Page 204 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
apprentice-based system of equine healthcare practiced by farriers phased out – thanks to Claude Bourgelat who, in 1761, founded the world’s first veterinary school based in Lyon, France.
There is more on the farrier’s worth in war in other Chapters, but it is perhaps poignant here to imagine the horrors that faced the Army farriers during the Napoleonic Wars (1799 – 1815) and the Crimean War (1853 – 1856) when we know that in the one day alone – the Battle of Waterloo, on 18th June 1815 – around twenty thousand horses were killed or maimed.
In Britain, between 1887 and 1890, a register of farriers was established alongside practical training and examinations, all under the guidance of the Worshipful Company of Farriers – which dates its founding back to the Fellowship formed in 1356. Introducing a more challenging exam in 1923 the Company gave those who passed a title of excellence: Fellow of the Worshipful Company of Farriers (FWCF). By the latter end of the Victorian era the trade of the farrier was shaping into what we know of it today. Extending its association the Company aligned with the National Association of Farriers, Blacksmiths and Agricultural Engineers leading to the passing of the Farriers (Registration) Act 1975 which was amended in 1977 to include within its mission the welfare message: “to prevent and avoid suffering by cruelty to horses arising from the shoeing of horses by unskilled persons; to promote the training of Farriers and shoeing smiths...”
A horse, like a soldier relies on healthy feet and well-fitting shoes: ‘No foot. No horse.’ The quality of the farrier’s work remains central to the health and performance of a military equine and the RAVC’s role lies at its heart.
Army Farriers
The Army, up to the mid-20th century, was dependent on the horse and mule to transport supplies, and therefore needed farriers in order to maintain the hooves and legs of its vast numbers of Equidae. The mechanisation of the Army after World War Two prompted a decline in the use of Equidae and, consequently, the need for farriers. However, the trade is still required within the Corps along with a duty to maintain and train a small cadre of farriers to support the ceremonial
teams.
The Army School of Farriery – including the new
harness rooms4 – was purpose-built in 1962 and is recognised as one of the best teaching facilities in Europe. A year later, having the best facilities for teaching the trade, the RAVC made moves to take control of and improve the Army farrier courses (Army Group B Class 1, 2 and 3) and all training.5 Success on this level led to a collaboration with the Worshipful Company of Farriers (WCF) which gave the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) responsibility for improving qualifica- tions and standards not just for the Army but for civilian farriers in training too. Out of this the RAVC Training Centre became the official training site and required to organise civilian courses as part of the official apprentice training scheme. And so, the competitive side of the farrier trade began to achieve a higher public profile. With the assistance of the WCF, a farriery competition was organised to feature at the Aldershot Show in 1963, but when that display had to be cancelled6 great efforts were made to include a competition as part of Corps Day later that summer, on 17th and 18th of August, when civilian farriers were invited to compete.7
By the following year, the Farrier School had instigated a fourteen-day residential apprentice scheme which was well received and promoted the possibility of the WCF recognising Army farrier qualifications due to the super-human effort that the military was employing to improve all-round standards. Leading the way at this time was Farrier Sergeant Major Green who qualified as an Associate of the Farriers Company of London and as a Fellow of the WCF.8
The following Corps weekend provided the perfect opportunity to showcase the skills and standards that had come into being and that naturally led to an entertaining and equally impressive farriery competition. The Camp Commandant of the time was invited to contribute to a discussion on BBC Television about farriery and its history,9 and by the summer of 1967 the School of Farriery course was officially designated and classified as modules B1, B2 and B3.10 “Hammer and Tongs”
Within the almost deafening sound of five or six farriers beating horseshoes into shape, some high-spirited thoroughbred occasionally rebels
4 The Journal of The Royal Army Veterinary Corps Volume 33 No 1 Spring 1962.
5 BR/52/A, Farriers, March 1963 116/Vet/751.
6 Ibid.
7 Proceedings of the AGM of the RAVC Officers Club held at the Naval and Military Club on the 14th June 1963.
8 Ibid.
9 The Journal of The Royal Army Veterinary Corps Volume 35 No 1 Spring 1964.
10 The Journal of The Royal Army Veterinary Corps Volume38 No 1 Summer 1967.
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