Page 200 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
Officer. It was during the early 1990s that Vet Tech, Cpl Debbie Gray RAVC, developed the Army Dog Veterinary Aide Memoire – a pocket-sized flip chart giving advice on what a handler must do if their dog was injured and they were unable to access immediate veterinary treatment. The early prototype was an instant success and continued to be used and evolve as an RAVC tool.
To the outer-community the VOs provided advice on diseases such as Foot and Mouth and Swine Vesicular disease and, consequently, on the prevention of same entering Northern Ireland where the economy was and remains reliant on its agriculture. The VOs advice was important in day-to-day life in the community, for instance any Unit wanting to import meat products, such as Haggis, would be advised to consult DADVRS HQ NI.44 On a national scale, during the 2001 Foot and mouth epidemic, the CQMS SSgt Martyn Thompson and Cpl Debbie Gray spent several days calculating precisely how many handheld sprayers and how much disinfectant was required to spray helicopters and vehicles so personnel could move safely to and from infected areas. The challenge was also financial, as on the Monday when the exercise launched, the sprayers cost just £20; by Friday, each unit had a £100 price tag.45
Women of the Corps in Northern Ireland
Lance Corporal Ellie Walton was the RAVC’s first female handler to serve in Ulster. Alongside her search dog, Kodak, LCpl Walton stood her ground on duty in the Province, despite a level of negative criticism voiced by many ‘older’ male handlers. Deployed from the RAVC Support Group at Aldershot, she was assessed and fully licensed by SSgt Chris Ham after achieving all standards with flying colours ahead of her deployment. Despite the policy in NI at the time, that female Service personnel were to be unarmed, Ellie and Kodak proved to be an indispensable search team in 8th Infantry Brigade TAOR during the General Election campaign in April 1992. Her unques- tionable achievement as the first female handler cemented her posting to ADU NI in 1993. In 2002, another landmark was hit by a female colleague, Sergeant Di Jones RAVC, who was appointed Brigade Sergeant in 39th Infantry Brigade TAOR. The first woman to hold this post.
For the women who served in NI during the Troubles, either as handler or in the veterinary hospital, an article in the Spring 2003 issue of NI
Veterinary Today hit a poignant note. The piece, which featured, Major Melissa Bowerman, reflected on the role of women in uniform at that time, as Melissa said: ‘While it might be a man’s world in many echelons of the defence forces, the Royal Army Veterinary Corp’s Northern Ireland Unit is rather different.”46 Sharing her insight into her time as one of just two practising Army veterinary surgeons in the Province, the work of the Army Dog Unit and how she came to be in her role, Melissa took the reader on a tour of the ADU’s commitment in NI through her eyes. Melissa explained that once commissioned, she found herself based in Ballykelly from where she carried out routine visits across the Province to the Units that had dogs. At the clinic in BK the urgent cases came under her care as well as the 24-hour veterinary cover for the one hundred and seventy Army dogs. “It was tremendous experience,” she said. “There I was, a newly qualified vet who would have been very junior in a civilian practice, actually running the entire veterinary clinic. The role meant being responsible for ordering drugs, the day-to-day running of the clinic, as well as HR management and liaison with Units actually employing Army dogs.” It was a fond reflection from a young vet who valued her time and Service in BK before taking up her post as Officer Commanding.
Major Bowerman’s fellow vet at the BK clinic was Captain Ann O’Flynn, one of 24 RAVC Officers and someone who praised the ‘...tremendous opportunities for Army vets.’ This echoed the thoughts of Major Bowerman who went on to say that: “Even relatively inexperienced civilian veter- inarians would rarely be handed the challenges that are routinely offered by the RAVC, making the work very rewarding and enjoyable both profes- sionally and personally.47 Gaining promotion to the rank of Lt Col, Melissa Bowman left the Corps, in 2016. Other veterinary surgeons followed her example and commanded the ADU, with an LE Officer as 2IC. Command usually alternating between LE and Veterinary Officers of the Corps. The advances made during the time of the ADU NI brought about many positive and far-reaching consequences for the development of the Corps’ remit and diversity.
A Legacy
Reflecting on achievements secured beyond the call of duty it is important to be mindful of how
44 VISOR The NI ‘newsletter’ at the time, distributed free to all troops within NI – dated 30th January 1976. 45 Quote by Lt Col Martyn Thompson MBE RAVC dated 19th August 2020.
46 Northern Ireland Veterinary Today dated Spring 2003.
47 Ibid.
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