Cruel to be Kind.
Oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right ‘R Caton Woodville 1882’ by Richard Caton Woodville (1856-1927), 1882.
Associated with North West Frontier of India, possibly 2nd Afghan War (1878-1880). 

With no means of transporting his seriously-injured horse back to base and rather than leave it to a slow but certain death, an officer puts the animal quickly out of its misery.

Although Caton Woodville never travelled to the Indian subcontinent, this, therefore imaginary, scene depicts an incident common enough on campaign in difficult terrain.