Page 128 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021
P. 128
THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
The military value of the camel as a means of transport across desert terrains has always been obvious, and camels have been a critical element in many a campaign. The animals’ resilience is legendary, although it is true that a camel can go several days without water, it is a myth that extra liquid is stored in the hump – a ‘lump’ that is largely made up of fat and food reserve. To numerous Bedouin cultures, camels are integral to their lifestyle and tangible symbols of a man’s mobile wealth. They are seen as a source of power, food, and skins for tents and clothes, so it is perhaps unsurprising that the prophet Mohammed taught that God created no animal better than the camel. What a glorious picture is created by the saying that at the third blast of the trumpet on the day of resurrection and judgement, the truly faithful will be borne to heaven on winged camels, as white as milk, with saddles of fine gold.
RAVC Veterinary Officer, Higgins, in his book
With the SAS and Other Animals, A Vet’s experience during the Dhofar War 1974, recounts an evocative story from his own time on Op STORM when he attended a camel that could have made use of a pair of seraphic wings, as he shares: “In fact, it was a wonder that it had managed to travel as far as it had. The journey must have been laboriously slow and painful. For an Omani camel, she was quite big-boned, and well proportioned. Her body was in good condition, and I could see that she had been well cared for. Her owner, who had led her from goodness knows where, stroked her affectionately and reassuringly as soon as we arrived; but she could hardly put her left hind foot to the ground. Below the hock was swollen with an ugly mass of purple and red blotches along the length. Several open wounds on the leg had become fly-blown and were suppurating. The owner tried to demonstrate the camel’s incapacity by encouraging her to take a few steps. I did not need any convincing.
There was no need to hobble her; she wasn’t going anywhere in a hurry. The camel looked at me with big, curious, trusting eyes as I leaned forward to feel very gently the surface of the inflamed limb. It was hot to touch, so at least it was not gangrenous. I got some water and antiseptic from the Land Rover and tried soothingly to clean the leg. She did not object, only gurgled gently, indifferently passing a few hard pelleted droppings and occasionally turning her long, elegant neck to observe questioningly what I was doing. Anything could have caused this infection. It may have started with something as small as a bite from a scorpion or a vicious horsefly, or she could have become tangled in wire or thorn bush; it might even have been the result
of the ‘firing’ or wussum with dung rubbed into the burn. Without Saleh or Hafeedth to translate, I would not learn more from this worried owner.
I dressed the wounds as best I could and treated them with insecticide powder to kill the maggots and discourage more flies from laying their eggs. I then administered massive doses of antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory drug, as ever having to guess what the weight of an adult camel might be. I could see that despite her uncomplaining fortitude she was very uncomfortable, so I decided also to give her some painkiller into her jugular vein. The camel’s veins are about four centimetres in diameter and impossible to miss. I was rewarded by seeing her visibly relax as the drug took effect. She began at once to pick at the alfalfa that remained largely untouched by her feet.
I returned to the camel every day for the next week. The man was always there, sometimes alone, sometimes with others. The leg began to improve and lost its angry colour. The swelling went down, and the heat left it as the bacteria were killed off and healthy tissue began to replace those that were dead and infected. As the wounds healed, the camel began gradually to put weight on the leg. On the seventh day I knew we had won. She was lying on her brisket chewing the cud as we drove up, but as we approached her, she slowly and steadily put her hind legs behind her, rose up on her knees and stood up. Yes, she was very stiff, but it was if she wanted to say: ‘Look! I can lie down and get up again.’
The owner was overjoyed. He hugged me warmly and repeatedly thanked God. He would not let me go without a present. I tried to demur as he was clearly very poor, but Saleh whispered to me, ‘Is OK, is OK’, as the man fussed and rummaged among his possessions. He produced a clear polythene bag, opened it and encouraged me to sniff its contents. It was a dry mixture of frankincense that was sweet-smelling and exotic. There were small beads of the hardened yellow sap among shreds of desiccated plant material and dried but odourless camel dung. Saleh thoughtfully produced an empty Elastoplast tin and the man filled it with the fragrant mixture and pressed it into my hands, grasping them with both of his in a gesture of real appreciation. It was incredibly touching.12
I did not see the camel again – but I did burn some of the incense in my room at the Mess. It was very special, and the room filled with a beautiful and exquisite fragrance. This simple and precious gift was the most special thank-you present I received in Dhofar.13
VOs Legacy
In total, seven RAVC Veterinary Officers served in the Dhofar Campaign: A W (Tony) Horne, B J (Brian) Thompson, G (Geoffrey) Durrant, J F
12 Andrew Higgins, With the SAS and Other Animals, ‘A Vet’s experiences during the Dhofar War 1974’ Pen & Sword 2011. 13 Ibid.
120