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Here it is pertinent to remark that medium and heavy guns were manned in the field by members of the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA), who had for some time been known in the Regiment as the Scientific Corps, ie were not averse to adopting new ideas for the betterment of the art. They were not prejudiced against 'mechanical contrivances' as were many of their colleagues in horse and field.
Many were the arguments proffered by the last-named gentlemen against the adoption of IC-engined tractors:
- Petrol supply would never be adequate
- Breakdowns would be frequent
- Dumb Gunners could never be taught to drive tractors - let alone maintain them
- Cross-country performance of a tractor could never equal that of a team of horses, etc
They conveniently ignored the arguments against the horse:
- A horse badly wounded had to be put down - but an engine damaged in action could be repaired or replaced
- The horse still had to be fed even though he was idle, but the engine required 'feed' only while it was working
- The horse could work effectively only for a limited time without rest; the engine did not need rest
- It took much longer to teach a soldier (even a dumb Gunner) equitation and horse mastership than to drive and maintain a tractor
- Three drivers were necessary for a team (horse and field artillery) but only one for a tractor
- Six horses - and six sets of harness - were needed to pull one gun and limber, but only one tractor
- The tractor needed no harness - simply a steel engine draught connector - but the horse needed six sets - and harness was a very expensive item during the horse-drawn era.
Notwithstanding the arguments in favour of adoption of mechanical draught for field and horse artillery the horsey fraternity resisted change until the late 1920s.
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