Real War Horses (Book) Review

Released: 20th October 2016
RRP: £25.00
Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
Author: Anthony Dawson
Type: Hardback
ISBN: 9781473847071
Pages: 256

Buy Real War Horses from Amazon

Anthony Dawson's The Real War Horses provides a contemporary, readable and updated account of the role that horses have played in warfare. Many books have been written about wider campaigns of the British Army, whilst others have been written with a specialised focus on the Cavalry structure, uniforms and equipment.

Anthony Dawson's The Real War Horses provides a contemporary, readable and updated account of the role that horses have played in war fare. Many books have been written about wider campaigns of the British Army, whilst others have been written with a specialised focus on the Cavalry structure, uniforms and equipment.

This book has been thoroughly researched, based upon letters and diaries written by British soldiers serving in different campaigns, and printed in contemporary newspapers. In turn, they provide us with in depth personal thoughts and feelings of the men who wrote them, demonstrating the humanity of them. A crucial part of this is demonstrated by the Crimean War in the sense that it was possibly the first media war with intense scrutiny from domestic press. The author makes clear from outset his research approach for accessing these letters thus making the reader aware of their historical importance and usefulness as being a direct record from the period covered,  but also how to be cautious of them given their oral nature.

Dawson gets the readers straight into the guts of what the cavalry was; an important direction for someone reading this area of military history for the first time. This detail includes important facets such as the description of the type of man required for heavy and light cavalry, horse breeding, purchasing,  uniform and appearance...

Of further interest...

Bristol in the Great War

Tue 2nd September

Jacqueline Wadsworth, author of Bristol in the Great War and Letters from the Trenches takes a look at Shirehampton Remount Depot – where horses and mules shipped into Avonmouth during the war were stabled before being sent to the Front. Read article...

The Action-Packed Diary of a WW1 Cavalryman

Fri 20th February

An article by Letters From The Trenches author Jacqueline Wadsworth about the early days of the Great War, based on the diary of regular soldier Sergeant George Fairclough. Read article...

The Charge of the Light Brigade

Wed 4th January

History’s Most Famous Cavalry Charge Told Through Eye Witness Accounts, Newspaper Reports, Memoirs and Diaries Read article...

Richard Mead tells all about The Men Behind Monty

Tue 12th April

Richard Mead explains how he came to write The Men Behind Monty – The Staff and HQs of Eighth Army and 21st Army Group, which has been shortlisted for the British Army Military Book of the Year. Read article...