Soldier Record

My dad was the lead horseman, taking the gun carriages up to the front, usually under heavy fire.

"I was not a hero son, I was just lucky" - this is what my dad always said to me. Horses came first and men second. My dad told me that it was so cold in France that they slept inside dead horses to keep warm. They'd cut the belly out and climb in together. He also talked about the times that he witnessed officers shooting a man refusing to go over the top. The man was shell-shocked but they still classed him as a coward. My dad had all three medals of the First World War, which are called Pip, Squeak and Wilfred after the cartoon characters. IÂ’ve still got the cigarette box that was sent by Queen Victoria to all the troops, plus some original live 303 bullets. My dad was the lead horseman, taking the gun carriages up to the front, usually under heavy fire. Once he'd delivered the gun, heÂ’d get the horses back behind the lines ready to take up ammunition. This is why the horses came first; they were the only reliable means of getting the guns and ammunition to the front.