Page 102 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
for British troops deployed on UN Tours. After an interesting journey through the Green Line, Sgt Andy Strange reached Wayne’s Keep. There he was told that the place was named after the British man who first tended the cemetery before he returned to the UK. The surrounding area was the location of a tented camp called Whittington Camp where a Guard dog section was located in the 1950s. During the 1974 coup this area saw intense fighting and still bears the scars – complete with lookout posts, armed guards and mines.
The two RAVC soldiers who were laid to rest at Wayne’s Keep were 23469359 LCpl Alexander Gray (6 AGDU RAVC) who died aged 20 on 30th March 1958. LCpl Gray sadly took his own life while on stag in the ammunition depot at Lakatamia. 23145118 Pte Harry R Hayes RAVC, who handled “Peter ” a Tracker dog, died at the age of 21 on 27th June 1958. He sadly took his own life at Platres just a few weeks before he was to leave the Corps. The British troops of the UN set up a family room for relatives to visit and to view the many regimental and Corps plaques on display there.35
The significance of the All Island Working Dog Trials went beyond the need to exercise the handlers’ competitive spirit. The summer Trials were a focus for individuals and the Service to work towards each year – often against the odds. Even in a year where the dogs trained for and experienced active service, Cyprus held the Trials in the summer of 2004 where the champion, SPO Osman of the SFP Dhekelia, earned the winner’s laurels.
Training that shows its value in competition is one thing but skills gained on Exercises in Cyprus were, according to the article in Chiron Calling in 2006, Training with a difference – Exercise FERIS CANIS:
“Monday morning, and tensions were rising. The Wolverines terrorist organisation had threatened to destroy two dams in order to disrupt Southern Cyprus’s entry into the EU. Operational exigencies in other theatres had resulted in both of the Island’s resident Infantry Bns being short-handed. All remaining combatants in British Forces Cyprus were to be mobilised to try and prevent the Wolverines uprising and prevent them from destroying the reservoirs.”
So, the Scene was set by SSgt Darren Garratt for this year’s military training for CMWDSU. In a realistic military setting. His in-depth experience came to a fore once again when he organised compelling military training for the Unit breaking the monotony of so many
annual MATT training days. Exercise FERA-CANIS proved to be a great success for all with many new skills practised it was far from the usual dry and dull learning experience.36
Media Ops HQ BFC captured the spirit of a military Exercise in the article submitted to Chiron Calling 2005/6:
CMWDSU Support to Ex LION SUN
Exercise LION SUN 10 was an ideal setting for a team from Cyprus Military Working Dog Support Unit (CMWDSU) to demonstrate their capabilities to the soldiers of 21 Signal Regiment based in Colerne, Bath. In an Exercise at the training village in Paramali, a patrol team from the Regt called upon Sgt Cheryle Garratt RAVC, and her AES dog Jasper, to make a search of the village for weapons and explosives.
Conditions were very hot as the pair, who had been together for three months, moved into the village to conduct their search under cover of the accompanying patrol. Methodically moving through the village, the highly trained pair searched from building to building, and searching the ground in-between. Dogs from CMWDSU are trained at the DAC at Melton Mowbray where they undergo fifteen weeks of instruction before attachments to a Unit. Jasper a six year old Springer Spaniel, who had recently recovered from a snake bite, was on top form and was soon indicating to his handler that a pile of rubble was of interest. Further inspection revealed a number of weapons which would have remained undetected to the patrol due to the location and method of concealment.
CMWDSU provided regular support to all Ex LION SUN and LION STAR packages and this Exercise enabled visiting troops to see this valuable asset in action and understand its working practices in the event they ever require AES dog team assistance in the future.37
An overnight Exercise in Cyprus always had one great advantage – an escape from the heat.
Exercise BORDER RUNNER was an annual event in the Cyprus calendar. In September 2008, the short, night navigation Exercise got underway. It brought together military personnel from differing Units competing to navigate between checkpoints whilst actively avoiding MWDs! The CMWDSU hosted the event again with assistance from other local dog units. Nine teams were initially treated to a MWD demo with PAT dogs put on to fleeing intruders. Simple instructions were shared as to the best way to evade the dog teams and a Tracker dog team. The group of nervous soldiers who were competing were led away to the WSBA (Western Sovereign Base Area) – the MWD Teams
35 Chiron Calling Summer 2004.
36 Chiron Calling Summer 2006.
37 Chiron Calling Winter 2005/Summer 2006 ‘CMWDSU support to Ex LION SUN’ by Media Ops HQ BFC.
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