Page 124 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
the RAF Regiment to aid in its defence. Meanwhile, Qaboos, the Sultan in waiting, opened secret contacts with the UK. He asked what Whitehall’s attitude would be if he were to overthrow his father, Said. Worn out by fifteen years of failing to get Said to change his ways, Whitehall gave Qaboos its subtle encouragement to proceed, a decision that led to the historic and bloodless coup of 23rd July 1970. The CSAF, Brigadier John Graham, provided troops to support the plotters while the CO of the SAF’s Desert Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Teddy Turnill, entered the palace with a few carefully selected Omani troops to detain Said and, after a short firefight4, bundled
him off to exile in London.
After the Coup
The coup was an unsavoury decision for Qaboos, a man whose choice lay between his father and his Kingdom. History tells us that, fortunately, his choice was sound because, after ensuring his father’s safe passage to London, Qaboos was able to take his rightful place as Sultan, a position he was well-equipped to fulfil as a leader and human- itarian. He was well educated, had experience of military strategy and a moral conscience guiding his desire to instigate major social, educational, and military reforms for his people. Sadly, the early years of his reign were a run-on from his father’s which came to be dominated by armed rebellions – some fuelled by Communist fervour and money.
Within hours of the coup taking place, elements of the SAS were flown into Oman to further bolster the counterinsurgency campaign. The launch of Operation STORM saw the men of 22 SAS deployed to help the Sultan’s Armed Forces destroy communist insurgents operating from bases in the neighbouring People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen. Quickly identifying several strategies, developed during the Malayan Emergency 1948 – 1961, that were to assist the Sultan in combating the rebellion, the SAS set in motion a ‘hearts and minds’ campaign that included veterinary and medical assistance, intel- ligence gathering and collation and training of the indigenous forces.
Operation STORM
Op STORM – a covert operation, fought between 1970 and 1975 – had the objective of recruiting local tribesmen, turn them, train them to fight,
and show the people that what was being offered by the government of the newly-installed Sultan Qaboos was infinitely better than anything that had gone before, under his father’s regime, or any kind of future that was being offered by the communist-driven policies of the insurgents and their backers. But, to win the hearts and minds of the Jebali, or hill tribes of Dhofar in Southern Oman, the SAS realised that the operation was only going to succeed if the British support included a programme of animal care.
The lifestyle and survival of the Jebali people was heavily connected with their cattle as well as camels and goats. Their wealth was invested in their herds and flocks: a man’s healthy animals supported the health of his entire family. And so, the Royal Engineers drilled wells and built water troughs at key geographical locations, which were also focal points to deliver education and other vital support, such as by the field surgical teams of the Royal Army Medical Corps and Royal Air Force operating out of Salalah hospital. While veterinary care was delivered by RAVC Veterinary Officers attached to 22 SAS squadron – part of the British Army Training Team (BATT).5
It was the role of the VO to assist, wherever possible, in providing veterinary care, the co-ordi- nation and training of local veterinary personnel and in the dissemination of veterinary advice in animal husbandry instruction, through attending public meetings and broadcasting over the local radio stations. The public face was always the Omani assistants. Saleh the ‘number 1 veterinary dresser’ in the photo below was a regular broadcaster on the radio. Hafeedth spoke Jebali so was invaluable on the hill. Andrew Higgins in his book records that the BATT Vets never broadcast but liaised closely with the PSYOPS team who were part of BATT, and sometimes went with the vet team up the hill to capture photos of Saleh or Hafeedth injecting or drenching an animal. The VOs were attached to the BATT for six months at a time, the first commenced duties in 1970.6 However, keen to get the hearts and minds strategy underway as soon as possible, the first RAVC Officer, Captain Tony Horne, arrived a month earlier as a member of the BATT. Proposals had also been put forward to also have RAVC Officers on secondment directly to the SAF.
And so, the slow uphill task of ‘winning the people’ began. As proposed, every six months Officers of the Corps arrived and added their experience to the almost experimental programme.
4 British Army Review No 178 Summer 2020 HM Sultan Qaboos of Oman (1940 – 2020).
5 Andrew Higgins, With the SAS and Other Animals, ‘A Vet’s experiences during the Dhofar War 1974’ Pen & Sword 2011.
6 A/BR 1009 AVR ERSP Reports, RAVC Archives.
116