3 ms·

I thought that was going to be about the recent 'official' stories that the British Army was going to get rid of its tanks: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53909

I thought that was going to be about the recent 'official' stories that the British Army was going to get rid of its tanks: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53909087 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53909087 What we can be certain of is that the Army will never willingly get rid of its horses.

082349872349872 6y ago
Wow. We somehow failed to notice that horses don't fit in foxholes, but we did eventually get rid of ours when we noticed they weren't really cut out for NBC suits. (Youtube is failing miserably for Parade Song of the Camp Animals. Kipling actually had tunes in mind for them, something none of the interpreters in my bubble seem to have noticed. For instance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av2-A-igOJk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av2-A-igOJk By the brand on my shoulder, the finest of tunes Is played by the Lancers, Hussars, and Dragoons, And it's sweeter than "Stables" or "Water" to me-- The Cavalry Canter of "Bonnie Dundee"! Then feed us and break us and handle and groom, And give us good riders and plenty of room, And launch us in column of squadron and see The way of the war-horse to "Bonnie Dundee"! )
- arethuza 6y ago
  The Army has had more horses than tanks for a while: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-22951548 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-229...
  - chrisseaton 6y ago
    > The British Army has not used horses in a combat role since World War I Note that this isn't true - several British Army combat units genuinely fought on horseback during WWII. https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1941/aug/06/operations-in-syria#S5LV0119P0_19410806_HOL_41 https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1941/aug/06... And I believe you can still do a combat horse riding course at one of the US special forces schools today. One good explanation for having so many horses is simply that a tank carries four soldiers while a horse only carries one! In reality we have one regiment minus (just two squadrons) of horse mounted cavalry, just one troop plus of horse-drawn field artillery, and a mounted band. Doesn't seem excessive.
    - 082349872349872 6y ago
      mechanised by 1942: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Somerset_Yeomanry#Palestine_and_Syria https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Somerset_Yeomanry#Palest...
      - chrisseaton 6y ago
        Right... that's 3 years into WWII, isn't it?
        082349872349872 6y ago
        Yes. Expanding upon your comment, not disagreeing with it. Thanks for the Hansard! According to the mongols, one can't maintain tempo with only one horse per trooper. (so, does the Cheshire Yeomanry still drill "column of squadron"? I neglected the minor detail above that we still do field mounted recce, which in dual-use is how we train most of our civilian farriers.)
        chrisseaton 6y ago
        We try not to line up neatly these days to avoid getting bombed or shelled!
    - jack_riminton 6y ago
      Indeed, it’s quite a nice thing for ceremonial and historical purposes As part of my Young Officer training in the Royal Artillery I had to learn to ride (although ‘riding’ is not the best description, more bouncing around)
      - 082349872349872 6y ago
        > more bouncing around Thinking of "never trust a clergyman whose toes don't point out when he rides," that's probably a good sign. So... what's 2+2? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24440882 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24440882
- C1sc0cat 6y ago
  or Corb Lund's Horse Soldier
  - 082349872349872 6y ago
    along with its companion Horse Doctor Come Quick, suitable for the 2020 wave of self-prescriptions.

082349872349872 6y ago

Wow. We somehow failed to notice that horses don't fit in foxholes, but we did eventually get rid of ours when we noticed they weren't really cut out for NBC suits. (Youtube is failing miserably for Parade Song of the Camp Animals. Kipling actually had tunes in mind for them, something none of the interpreters in my bubble seem to have noticed. For instance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av2-A-igOJk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av2-A-igOJk By the brand on my shoulder, the finest of tunes Is played by the Lancers, Hussars, and Dragoons, And it's sweeter than "Stables" or "Water" to me-- The Cavalry Canter of "Bonnie Dundee"! Then feed us and break us and handle and groom, And give us good riders and plenty of room, And launch us in column of squadron and see The way of the war-horse to "Bonnie Dundee"! )

arethuza 6y ago
The Army has had more horses than tanks for a while: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-22951548 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-229...
- chrisseaton 6y ago
  > The British Army has not used horses in a combat role since World War I Note that this isn't true - several British Army combat units genuinely fought on horseback during WWII. https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1941/aug/06/operations-in-syria#S5LV0119P0_19410806_HOL_41 https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1941/aug/06... And I believe you can still do a combat horse riding course at one of the US special forces schools today. One good explanation for having so many horses is simply that a tank carries four soldiers while a horse only carries one! In reality we have one regiment minus (just two squadrons) of horse mounted cavalry, just one troop plus of horse-drawn field artillery, and a mounted band. Doesn't seem excessive.
  - 082349872349872 6y ago
    mechanised by 1942: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Somerset_Yeomanry#Palestine_and_Syria https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Somerset_Yeomanry#Palest...
    - chrisseaton 6y ago
      Right... that's 3 years into WWII, isn't it?
      - 082349872349872 6y ago
        Yes. Expanding upon your comment, not disagreeing with it. Thanks for the Hansard! According to the mongols, one can't maintain tempo with only one horse per trooper. (so, does the Cheshire Yeomanry still drill "column of squadron"? I neglected the minor detail above that we still do field mounted recce, which in dual-use is how we train most of our civilian farriers.)
        chrisseaton 6y ago
        We try not to line up neatly these days to avoid getting bombed or shelled!
  - jack_riminton 6y ago
    Indeed, it’s quite a nice thing for ceremonial and historical purposes As part of my Young Officer training in the Royal Artillery I had to learn to ride (although ‘riding’ is not the best description, more bouncing around)
    - 082349872349872 6y ago
      > more bouncing around Thinking of "never trust a clergyman whose toes don't point out when he rides," that's probably a good sign. So... what's 2+2? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24440882 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24440882
C1sc0cat 6y ago
or Corb Lund's Horse Soldier
- 082349872349872 6y ago
  along with its companion Horse Doctor Come Quick, suitable for the 2020 wave of self-prescriptions.