Page 201 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
the extraordinary situation in Northern Ireland at the time of Op BANNER, gave rise – like a phoenix from the ashes – to a number of initiatives being created for the greater good of the Corps.
During 1999 several handlers approached the 2IC, Captain Chris Ham of the ADU NI, requesting an opportunity to complete an NVQ in Animal Care which not only enhanced the knowledge and skills of serving Unit personnel, but it also gave them a recognised qualification that would transfer into civilian life. Out of the research that was conducted to evaluate the qualifications most suitable to Unit staff it was decided that NVQ Level 2 in Animal Care encompassed the necessary level of responsibility and the broadest and most relevant range of skills. For anyone who wanted to progress to a higher level of qualifi- cation the NVQ Animal Care Level 3 was relevant to ADU handlers. Very soon after adopting the training, fifteen personnel worked diligently and completed their portfolios and assessors were qualified from within the body of existing RAVC staff. They would carefully scrutinise both the theory and written elements of the work book to ensure and maintain a high standard of learning for the handlers. What started as an exercise generated by several dedicated handlers, resulted in the ADU NI becoming an accredited centre for delivering NVQs.
The achievement of this NVQ centre, alongside other initiatives overseen by the then Sergeant Rob Hart RAVC, whilst he was at the Army Medical Directorate, saw the wider mapping of RAVC trade skills and the creation of credible civilian qualifications for RAVC personnel. As a result, Modern Apprenticeships became fully embedded in all RAVC trade training ensuring that both employers and employees would profit from the combination of technical knowledge and practical skills. As the time of writing, it can be recorded that the Modern Apprenticeship program has continued to be incredibly successful and has been highlighted as one of the best of its kind within the British Army.
Operation Banner: The People of the Red Paw.
There are memorials to the fallen of the Army Dog Unit in Northern Ireland and on the mainland. At the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire visitors can spend time within the Ash trees of Ulster Grove or take a moment’s reflection beside the nearby RAVC Memorial. In Belfast, presided over by Mr Albert Owens, the Palace Barracks Memorial Garden is the location of memorial
stones dedicated, not just to honour those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the Troubles but also in other recent conflicts. In 2020 a memorial bench was added to this site where the RAVC is proud to fly the Corps flag alongside many other Regiments and Corps.
The spirit of Operation BANNER, for the ADU NI became, in many ways, the spirit of the Red Paw. After all, it wasn’t only the dogs who worked on, bloodied but undaunted, the people at its heart did too. Major Julia Kneale MBE RAVC preferred to travel alone and to dress in her civilian clothing. She refused to be accompanied by a soldier in case it posed problems should they run into an IRA illegal VCP or roadblock. Her thinking was that it would be easier for her to bluff her way through on the legitimate excuse that she was going about her veterinary business. After all, she had all the relevant kit with her in the car and in the boot. However, there were a few occasions when she feared being exposed as military personnel but was lucky to be saved by one or two timely inter- ventions – one time was by a group of Scouts as she was about to be approached by an unknown individual.48 Major Julia Kneale was awarded an MBE for her work commanding the Army Dog Unit; she later became the Commandant of the RAVC Training Centre before retiring from the Corps on 31st December 1999.
This brand of iron-clad resilience in RAVC personnel was one of the main reasons why the Corps gained new strength as a result of the demands of the Troubles, a strength that gathered momentum beyond the cessation of Operation BANNER in 2007. And at its core was a need to defend a basic – the reputation of the Military Working Dog. The wider Army has not always appreciated the value of the Military Working Dog, and this was very much the case in the early days of Op BANNER. Brigade Sergeant John Corbin BEM recalled (in 1978), that the attitude of a number of soldiers and officers to the use of dogs was that they either loved or hated them. And their reasoning? From an Operational perspective soldiers feared that the dogs would receive all the credit for any Operational successes rather than the Unit. Some Officers flatly refused to utilise dogs on Operations. Over time, Sgt Corbin managed to allay these fears in the best way possible – through practical experience and some measure of guile.
Those who were present will remember an incident when a certain Major of the Royal Anglian Regiment stationed at McCrory Park in Belfast, had dogs at his disposal but chose not to
48 Oral testimony of Lieutenant Colonel Julia A Kneale MBE, interviewed by R McIntosh 14th July 2015.
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