and had to be destroyed.
During November the D.V.S. ordered the destruction of any sick horses over 12 years of age, and also any under that age that would take over two months treatment to cure them. This accounts for the large number of deaths during this period.
Units on mobilisation were issued with rather a variety of horses, it being quite evident that each buyer had his own opinion as to the class of animal most suitable for active service. There is a very old saying that "horses will gallop all shapes" and in a way this applies to horses on active service, when they have to undergo privations of all sorts and still carry a man and equipment, as there are horses of all shapes and sizes that have been right through everything and done their work well right through. In my opinion there is one class of horse, (if it may be called a class), that has stood out above the others as far as hard work and keeping condition is concerned and that is a low thick set animal, 14.3 to15.2 in height, short backed, well ribbed up and showing a bit of breeding, age about 7 years to 12 years.