Discovering Horse-Drawn Transport of the British Army

Since ancient times, horse-drawn vehicles were the primary means of transportation for military purposes. Yet it wasn't until the last decade of the eighteenth century that the civilian contractors that the British military had previously relied upon were replaced by the Royal Waggoners, a temporary transport corps that would only form on the outbreak of war. There was no permanent royal transport corps until the Crimean War in the nineteenth century. Beginning from this period, this book explores the variety of horse-drawn vehicles used by the British Army, from the general service wagons, ambulance wagons and carts, water carts, to the specialized vehicles such as the mobile pigeon loft and the traveling field cooker. D. J. Smith describes the equipment used in horse-drawn vehicles such as draught gear and harnesses, and also explains the process of wagon construction using many detailed line drawings. Illustrated with black and white photographs throughout, Discovering Horse-Drawn Transport of the British Army reveals the vital role played by these wagons and carts for centuries until the introduction of motor vehicles in the World War I gradually superseded them.

D. J. Smith was born in Birmingham in 1927 and educated at Tamworth Grammar School, Stourbridge College of Art and the University College of Cardiff. Among the books he wrote are Discovering Horse-Drawn Carriages, Discovering Horse-Drawn Commercial Vehicles, Discovering Craft of the Inland Waterways and Discovering Country Crafts.