THE MAN WITH SEVEN HORSES

This is a story about Sergeant H.R. Goode, 585, 15 Platoon, D Coy. 1/7 Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment following his service in the Great War 1914 - 1918. His picture can be seen in these photographs with his colleagues in that terrible conflict; he survived that war but we do not know how many others here in the photos survived. We know the name of his post and position in the Army as this is as it's listed is in the front of his prayer-book.

Sergeant Goode is Tina's maternal Grandfather. He is also Grandfather to Sandra Hamilton and Jim Goode in Canada, Tina's Cousins.

The Great War caused the deaths of about 1 million British men and over twenty times this number in total died. However it is often forgotten that this carnage extended to that beautiful creature the horse. Over a quarter of a million horses serving the British troops died. Britain did much to try and give the utmost care to horses and in fact the Royal Veterinary Corps was created at that time and did really great work. The casualty rate for the beloved horse was often lower than that for serving troops and the British military horse was the envy of all other armies at the end of the war.

Sergeant Goode always loved horses. He, and his colleagues, must have been heartbroken at the plight of horses in the war. So when the war ended and he resumed home life he set up as a Tenant Farmer and acquired seven horses Major, Dick, Bob, Mick, Captain, Kitty, and Cocker. Most of these were ex-Army horses. Cocker had three legs and a swinger, it had a bit of arthritis. They were all well cared for and Nan, [Grace his daughter, Tina's Mother] remembered them all so well. They were mainly used in light haulage in and around Nuneaton and earned their keep and helped a lot of ex-servicemen gain some money. Times were never easy but they could happy.

Nan used to make us all laugh telling the story about the horses and Polly, the African Grey parrot, they had at the farm. The horse and cart would be coming back from a day's work when Polly [when it was outside] would mimic Granddad's booming voice and say "Whoa!" and the horses would stop, they would start again, and again Polly would boom "Whoa" again, it became total frustration for the carters [and Nan and her brother's amusement.]

Some time later they moved to town to take over the family's butcher business at the Bull Ring , Nuneaton. The haulage business probably diminished with the advent of trucks etc. The shop was half way up the steep hill. Grandfather would be outside in trice Some time later they moved to town to take over the family's butcher business at the Bull Ring , Nuneaton. The haulage business probably diminished with the advent of trucks etc.. The shop was half way up the steep hill. Grandfather would be outside in trice if he heard a horse slipping and would not hesitate to gentle it down the hill particularly in icy weather.

Apparently Grandfather could give a somewhat forbidding appearance despite being a very gentle man much loved by his family. He did have a reputation that he was not to be messed with - normally a "click of the eyes" solved things. But Nan said that only once did she actually see her Father strike another man and that was when this bully lashed a horse enough to make it fall. Grandfather made this bully wish that he had not hurt this poor horse.

I never met Tina’s Grandfather, I am sad for that, he died one week before I met Tina. He worked until he was 70 and died one month later. I know that that I would have liked him: Tina loved him dearly.

We took Nan back to see her farm in 1995 and Velia was there to hear all the stories like this one that I hope that I have told it properly today.