Hunting has a long military association
DURING the past few years many letters have been published in the Echo about hunting with hounds and 700 hours were spent debating the sport in the Houses of Parliament.
Most aspects of this brutal activity have been discussed, but there has been little comment about military involvement in fox hunting.
When I joined the Scouts, before the Second World War, I was taught that a Scout was a friend to animals. But I could never reconcile this with the fact that the Chief Scout, Lord Baden Powell, took great delight in fox hunting and killing animals for sport.
When serving in India prior to the First World War, on the North West Frontier with Afghanistan, he enjoyed pig-sticking.
This sport entails riding a horse to find, chase, and spear a wild boar with a long lance. (Ask Google "pig-sticking" for a detailed account).
I find it incomprehensible that this savage sport gave senior British officers so much pleasure, but the whole horrible activity was governed by etiquette and snobbery in keeping with the traditional English fox hunt, which is now banned by the Hunting Act 2004.
I quote an extract from an account written by Lord Baden Powell about how he and his regiment hunted foxes when they returned to England:
"Of course, it was militarised, having a captain as master, a sergeant major as huntsman, a sergeant as first whip, and so on downwards."
Having studied brief histories of four local fox hunts I see that their past masters include four colonels, seven majors, and three captains.
Today this tradition is continued by the navy with the Britannia Beagle hare hunt, Dartmouth, being under the command of an admiral.
I think our Exeter dog warden would be better qualified than all these military types to take charge of the hunting hounds, but I doubt whether he could get the job even if he wanted to be a master of foxhounds or beagles.
John Phelps
Argyll Road Exeter
(by email)
3 Comments
by Sarah, Surrey
Monday, August 31 2009, 7:06PM
“So, er, what's the point of this letter? That people who have made tremendous personal sacrifices and contributed more than their fair share to society also enjoy hunting?”
by Ed, Exeter
Monday, August 31 2009, 11:47AM
“Your correspondent Mr Phelps is always keen to poke a stick at the hunting fraternity. If he is truly disturbed by mis-treatment of animals, he would be far more gainfully employed by campaigning against cruelty in many licenced abbatoirs. The number of foxes and wild mammals killed by hunts pales into insignificance when compared to the badly treated pre-slaughter animals. Does Mr Phelps eat meat at all?
The fact is that the Hunting Act is bad law, and bad law will always be exposed for what it is, and, thankfully, a coach and horse driven through it.”
by HistoryFan, exeter
Monday, August 31 2009, 9:00AM
“Seventy years ago in Exeter there were pig-sticking competitions. Not with pigs of course.
Cyclists would use long poles to aim at, and hope to scoop up, a small object.
All the fun of trying to balance, steer and cope with bumpy ground too. The fun for the audience was doubtless seeing many fall off.
Women, men and children all had their turns in these competitions which were held at local fun days round the city.
It just goes to show that you don't need to kill animals to get enjoyment out of an activity.
Or maybe it shows that cyclists are nicer people than hunters..........????”