Warrior by Jack Seely
Warrior by Jack Seely – The Amazing Story of a Real War Horse was first published in 1934 under the name My Horse Warrior and it is the story of Warrior, the charger of General Jack Seely. Seely was a friend of Winston Churchill and he served in the Parliament alongside him. The illustrations throughout the book were made by Sir Alfred Munnings who drew Warrior during the war and at home after the war ended.
I was so impressed with how much Seely loved his horses, firstly Cinderella, Warrior’s mother and then Warrior. The story is wonderfully written and well worth reading, especially as it is a short book. Warrior was in France for years and escaped death many times. He led a cavalry charge in 1918 and showed determination and courage.
Besides the wonderful story of the horse, it is interesting to see the book as a historical account of the period, to see how the General talks about the other soldiers, some from the colonies, how their lives, his and Warrior’s were different due to his rank. The end is so sad, not because Warrior died (at almost 33), but how it was affected by the Second World War. I highly recommend this book, regardless if you are interested in horses or not, it is a fascinating book.
Warrior by Jack Seely
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My rating: 5/5 Stars
Would I recommend it: yes
Published by: Racing Post
Year it was published: 2011 (first published in 1934)
Format: Hardcover
Genre(s): Memoir
Pages: 176
About the author: John Edward Bernard Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone, was a British Army general and politician. He was a Conservative MP from 1900 to 1904 and a Liberal MP from 1904 to 1922 and from 1923 to 1924. He was Secretary of State for War for the two years prior to the First World War, before being forced to resign as a result of the Curragh Incident. As General Jack Seely, he led one of the last great cavalry charges in history at the Battle of Moreuil Wood on his war horse Warrior in March 1918. Seely was a great friend of Winston Churchill and the only former cabinet minister to go to the front in 1914 and still be there four years later.
Other books by Seely: Adventure (1930); Fear and Be Slain: Adventures by land, sea and air (1931); Launch! A Life-Boat Book (1932); For Ever England (1932); My Horse Warrior (1934); The Paths of Happiness (1938)
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This book sounds fascinating. I didn’t realise horses could live so long. Munnings was a very talented artist, his artwork of horses is awesome. He also did a lot of hunting scenes too. I knew of the War horse, because of Michael Morpurgo’s book, but haven’t heard of Seely’s account.
Galina V recently posted…Movie Night Degustabox
While looking at Amazon (I’ve tagged it there), I was reminded that there was a film adaptation of this ten years ago. The Title of the movie is War Horse and it was directed by Steven Spielberg. (I’m pretty sure I saw it)
Kelly recently posted…Beer Labels
That was based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo, with the title War Horse, which is about a horse in WWI, so easy to mix them up, I did that too. I will have to search for the movie, because it is something I will like to see.
Looking again, you are absolutely right! I misread it. If I’m remembering correctly, it was a good film.
Kelly recently posted…Beer Labels
This is a good review and it sounds like a book I would enjoy. It’s not available through my digital library so I’ll have to look and see what other options there are. I’m glad to know Warrior had a long life.
Kelly recently posted…Beer Labels
He had so many near-misses, Warrior was a very lucky horse. It would have seemed impossible if it wasn’t about a real horse. 🙂
Okay! Sorry to be a bit ‘nerdy’ about this, but I enjoyed this post so much, that I had to do some research of my own, even though this is probably all information you have read in the book —— ‘Warrior’ the horse has his own website full of loads of interesting facts —— https://www.warriorwarhorse.com/ —— There is also a statue of ‘Warrior’ at Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight, so as we visit there occasionally, next time I shall make a point of visiting this English Heritage site to see the statue —— I love that there is a an animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross and this is only a guess, but I don’t see why, if the soldiers suffered what we now know as PTSD, there is any reason why this wouldn’t have affected the horses in much the same way —— Definitely a book I shall be keeping a look out for, thanks for sharing 🙂
Yvonne (@Fiction_Books) recently posted…Her Sister’s Secretby S.E. LynesReview
Aww, thank you for the link, I will look at the website. If I ever go to Isle of Wight, I hope I will remember to look for the statue. I found the book at the library, so it might be worth looking for it at your local library, in case you are not as into the book as I was. Gosh, I’m happy you loved the review so much. xx