MEMOIRS of a First World War soldier who took real-life war horses to the frontline have been published online.

Corporal George Thompson, from Sunderland, was a transport driver with the Durham Light Infantry and used horses to deliver rations and supplies under enemy fire.

After the war, Cpl Thompson wrote to his daughter about his experiences throughout the entire war and now the full transcript has been published on the site www.durhamatwar.org.uk.

Eight volunteers from Durham County Record Office have spent hours transcribing and checking the memoirs.

Like his father and grandfather, George Thompson worked for the Vaux Brewery in Sunderland and joined the Territorial Force in 1910 when he was only 16.

At the outbreak of war, he was chosen as a transport driver, using horse and cart to deliver battlefield supplies over ground too muddy and rutted for motor vehicles.

The skilled horseman learned to drive heavy wagons and was able to rise bareback when required, caring for his horses in horrendous conditions.

He wrote: “Many a time I used to feel sorry for them. They used to stand out in all weathers, and sometimes up to their knees in mud. I can always say, while I had a pair of horses in France, I always did my duty to them.

“I remember one night when we [were] going up with rations they gave us an order to put our gas masks on, and we had to put them on our horses. We had some game on with them.”

After the war, Cpl Thompson returned to the brewery and eventually became fermenting room foreman until his retirement in 1959.

Gill Parkes, principal archivist at Durham County Record Office, said: “It’s taken a lot of work to transcribe George’s memoirs but it’s such a worthwhile task.

“They offer a fascinating first-hand account of life on the frontline – you can almost hear the words tumbling onto the page as his memories come flooding back.”