Page 140 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
forest and hill blazes. Five hundred fires in five months called for desperate measures.
Water storage tanks were needed high in the Jubilee Reservoir area of the New Territories. But this meant moving of tonnes of sand, gravel and cement over miles of mostly rugged terrain. The solution was to call in the 29 Company Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) – the men with the mules. A detachment with 50 mules set up camp on the hillside and with no sign of any let up in the long dry spell the task soon became urgent. The men and their mules worked from dawn to dusk, covering the five steep rocky miles three times a day, with temperatures topping the nineties. At the end of each day the handlers, who were mostly locally enlisted Chinese, faced the regular routine of unsaddling, grooming, checking the mules for injuries, and watering and feeding them before finally settling down to their own well-earned evening meal. With the sand, gravel and cement packed into ammunition boxes, each mule carried 150lbs on its back. Steadily and sure-footedly the detachment moved 22,500 lbs a day – enough for one water tank. After nine days, seven tanks had been completed and the detachment prepared to transfer its camp to the other side of the hill – a move that shortened the mules’ journey to reach the final two tanks.
The work was soon completed, providing the two thousand gallon tanks which were built across a mountain stream to keep them constantly replenished for fire-fighting in the area. Once more 29 Company, the only Pack Transport Company in the British Army, showed, without question, that the mule was still uniquely useful.2
The mule’s versatility and reliability made them an invaluable capability in the terrain and that was highlighted during Exercise season, which in 1965 was described as being “quite full-on”, despite a number of Brigade units being in Malaysia and Borneo. Pushing the soldier inevitably pushed the animals and, sadly, that season one mule lost its life falling 300-feet into a ravine, breaking its neck. It was an accident that resulted in greater awareness of the need to review the age structure of the mules. The health of the animals, always being a priority concern, prompted a mention of the status of the inpatients in the sick lines at Lo Wu where they were “...swamped out by ponies which have to be castrated.” And they were not the only members of the Unit to experience a change of identity. In the autumn issue of the Corps Journal of 1965 a change in Unit title was announced: the Hong
2 Soldier Magazine dated October 1963.
3 The Journal of The Royal Army Veterinary Corps Volume 34 No 1 Autumn 1963.
Kong (29 Pack Transport Squadron, RCT and Hong Kong Dog Company RMP) – 29 Company RASC (PT) – was re-designated 29 Pack Tpt Sqn RCT. The title adjustment was likely connected to the arrival of twenty-six remount mules from West Pakistan. It was reported: “The mules were to be used in an artillery role and trials were going ahead with the gunners.”
The ever-present heat and humidity made members of the Hong Kong Dog Company constantly aware of the sacred standing of water and the need to complete certain tasks in the cool of the morning. The Chief Trainer was often seen during the early hours climbing over perimeter fences and for those who found this amusing, there were ‘running’ bets on him breaking his hundred yard record of 9.6 seconds which was an impressive time even though the HKMSC (Hong Kong Military Service Corps) dog handlers were hiding and, at the last moment, let their dogs go, shouting, all in one syllable: “halt, halt, halt attack! It was hot work for the JNCO involved in ‘adventure training’, which meant walking about in the heavy padded suit, in night temperatures of 80 – 85 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius). It was little wonder that the JNCOs never put on weight.3
Heat and food were big concerns surrounding the dogs’ welfare. Cool morning training was essential and in the autumn of 1966 the Hong Kong Dog Coy RMP trialled a new diet – of kangaroo meat. According to reports it was nothing more than a partial success but it was difficult to avoid the obvious: “...at least now the dogs are jumping better!” The idea had been tried previously in Germany but, after some consideration, it was decided that in the Hong Kong climate, kangaroo meat was likely to cause an increase in skin eczema.
1967 – Riots
During the 1967 riots in Hong Kong members of the HKMSC proved their worth again and their outstanding loyalty. Their future depended on a great many factors but their contribution to the British military presence in the Colony had been and continued to be inestimable.
The history of the HKMSC can be traced back to the 1st Chinese Regiment formed around the turn of the 20th century. During World War One, Chinese labour battalions went to the Western Front, where they were employed on base and communication duties. Before World War Two, the
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