War Horse

Albert and Joey are delighted to be together again, but the wound Joey has suffered still proves quite serious. Major Martin, a vet, cleans it and stitches his leg up. Albert, the Sergeant, and many other soldiers frequently visit Joey’s stable and wish him to get well soon. Joey, however, doesn’t heal. His appetite dissipates, loud noises put him on edge, and his legs are “still and tired, and [he feels] a great weight of pain all along [his] spine, creeping into [his] neck and even [his face” (132). Albert notices Joey’s change in behavior and fetches Major Martin to inspect the horse, with David and Sergeant Thunder watching with Albert outside the stall.

After Major Martin runs his hands all along Joey’s body, he turns to Sergeant Thunder and asks his opinion. They both agree that all signs point to tetanus; likely, the wound became infected before Joey was brought to the hospital. There isn’t much they can do for the poor horse at this stage. Major Martin suggests that the most humane thing for Joey and Albert is to put Joey down sooner rather than later. Albert protests, begging the men not to give up on healing Joey. David speaks up, reminding Major Martin that when they first began, he told them that the role of “the veterinary corps [is] to work night and day, twenty-six hours a day if need be to save and help every horse” (136) possible. The horses, Major Martin had said, were the “[l]ifeline of the whole army” (136). They were the reason the army had guns, ammunition, and ambulances.

Sergeant Thunder scolds David for speaking out of line to an officer, insisting that Major Martin would save Joey if there were any chance at all that it was possible. Major Martin, picking up on Sergeant Thunder’s tone, nods and agrees to try. He warns Albert that the healing process for a horse with tetanus will be “a full-time job for one man for a month or more, and even then the horse has hardly more than one chance in a thousand, if that” (137). Albert accepts the harsh reality but is still willing to try. David says he will help, and he’s certain the rest of the men will since Joey is Albert’s horse from home. The two assure Major Martin and Sergeant Thunder that caring for Joey won’t cause them to fall behind on tending to the other horses. This satisfies the officers, and they agree to proceed with treating Joey.

The officers immediately prescribe special directions for Joey. He is to be put in a sling so that he can’t lay down, everyone must speak in hushed tones since he won’t like noise, and he is only to be fed milk and oatmeal gruel (which are easier to consume since Joey’s jaw is growing tighter by the day). Albert and David “sleep side by side in the corner of the stable, taking turns to watch [Joey]” (138). Albert spends any time he can spare talking to Joey about his life back home: his family, the farm, and a special girl from the village.

With each day, Joey grows more stiff and fatigued: “Only Albert’s constant presence” (139) and his fervent belief that Joey will get better gives him the will to live. One night, “after long painful weeks in the sling” (140), Joey’s mouth loosens enough that he can call out to Albert. Albert awakens and goes to him, asking him to whinny again. Joey obeys, waking David as well. The men rejoice, calling for everyone to come and see. Joey is getting better, just as Albert always knew he would. Joey’s suffering will be over soon, and Albert predicts so will the war.

Albert’s inclination that the war will end soon proves to be wrong. The weeks of fighting drag on, and soon, Joey is well enough to begin working again. Albert is sent to the front to “bring back the latest horse casualties (142), causing Joey to fret each time Albert leaves his side. When Joey regains most of his strength, he is also sent back to the front lines. However, this time, Albert is with him every step of the way.

Albert constantly whistles and sings words of comfort to Joey; “[l]ike Topthorn before him, he seem[s] to sense that [Joey needs] a continual reminder that [Albert is] with him and protecting [him]” (143). Albert tells Joey about his girl, Maisie Brown, a baker with beautiful blue eyes and golden hair. Though there seems to be no end to the war, Albert remains hopeful that David was right when he said they would all be home before Christmas.

One fateful day, there is news from the front that a stray bullet has killed David. Albert reflects on his dear friend to Joey, telling him how proud he was of his fruit cart outside Covent Garden in London. David had often told Albert that no one would miss him when he was gone except for that fruit cart. However, David had always felt that Albert would surely survive the war. Now that he’s gone, Albert vows to make David right. He will survive the war, he and Joey both.

After David’s death, Albert is a changed man. He is no longer the smiling, singing, whistling young soldier that he once was, and “[e]ven the news that the war was finally ending brought no light back to his eyes” (146). Though the war has ended, Albert’s and Joey’s work continues. There are still many sick and injured horses to tend to, and the number grows by the day.

One morning, the soldiers are told that they will be leaving soon, with the hope that they will be home in time for Christmas. Sergeant Thunder asks Major Martin what is to become of the horses. Major Martin softly admits that the horses will not be making the journey back to England with them. He has been given orders to auction them all off there in France. There are to be no exceptions to this order, even, to Albert’s dismay, for the beloved Joey.

The next day, Joey and the other horses are wrecked with anxiety as “[w]hispering groups of men [… stand] huddled together, their voices low and earnest” (151). Albert ignores Joey for much of the day, and his few interactions with his horse are uncharacteristically short and sharp.

That night, Sergeant Thunder joins the men, who are still talking. He “carrie[s] a small tin box that [is] passed around from one to the other” (152) to collect the soldiers’ coins. Sergeant Thunder assures the soldiers that they have now done all they can do. He will do the bidding tomorrow and hope they can win at the auction. He says that Major Martin suggested this and even donated “every penny of his pay that he had saved up” (152) to help.

At auction the next day, the buyers gather around the yard to watch the horses walk by. They are then brought out one at a time, and Joey finds himself “waiting in [his] stable watching every horse in the yard being sold ahead of [him]” (155). Joey is the last horse to be auctioned, and though he is frightened about what will come next, he reminds himself of Albert’s faithfulness and tries to remain calm. As Albert leads Joey out, Joey sees Sergeant Thunder standing amid the buyers, with the other soldiers off to the side, watching.

The bidding quickly escalates, and as the prices rise, only two bidders remain Sergeant Thunder and “a think, wiry little man with weasel eyes who wore on his face a smile so full of consummate greed and evil” (156) that Joey is too frightened to even glance over at him. The two go back and forth until they reach 27 pounds. Sergeant Thunder is out of money, and it seems as if the cruel old man might win the bidding for Joey.

Just then, one final bid is made for 28 pounds. The voice comes from “a white-haired old man leaning heavily on his stick” (156). The man tells his opponent that he will bid until he wins, no matter the cost. He tells the crowd, “This is my Emilie’s horse. It is hers by right” (157), and he will be the one who wins Joey. At the sound of Emilie’s name, Joey realizes this old man is Grandfather. The crowd is silent, and the man who had been bidding against Sergeant Thunder resigns himself to defeat. The hammer is brought down on the table, and Joey is officially sold to Grandfather. 

After the initial excitement of the auction wears off, Albert’s friends do their best to comfort him over the loss. They assure him that, at least with Grandfather, who they heard is a farmer, Joey will be safe. Albert agrees but still feels confused about what he meant when he said Joey was Emilie’s horse.

Albert decides to ask Grandfather and get to the bottom of it himself. He approaches Grandfather, who has been talking with Major Martin this whole time. Major Martin introduces the two of them, and a smile emerges on Grandfather’s face. Grandfather congratulates Albert for having trained such a fine farm horse and tells him of Joey’s time on his own farm with Emilie.

When Joey and Topthorn were taken away, Grandfather says that “Emilie lost the will to live” (161). However, before she died, she made Grandfather “promise her that [he] would find the horses somehow and look after them” (162). Ever since, he has attended many horse auctions but never found Topthorn. Now, at least, he has found Joey and can take care of him and keep his promise to Emilie.

The conversation ebbs, but then Grandfather leans in even more. He is impressed with the lengths to which Albert and his friends went to keep Joey. He knows how much Albert loves Joey and is certain that Emilie would want what’s best for Joey. Grandfather admits he is getting too old to keep him as a workhorse, so he offers to sell Joey to Albert.

Albert is concerned, as he feels he can’t afford to purchase Joey, but Grandfather insists that he can. He tells Albert, “I will sell you this horse for one English penny, and for a solemn promise—that you will always love this horse as much as my Emilie did” (163). He requests that Albert also tell the story of his granddaughter, how she was brave and loved those horses with all of her heart. Emilie, he fears, will soon be only a name on a gravestone, a name no one knows and remembers. However, through the love Albert can give to Joey, her spirit will live on, and with her story being told, she will not be forgotten.

Albert, touched by Grandfather’s story, thanks him for his kindness. Grandfather kisses Joey goodbye, and Albert retrieves an English penny from Sergeant Thunder’s tin for the payment. Grandfather assures Albert that he “shall treasure it always” (164).

Back home, Albert and Joey are both “received like conquering heroes, but [they] both knew that the real heroes had not come home” (164). The real heroes were the friends they had lost in the war, such as Topthorn, David, and Emilie. Albert marries Maisie, and Father treats Joey with more kindness than ever. At last, the war horse has returned to his farm and to his truest, most loyal friend.