Warhorse to Horsepower examines how the British Army became increasingly mechanical during the First World War and how cavalry units eventually gave up their horses for tanks during the 1920s and 30s.

In pre-1914 Britain, society was already replacing horse with petrol driven vehicles and some life-size talking horses in the exhibition tell you their stories of this time and their later experiences in the war. Text panels and set-piece scenes provide information on how horses were fed and cared for and the close relationships that developed between soldiers and their horses.

It is often said that tanks replaced horses in the First World War, but they both had important roles and were on the same team. On the Western Front the horse may have struggled in its traditional role as fighting cavalry but the horse in general excelled as a beast of burden – keeping the modern army supplied with food and weapons in the front line.*

In 1928 the 11th Hussars and the 12th Lancers transferred to Armoured Car Companies, making them the first Cavalry Regiments in the British Army to be mechanised. With budget constraints and some continuing opposition to change, it took another decade for the remaining Cavalry Regiments to give up their horses for armoured vehicles. Eventually, by 1939, The Royal Armoured Corps was formed, taking under its banner the Royal Tank Regiment and 18 out of 20 Cavalry Regiments.

*From The Tank Story – guidebook of The Tank Museum