Page 151 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
detachments catching illegal immigrants on the Hong Kong/Sino border as all were operational dog teams. Over £25,775 was raised for the Forces charity, Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) during the course of the Tattoo.
Testament to the work and effort that went into making the Dog Display Team so successful, the producer of the Tattoo, Major Aubrey F Jackman (Retd) MBE, wrote to the Corps Director Brigadier G R Durrant MBE QHVS:
Letter by Major (Retd) Aubrey Jackman to Brigadier G R Durrant MBE QHVS.
RAVC in the News
The unstinting success of the dogs from the HK DASU RAVC Unit was always worthy of a media headline. Raising the profile of the RAVC’s activities in the community was not all about the number of illegal immigrants captured; it was, most importantly, about the dogs protecting the lives of the people going about their daily lives.
This is represented in the following two articles from Soldier Magazine (1987):
Hong Kong Dogs in Bomb Search.
Four Army search dogs from the HK DASU RAVC based at Sek Kong were called out on an emergency mission to help Police search for bombs in the giant City Plaza shopping centre in Tai Koo Shing. The Army responded when a bomb exploded seconds after an anonymous telephone
21 Soldier Magazine ‘Newsline’ dated 10th August 1987.
22 Soldier Magazine ‘Newsline’ dated 7th September 1987.
23 Soldier Magazine ‘Newsline’ dated 5th October 1987.
call warning of two devices planted in the area. The first went off near a toy shop injuring a dozen people. DASU rushed LCpl Kwong Po Tim, and his search dog “Reef ”, to the search for the second bomb. Three more search dogs were needed and DASU responded quickly. SSgt Derek Young RAVC, a Dog Trainer from DASU supervised the search teams throughout the dangerous operation which lasted nearly five hours before the area could be declared safe.21
Vietnamese Refugees Flood into Hong Kong
Hong Kong saw an influx of Vietnamese refugees flooding into the area. Getting together in groups and pouring their life savings into motorised sampans, the Vietnamese, mostly in their 20s and 30s, braved the threat of typhoons to make the perilous journey along the West coast of China. More than eight thousand Vietnamese – refugees from their homeland and many of them resident in China for ten years or more, made their way across the South China Sea in just one month alone. Hong Kong Government authorities, backed up by the Royal Navy, have been working around the clock to pick them up. The sudden influx added to the problem of the already over-crowded Colony and British troops have had their work cut out fencing and refurbishing former camps and barracks. The number of ex-China Vietnamese refugees that made a bid for a new life in Hong Kong had more than doubled in number for the whole of the last year 1986.22
The huge influx of Vietnamese refugees necessi- tated quick action from the British Army in Hong Kong. A massive camp was erected to the west of Building 4 on the Sek Kong airfield and handlers from HK DASU patrolled the perimeter of the now huge site. There were changes for the Border Patrol handlers too, as the emphasis shifted from chase and capture to rescue and make safe.
Border Patrol Rescue
Dog handler LCpl Kwong Kang Sing had for a second time saved the life of an illegal immigrant attempting to get to Hong Kong. While on early morning patrol with a Gurkha patrol he spotted four people hiding near the Sham Chun River. They jumped into the fast flowing waters and attempted to swim back to the Chinese bank. One of them, a 19 year old girl, got into difficulties and was in danger of drowning when LCpl Kwong swam out to rescue her. A few years ago, he saved the life of an illegal immigrant who had been bitten by a poisonous snake at the border.23
The RAVC Unit had a very close and lengthy
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