Page 275 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
contribute to National Defence activities.’ It was, therefore, very much hoped that Army Dogs and their handlers could play a pivotal role in the HSF. And, unsurprisingly, the RAVC put in a great deal of work at the time to advance such an outcome.
During 1987, the HSF which was part of the Reserve Forces with the special responsibility for the defence of UK KPs, moved to use Army Dogs.
A pilot scheme conducted in November 1987 with E (HSF) Coy, 6th Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment and the Army Dog Training School (ADTS) demonstrated the enormous potential in the use of dogs for the protection of KPs. Ten soldiers of E (HSF) Coy attended the five-day dog handlers’ course at ADTS prior to deploying on Ex ANGLIAN ARTIST over the period 20th – 22nd November 1987. The Exercise featured a stand out performance from one dog handler whose dog, whilst patrolling around a wooded area, indicated and on the 200 metre follow up, then located a member of the Exercise Directing Staff who thought he was well concealed! The success of the Exercise was instrumental in influencing the use of more HSF personnel being deployed in a handling role in the future, particularly on a major Eastern District Home Defence Exercise which was held in September 1988.4
The contribution Army dogs could have made to Home Defence was recognised early on by the wider Army, a trend that continued. In the mid-1980s there were over seven hundred dogs available in the UK, with the Army, in a peacetime role, guarding key locations. There were approxi- mately one hundred dog employing Units in the UK at that time, each Unit varying enormously in size, role and terrain. Clearly any wartime requirement for dogs differed from peacetime needs. The re-deployment of dog assets in Transition to War (TTW) was governed by the then ‘detailed UKLF Dog War Plan’. This plan for the wartime necessity for dogs was regularly reviewed in peacetime, in conjunction with the Army Districts in order to maintain the numbers and be reassured of battle readiness, if ever needed.
The reader will know Protection and Guard dogs save manpower or are force multipliers. In the mid-1980s manpower in the Army was short, making MWDs even more sought after. South East District identified a need for one hundred and twenty Protection dogs for potential HSF roles, but less than sixty were able to be allocated from within existing resources.
During the early 1980s the majority of peacetime dog handlers could be available on TTW. The plan
was that the dogs would have been deployed to a central collecting area in their pre-designated district and there they would have been re-teamed with experienced handlers. They would then deploy to selected KPs where the dog teams would be used in Observation Posts, or similar to later deployments, work with Infantry patrols in what was termed, in the 1980s as ‘Ground Defence Areas’. Additionally, the dogs and their handlers could be employed for guarding prisoners, in much the same way as Reservist handlers on Op TELIC, (the UK’s military Operation in Iraq 2003 – 2011), guarded prisoners – now known as Captured Persons (CPERs) – in the Temporary Holding Facility in Shaibah Logistic Base.
Specialist dogs, mainly Arms and Explosive Search dogs, and Tracker dogs were allocated to Districts as part of a HSF Brigade Reserve. If the situation had continued, plans were available to train and utilise suitable civilian dogs for military duties. This task would have been enabled by RAVC Staff operating at District levels under the command of an RAVC District Advisor.
The plans were in place and all bases covered in all eventualities, however, due to the conclusion of the Cold War it was decided to disband the HSF in 1991.
The Continental Territorial Army 1983
The Continental Territorial Army was formed to exploit the untapped resource of ex-soldiers who had settled in Germany, many of whom were anxious to maintain their close links with the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR).
The Continental TA was formed in 1983. The original plan was for a Force of just three hundred personnel, to man six different Units but sadly, expansion plans which were due to be implemented from April 1990, were shelved, again as a result of the conclusion of the Cold War. The pending, ‘Options for Change’ Report detailed the restructuring of British Armed Forces and future Army manpower allocations. Continental TA Units were of platoon or troop size, allocated to regular Units so they could tap into established infrastruc- tures. Transport Units formed first, followed in Sennelager by the BAOR Defence Animal Support Unit RAVC (V), further abbreviated as (BAOR DASU RAVC (V)).
Brigadier Durrant CBE retired in 1991, his last appointment being DAVRS. However, during the mid – 1980s the then Colonel Geoffrey Durrant RAVC, was the strongest advocate of the Continental TA and Commanding Officer
4 Chiron Calling dated May 1988.
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