Page 286 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
animals in war pushed the identity of the Corps into the shadows. However, the attention returned during World War Two, when the requirement for the use of pack transport, in the Middle East, Italy and Burma rejuvenated the interest in deploying animals – especially dogs. The most noticeable change was the increased use of dogs in the guarding and mine clearance role.
Post 1945, the withdrawal from Empire and financial restraints meant a decline in manpower for the Corps and the viability of retaining the RAVC as part of the Army’s order of battle was set-up to be contested – mainly for fiscal reasons. But money wasn’t the only bone of contention – there was whiff of a power battle too.
By 1961, the RAVC was situated in three locations: Aldershot (Laboratory and Stores), Melton Mowbray (training, dogs and equine) Droitwich where Headquarters Director Army Veterinary and Remount Services were located.
At that time MOD policy was that all ‘Q’ Service Directors were to collocate with their respective training centres. Plans were put in place to relocate HQ DAVRS to Melton Mowbray.2 Controversy was the order of the day with opposition from certain quarters for HQ DAVRS to remain at Droitwich. The battle lines were drawn.
Tug of War
It was reported in early 1974 that with the increase of married soldiers serving in the Corps, it was inevitable that there would be insuffi- cient quarters in Melton. The overspill had been adequately catered for in the Old Dalby married quarter area some 6.5 miles/10km, from the main Melton site, but the daily 15-minute travel was tiresome. So, it was good news that authority was given for a further seven quarters to be built in Melton in the ‘near future.’ [More quarters were built decades later for RAVC families, sadly not as well constructed as in the mid-70s. At the time of writing in 2021, it was mainly the RAVC Officers that were housed with their families at Old Dalby].
Letters to MOD AVR from the RAF dated April 1970 clearly highlighted the RAF frustration of the Army wishing to be the lead of military dog training and that the RAF Police Dog Training School at Debden had demonstrated the ability to train tracking, casualty finding and explosive detection dogs and also the recovery of flight recorders.
The MOD’s proposal failed that year, but it did not stop proposals being attempted in 1972, 1975 and 1977 – all eliciting the same result.
Amidst the tangle of red tape, the RAVC and the RAF had seriously locked horns.
The urgency to train dogs to supply a specific demand came to a head in and around 1973. At that time the need for specialist trained Search dogs for service in Ulster became paramount and that specific demand resulted in the arrival of a purpose-built village constructed by the Royal Engineers. It was called ‘Rype’ Village and was designed specifically for RAVC dogs to be trained over an area that consisted of six to eight, purpose built two-up, two-down houses, each with various built-in ‘hides’ which could be used to conceal weapons or explosives.
For the benefit of both dogs and handlers, the place was given the look and atmosphere of a genuine community; street lighting was installed and even a red telephone box. But this wasn’t enough for the professional requirements of the RAVC, which necessitated the installation of a railway passenger carriage on a short railway line complete with ballast, numerous cars and a bus. And, thanks to the Royal Navy, a small aircraft was added to the training tools. The four-engine propeller De Havilland Sea Heron C1 XR444 had ditched in the Irish sea (all its occupants were taken to safety) after all of the ‘plane’s engines failed due to fuel mismanagement. It was de-com- missioned from service but was given a second life as a useful part of the ‘Village’ training at Melton.
The 10-acre site of Rype Village was not only used for Search Dog training, as a secure compound it went on to be used in all aspects of dog and handler instruction, and in the late 1990s was ‘seeded’ with unfused, but explosive containing, anti-tank and anti-personnel mines. This happened again for mine dog training for the Afghan war – the first time that it had been ‘seeded’ with mines since the Falklands conflict in 1982. All mines were removed circa 2005 and the Village was demolished in March 2021 to make way for new offices, classrooms and all the other required modern office support facilities for the busy training ‘school’.
During October 1975, MOD AVR outlined that any collation at North Luffenham with the RAF would not be ideal because, whilst the personnel and accommodation facilities were satisfactory, the Airfield for a variety of reasons regarding terrain, was unsuitable for dog training. It was thought hazards and obstacles typical of a military requirement could be provided but, unless the landscaped features are blended into topography,
2 Letter dated 28th June 1974 from Defence Land Agent (Newmarket), D/DAVRS/6/7. Planning – Rebuild of RAVC Training Centre.
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