Page 27 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
(Ireland) along with a Stores and Depot also at Woolwich.8
During World War One the AVC, as with the rest of the British Army, expanded exponentially to meet the demands placed on it. In 1914 there were three hundred and sixty-four Veterinary Officers ably supported by nine hundred and thirty-four NCOs and soldiers in the Corps. By November 1918, the numbers had increased to one thousand six hundred and seventy and twenty seven thousand, nine hundred and fifty respectively. These men saw service in all theatres of the war with the bulk serving on the Western Front.
In the latter theatre, the evacuation chain comprises three elements:
The Mobile Veterinary Sections (MVS) – the most forward of the units which evacuated injured and sick animals from the combat zones to the Veterinary Evacuation Stations (VES) then on to the Veterinary Hospitals. The Hospitals were large and able to handle two thousand animals with a staff of six hundred and forty officers and soldiers enduring an arduous daily routine which commenced at 0530 hrs, with the last feed timed at 1900 hrs. Looking at the varied theatres of Operations at that time, the Men of the Corps dealt with a range of animals from camels in the Middle East, to reindeer in the far north of Russia, not forgetting the diverse collection of Regimental Mascots and pets belonging to the soldiers. The huge number of animals admitted to the Veterinary Hospitals for treatment was staggering. Records show that two thousand five hundred and twenty-six horses and five hundred and forty-nine mules were admitted throughout the major theatres of Operations from August 1914 to March 1919.9
To meet the overwhelming demand for shoeing millions of horses and mules, farrier schools were inaugurated, with four in existence by the end of the war. Prior to this, all training had been at unit level, but the new Schools directed twelve-week courses of a progressive nature, with the School at Woolwich producing four thousand farriers between December 1915 and September 1918.10
In recognition of the Corps’ contribution to the war effort, His Majesty King George V bestowed the Royal prefix on the Army Veterinary Corps. This change was promulgated on 27th November 1918 – from which date the Corps was officially re-titled the ‘Royal Army Veterinary Corps’.
The inter-war years were a period of dramatic modification for the British Army. Advancements in technology, including mechanisation alongside strategic and tactical developments, heralded a significant impact on the Corps. Rapid demobi- lisation after the First World War resulted in the Corps functioning with drastically reduced numbers.
However, it did not stop the newly titled RAVC developing and adapting to meet current needs. In 1921 the present-day Corps’ cap badge was adopted and the introduction of the honorary post of Colonel Commandant was instituted. The provision of VOs for the Indian Army Veterinary Corps (formed in 1921) was the RAVC’s largest single commitment during these years with all its Officers seconded for five-year postings or permanent employment on the continuous service, Indian cadre (Clabby p24). And the benefits of service in India were many – so were the various types of disease the men encountered and challenged. For the soldier who courted adventure, the chances of Operational experience in the troublesome North-West Frontier were frequent, and the opportunity for outdoor sporting pursuits unparalleled. It is worth highlighting there that there were notable successes exemplified by the efforts of the Corps in the Sudan. For instance, by 1924 the RAVC had established a veterinary department there and handed it over to the Civilian Government that same year with four Officers remaining until 1932 (Clabby p24).
World War Two and beyond
The RAVC entered the 1939-45 war with an establishment of eighty-five Officers and one hundred and five other ranks. By the end of the war this number had risen to five hundred and nineteen and three thousand, nine hundred and thirty-nine respectively. Once again, despite the influx of mechanisation the mule and the horse proved to be invaluable in a number of theatres; mechanisation still had to go a long way to nullify the need for Pack transport and by late 1942 the strength of military animals, particularly in the Middle East, exceeded six thousand five hundred horses, ten thousand mules and seventeen hundred camels. The strength and skill of this animal workforce silenced the doubters amongst the military planners. The unique exigencies
8 A History of The Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1796 – 1919 by Major General Sir Frederick Smith, 1927, Bailliere, Tindall and Cox, p.211.
9 History of the Great War based on Official Documents: Veterinary Services, by Major-General Sir L J Blenkinsop KCB DSO and Lieutenant-Colonel J W
Rainey CBE, HMSO, 1925, p.509.
10 ‘History of the Great War based on Official Documents: Veterinary Services, by Major-General Sir L J Blenkinsop KCB DSO and Lieutenant-Colonel J W
Rainey CBE, HMSO, 1925, pp. 32-34.
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