| The
AVC was formed in 1906 and given its 'Royal' title in 1918.
When
the original BEF crossed to France in 1914, the strength of the
AVC was 122 officers and 797 other ranks, responsible for care
of
53,000 horses with the BEF. By 1916, as the army was expanded and
the number of horses and mules exceeded 400,000 in France and
Flanders
alone, the AVC numbered 600 officers and 15,000 other ranks. It
was organised into 20 horse hospitals (with a total capacity
of
40,000 animals), plus 4 convalescent depots, 18 evacuating stations,
2 base depots, a bacteriological laboratory and a branch responsible
for disposal of animals. In addition were 60 mobile sections serving
with the fighting units, which are shown below. The health of
the
horse was considered to be of the utmost importance, and given
the war conditions it was maintained at a high standard - even
so, 270,000
(some 20% of all horses used by the army) died on active service.
|
Although
it was the most mechanised army in the world, the British army
still relied hugely on horsed transport throughout the
Great War. It suffered more than 484,000 deaths of horses
during the 1914-1918 war.