Page 259 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
On return to the UK, I discussed the situation vis-a-vis the gorillas with Sir David Attenborough, who made a documentary on the National Park. The Engineers achieved a great deal by way of the road and bridge building, culvert repair, liming and cordoning off mass graves, re-establishing water supplies and mine clearance (in which two Sappers were injured). 23 PFA treated one hundred and twenty-five thousand refugees during the tour. The stabilising effect of the UN presence which we provided in the refugee camps is hard to estimate. Victors such as CDS, Field Marshal Sir Peter Inge, whom I briefed on the security situation, was extremely impressed.
This was a most satisfying tour and may be the first of any similar humanitarian missions to be undertaken by the British Army with the UN. It is hoped that the RAVC, with its versatility and depth of knowledge, may be able to assist in these missions. Whilst there was little veterinary input on this particular tasking owing to the ‘hearts and minds’ being secondary to pure humani- tarian effort, this will not necessarily be the case in the future.12
Botswana – 1995
This mission was undertaken in response to a request addressed to Col Andrew Roache as the Commandant DAC Melton Mowbray, by the Director of Overseas Training Middle East and Africa, to support the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) with training dog teams in the detection of illegal ivory, rhino horn and illegal substances.
This continued to be a dire, on-going situation.
This required three classifications to the training; illegal substance detection including horns, tusks and drugs; Arms and Explosive Search teams; Protection and Sweep teams to conduct patrolling, tracking, ambush and arrest duties. The BDF’s administration and organisation was poor, however, the enthusiasm of the soldiers and their dogs compensated for this to a great degree.
Toward the end of the exercise a familiarisation operation was conducted outside of Gaborone in order to accurately assess the handlers and their dogs. The operation, which, was conducted over four days in the Chobe National Park, entailed a prolonged and arduous drive culminating in the establishment of a camp and the construction of kennels – a challenging task bearing in mind the abundance of wildlife in the area.
Despite the short duration of the course, A/WO2 Rick Holmes concluded that: “.... the training had been a great success.” This was backed-up by excellent results: twenty-four Instructors passed
out (this number included Assistant Instructors) and thirty dogs trained in all three disciplines. The course was rounded off with a small passing out parade attended by the Chief of Staff BDF who thanked all those involved while presenting their Certificates from DAC.13
Rick A Holmes RAVC shared his experiences in Botswana in an article for Chiron Calling. In Dog Teams to Protect Wildlife the reader is gifted a first-hand account the RAVC carrying out valuable conservation and security work in the heat and dust of a country over 5,000 miles from UK shores. In this instance, one of the most beautiful locations on our planet:
In May 1995, the Defence Animal Centre was tasked to assess the possibility of assisting the BDF in the training of dog teams to detect illegal ivory and rhino horn. A recce was carried out in Botswana during 22nd May – 1st June 1995 by SSgt Holmes RAVC as a result of which it was decided that a team of four instructors should be based in Botswana for a period of eight weeks to train BDF dog teams in three classifications to support wildlife protection, prevention of crime and the maintenance of internal security within Botswana.
The three classifications were:
Illegal Substance Detection Teams. Trained to search for, detect and indicate the presence of concealed drugs, rhino horn and ivory.
Arms/Explosives Search Teams: Trained to search for, detect and indicate the presence of concealed arms, munitions, explosives (commercial and homemade) and associated items.
Protections/Sweep Teams: Trained for protection, escort, patrol, tracking, ambush and arrest duties.
The training team deployed to Botswana from 10th July – 12th September 1995 comprised SSgt (A/WO2) Rick Holmes RAVC, Sgt Paul Williams, RAVC, Sgt Jon Brown RAFP and Cpl (ASgt) Phil Curtis RAVC.
Botswana, a republic in southern Africa is a landlocked country, bounded on the north and west by Namibia, on the north-east by Zambia and Zimbabwe, and on the south-east and south by the Republic of South Africa. The total area is 600,372 sq km (231,805 sq miles) which is approximately the size of France. The population is estimated at 1.5 million, with the majority being concentrated in the eastern part of the country. English is the official language, but most speak Setswana, which belongs to the African Bantu group of languages.
Under the name Botswana, the country achieved independence from Great Britain in 1966, with the former Prime Minister, Sir Seretse Khama, as the first President. Since independence, Botswana has taken a non-aligned stance in foreign affairs. While it opposed
12 Chiron Calling Winter 1994/1995 article by Major Tom Ogilvie-Graham MBE BVM&S DVM&S C Biol MRCVS RAVC.
13 DAC/2470 letter dated 29th September 1995 Botswana – Short Term Training Team (STTT).
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