WAHVM posters give unique insights into military veterinary history
24 September 2014
Three posters displaying items from the RCVS archives were presented to the 41st Congress of the World Association for the History of Veterinary Medicine (WAHVM) this month, unveiling unique and previously unseen archive material concerning military veterinary history dating back to 1802.
Clare Boulton, RCVS Knowledge’s Head of Library and Information Services, examined original diaries, letters, photographs and other archive material, including a recent find which is believed to be the only surviving record of the work at the Woolwich Veterinary Hospital, which opened in 1796.
She says: “The records of Woolwich Hospital found in our archives offer insights into the military veterinary caseload at the turn of the 19th century in Britain – including how events like the Battle of Waterloo impacted on the work at the hospital.”
The experiences of two veterinary surgeons who served in wartime are also presented in the posters. Sir Frederick Smith (1857-1929) served in the South African War and later became Director General of the Army Veterinary Service. John Blakeway (1865-1917) served with the British Remount Commission, in Canada, the USA and Spain, which was responsible for the acquisition of horses from abroad during the First World War.