Entraining men and horses, 1900 (c)

Photograph by Jack Donnelly, Boer War (1899-1902), 1900 (c).

The British relied on thousands of horses for their cavalry units and to draw their artillery and supplies. Many of these animals, sent from Britain and not acclimatised, succumbed to the tough dry conditions on the South African veldt. The average life expectancy of a British horse, from the time of its arrival in Port Elizabeth, was around six weeks.

From an album of 85 photographs, 1897-1901 (c).