Woolwich Army Veterinary Hospital: Part 1
Housed within the RCVS Archives is a single ledger used by an army veterinary hospital in Woolwich. It is the only item we have specific to this hospital – indeed it seems very few records exist anywhere for this establishment, making this ledger a rare and fortuitous survivor.
The ledger begins in January 1802, near the end of the French Revolutionary Wars
The ledger originated with the Veterinary Department of the Board of Ordnance and was used in two phases – firstly to record details of sick and injured horses brought to the hospital for treatment, and later as a stock ledger, detailing the requirements and usage of veterinary medicine and equipment. The total lifespan of the volume is from 1802 to 1856, meaning it covers the period from the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815) to the Crimean War (1853-1856).
So who were the Board of Ordnance? What can we learn from this rare item? And how did it find it’s way to the College Archive?
The Board of Ordnance
The Board of Ordnance was the section of the British government responsible for all lands and properties necessary for the defence of the realm. This included the supply of equipment to the army and navy, such as horses used in warfare. For much of the Board’s history their headquarters were in the Tower of London.
Things did not always run smoothly. In the aftermath of the British involvement in the French Revolutionary Wars (1793-1802) the Board of Ordnance faced accusations of neglect in its treatment of both soldiers and horses. For example, a report had been received outlining the diseased state of the artillery horses in Kent. Amongst those demanding reform was George III’s son Frederick, who had been Commander-in-Chief of the army during the campaign. Should there be a further outbreak of hostilities, the British cavalry would be in a severely weakened state.
Improving Horse Welfare
To investigate the situation, the Board called upon the services of Edward Coleman, then Professor of the London Veterinary College. Coleman was already known to the Board, having given several lectures to the officers of the army medical staff at Woolwich.
Edward Coleman was Professor of the London Veterinary College at the time of his involvement
Coleman worked fast, and in a letter dated 27 Feb 1796 he made three key suggestions. Firstly, that a portion of the stables at Woolwich should be set apart as an infirmary, to improve access to treatment for sick horses. Secondly, that he should be allowed to attend at the infirmary every week to oversee procedures, and thirdly that a pupil from his Veterinary College should be in residence at the hospital to act as his representative when Coleman himself was not in attendance; an arrangement which should be continued until the existing army farriers were sufficiently instructed in treatment. This plan would be expensive, but so too would doing nothing. Coleman’s proposal was therefore accepted, and so the Royal Horse Infirmary at Woolwich came into being.
A New Medical Superintendent
On the 25th of March 1796 Coleman was duly appointed Medical Superintendent. His duties including examining newly acquired horses for soundness, inspecting horses stabled elsewhere, bringing suitable cases to Woolwich for treatment, advising on the treatment of diseases, directing the farriers in shoeing and providing the occasional lecture for officers, artillery cadets and farriers. His pay was fixed at 10 shillings per day. Additionally, at this time there were practically no specific military stables, meaning horses were scattered all over the country. A rate of double pay was agreed for these remote inspection days plus 1 shilling and 3 pence per mile travel expenses.
John Percivall (who had recently qualified from the Veterinary College) was appointed Coleman’s assistant on 6 shillings a day. These rates of pay were proposed by Coleman, and it was suggested to the Board that engaging Coleman would pay for itself in a few months.
Coleman’s Findings
1920s image of the Officer’s Quarters (left) where Percivall and his successors. The building on the right housed the Guard-Room on the lower floor. Percivall kept a museum in the upper floor
Coleman found the horses of the Ordnance saturated with illness including canker, blindness, mange, contracted feet, farcy and glanders. Coleman points the blame firmly on “…the total ignorance of those who have at present the medical care of them…” as well as the Department which “…precludes all possibility of procuring persons better skilled in the knowledge of Farriery”. Glanders was a big concern, as the disease was highly contagious. Coleman recommended infected horses were destroyed to minimise the spread. This would be an expensive course of action – these horses had been hired from contractors and therefore needed to be paid for.
Coleman also criticised the medicines then in use as “improper” and intended to supply his own. For this Coleman demanded further repayment, but this time his proposal was refused, the Board instead opting to use medicine supplied by their own druggist.
Coleman instigated a complete revolution in equine care, for which he claimed credit despite most of the treatment being done by Percivall. Although Coleman attended one day a week at Woolwich for twenty years, his Assistant was in residence and provided more hands-on aid. Percivall was not without recognition; In 1805 the Assistant was described as being an Officer of the Ordnance. Coleman himself was never given this honour. Of course we can only speculate, but perhaps Coleman’s demands and criticism of his employers may have made him unpopular.
By 1816 John Percivall had succeeded Coleman and was given the job title Senior Veterinary Surgeon. Coleman nevertheless remained active in the unit until his death in 1839.
In Part 2 we’ll take a closer look at the ledger, and what it tells us about military veterinary practice during this period.
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