Saturday May 11th, 1918
Day work. Very hot again. Mail up only one letter from home and one from Ordyl ?? Pitch. Sorry to hear of Sergeant Abbot’s wife’s death. Company Guard mounted 7:30.
Cold Shoers
The Battalion Diary today announces that the role of cold shoers will cease to exist from the middle of this month and will no longer be an Army trade. The cold shoer’s role had been to fit pre-made shoes on horses and mules. Those currently in this role are to be tested for their ability to be a shoeing smith. If able, and if they fill a vacancy, they will receive an extra six pence a day.
Army Veterinary Corps
Horses and mules were essential to the successful prosecution of the war. Some thought that the supply and welfare of these animals were more important than those of the troops.
At the outbreak of WWI there were less than 400 Army Veterinary Corps (AVC) officers. Over the course of the war this number more than quadrupled and by 1918 almost half of Britain’s veterinary surgeons were serving in the AVC. Over the same period other ranks grew from less than 1,000 to almost 42,000.º
This included shoeing smiths and farriers. During the war four schools of Farriery were established to cope with the demand. The farriers’ job was primarily hoof trimming and fitting horseshoes to Army horses. As such, it combined traditional blacksmith’s skills with some veterinarian knowledge about the physiology and care of horses’ feet. Shoeing smiths undertook similar work but were less skilled.¹
Shoeing Smiths & Farriers
Army units that relied heavily upon horses each had their own farriers and shoeing smiths. These included the Cavalry squadrons, Royal Artillery batteries, the Royal Engineers and the Army Service Corps. Farriers and shoeing smiths also served with the Mobile Veterinary Sections providing care to sick and wounded animals.³
A man from the ranks could train as a shoeing-smith, then he might be promoted to shoeing-smith-corporal and then, after additional training, to farrier-sergeant. Really skilled men could be appointed Warrant Officers (WO) in roles such as Farrier Sergeant-Major (WOI) or Farrier-QMS (WOII).¹
The training for a shoeing smith took two years. Mike C, of the Great War Forum, whose grandfather was a shoeing smith with the Canadian Expeditionary Force provided information on this, ‘The school was for “Farriers, Shoeing Smiths, and Veterinary Sergeants”. so you can see they made a distinction between the specialties. The exams for Shoeing Smith consisted of the following subjects; “Theoretical Principals of Shoeing”, “Knowledge of the Structure and Preservation of the Horse’s Foot.”, Diseases of the Foot.”, and the practical exam was for “Bandaging, Blistering and Minor Operations.”, and “Skill as a Tradesman.“‘²
Therefore it seems a stretch between a cold shoer and a shoeing smith. It would be interesting to know how many transitioned successfully.
13th (Service) Battalion War Diary – 11th May 1918 – Saida
Work as before. The undermentioned officers having reported their arrival are taken on the effective strength of the Battalion 10-5-18 and are posted to Coys as under:- 2Lt JWC Bennett – C Coy, 2Lt E Lees – D Coy. Extract from GRO 1954 dated 7-5-18. The term ‘cold shoes’ in Infantry limits will henceforth cease to exist, and ‘cold shoer’ will no longer be an Army trade. All men at present employed under this heading will be tested as shoeing smiths as per para 1218 KR. All men who pass this test and fill a vacancy on the establishment will be entitled to 6 [pence] per diem under Art 905.
References & Further Reading
º ‘Army Veterinary Corps, WWI‘ on Flickr
¹ ‘Farriers – Units and Formations‘ thread on Great War Forum
² ‘Farriers or Shoeing Smiths‘ thread on Great War Forum
³ ‘The Mobile Veterinary Sections‘ on the Long Long Trail
* HU 108159, copyright Imperial War Museums. From the collection of Lt Herbert Preston of 120th Battery, Royal Field Artillery, 1915