Page 199 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
seemed that the kennels were a case of too much, too late.
On the 31st July 2007, the Army Dog Unit held its closure parade. The ADU flag was lowered for the final time to signify the end of Op BANNER and, at the same time, mark the re-subordination of the unit to become 104 MWD Support Unit – the third deployable RAVC Squadron at that time.
Many guests were invited, via social media and through Soldier Magazine, invitations to the closure parade were extended to the Brigade Commander of 104 Logistic Support Brigade, Brigadier Chris Blong Late RLC, Colonel (Retd) Brian Thompson RAVC and Lieutenant Colonel (Retd) Phil Hobson MBE BEM RAVC, as well as numerous handlers, both RAVC and Regimental. The final OC, Major Chris Ham RAVC led the closing ceremony with able support provided by Captain Martyn Thompson RAVC, WO2 Frank Holmes and SSgt Iain Carnegie. All the guests were invited into the famous Red Paw Inn where they were treated to a nostalgic taste of the Operation through the service of the ADU since those first four RAVC dog trainers arrived in the Province in 1969. The collection included memorabilia from days gone by, and many old ADU photographs, many of which had been transferred onto an emotive slide show. For many, the most moving part of the ceremony was when all those who attended were presented with a specially commis- sioned ADU Coin to mark the closure of the Unit. The Province had been relatively quiet for the previous 10 years and so, what was particularly special for the younger members of the Unit, was a chance to meet and talk to their forebears and hear all the stories of what handlers got up to in the earlier days. It is perhaps worth noting here that most of the RAVC current doctrine – including tactics, techniques and procedures, capabilities, and limitations – came from the pioneers of ‘Search and Secure’ in the 1970s and 1980s.42
The event granted an opportunity to thank the people – the backroom team who made things ‘tick’ and run smoothly for the entire Unit. Much of the day-to-day administration of the ADU was conducted by the very devoted and experienced civilian staff at Ballykelly. They were the people who provided a sense of normality for the military personnel and were very much the life blood of the handlers’ community who were often isolated and unable to get to BK to complete the admin requirements the Army demanded. It must be recorded here that all of those dependable civilians
risked their lives each day travelling to work. They organised everything necessary regarding pay, paperwork, and the documentation required for personnel to travel to and from the mainland... plus much, much more. This team, supported by a couple military clerks, were certainly the ‘oil’ that kept the engine running efficiently at all times.
As a fitting tribute to the ADU NI, Major General P J H Leng, Commander of the British Forces in Northern Ireland in 1973 – 1975, wrote in a forward to the pamphlet The Tactical Use of Dogs in Northern Ireland published late 1974:
“Although dogs have been used successfully in all Internal Security situations since World War Two, including the 1956 – 1962 IRA campaign, they have never been of greater value than they are now. Since 1969 dogs have achieved creditable results in all their activities. Eleven would-be escapees from prison have been apprehended by dogs. Their protection value is such that there have been no break ins to establishments and installations guarded by dogs. Ten terrorists have been tracked down immediately after an incident and the finds of arms and explosives, by search dogs are formidable in their amount and variety. Over 14 tons of explosives much in very small amounts, over 13000 rounds and 150 firearms have been found by dogs, as well as many other items of terrorist equipment, such as radios, batteries, electrical devices, uniforms and subversive literature.....”43
The practical accomplishments of the Unit will continue to shine in terms of recording military history but for those who served it will be the dogs, people, places, and events that dominate their memories. For many members of the RAVC a number of those memories will be attached to the small veterinary hospital at the ADU NI HQ that provided vital service to the community’s animals as well as the soldiers’ family pets.
Veterinary Hospital: Lifeline
One RAVC Veterinary Officer and a Veterinary Technician manned the hospital at the ADU NI HQ in Ballykelly. Their role was to provide veterinary related support to all Province Army dogs and the Service Saddle Clubs – one Club being located at nearby Shackleton Barracks. A secondary task was to provide a veterinary clinic and 24-hour emergency service in the BK area for the companion animals of Service personnel who were also able to use the boarding kennels provided specially for the families and managed by the notoriously very busy ADU NI Admin
42 Army Dog Unit 1973 – 2007 by WO2 Frank Holmes RAVC Chiron Calling Winter 2007/Spring 2008.
43 Major General P J H Leng, MC MBE Commander Land Forces and Deputy Director of Operations dated 7th October 1974. Taken from the pamphlet: ‘The
Tactical Use of Dogs in Northern Ireland’ HQ NI VR Branch – NI 050 VR (73109).
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