Page 288 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
due to the escalation of the Troubles in NI: “... but the site should be retained no longer than is essential to meet the commitment in para 1 above.” [i.e., NI].7
It is perhaps worth mentioning here the signifi- cance of the Old Dalby site:
The DATR retained the remote dog training site at Old Dalby – somehow it seems, against the odds. The site – formally the accommodation compound for a Command Workshop is (at this time of writing in 2021) still a totally enclosed area separated from the public. All sections from DATR ‘Dog School’ have made use of the facilities for many decades. As the Old Dalby site is totally secure it allows the novice handler and the newly procured dogs to complete their training with complete freedom of movement making for realistic scenarios to be carried out without the risk of a dog escaping into public areas. The site is made up of several buildings including, a guardroom, stores etc. of varying sizes ranging from 100 – 1600 m2 floor area, all of brick construction and comprising public rooms, sleeping accommodation, dining rooms, kitchens, and toilets. Each building has varying step levels and floor surfaces. Usefully, the site also has within one building a small classroom facility. The grounds are extensive offering varying open areas with roads, some tracks, parking spaces, HLS, and tree line/cover with some dead ground.
In military terms, to this day, the facilities both at Melton and Old Dalby still constitute a formidable infrastructure for training and achieving such excellent results that one might think that the sites would be the subject of congratulations. Instead, there was relentless determination by the MOD to scrap them, or, initially to merge the dog training with that of the Royal Air Force. The Ministry first studied the proposed merger, and rejected it, in 1966. But then, it dug up the roots again to inspect them in 1972, 1975 and 1977, and on each occasion confirmed the previous result.
In 1978, the Minister told the former Expenditure Committee that it would be a waste of time to re-examine the matter.
It is perhaps appropriate that, in 1979, a dog trained at Melton and deployed to Northern Ireland summed up the measure of the Army’s training standards at Melton.
Soldier Magazine 1979 carried the story of a champion among the dog troop at Lisanelly Barracks in Omagh, County Tyrone. His name was ‘Hobo’ and he carried off the top prizes at that
year’s Army Dog Trials at Melton Mowbray. The NCO and his dog won the best Guard Dog award, the best Military Team award and came sixth overall in a field of twenty-four taking part. Each team had to prove their ability at apprehending as well as demonstrating their dog’s agility and obedience. The handler received the tankard, which accompanied the Military Team award, from the hands of J T Edson – the author of one hundred and thirty-seven gunslinging Westerns – himself an ex-member of the RAVC. Receiving his prizes from his favourite author was an added thrill for Corporal Jackson who, alongside three- year-old Hobo, demonstrated exactly what the Corps needed from the dog and handler at the time. In every respect they were the epitome of the skill and strength expected of the RAVC; trained at Melton and deployed to what was the most dangerous conflict situation at that time, the team put their training into practice on Guard Dog patrols deterring intruders at Lisanelly Barracks in Northern Ireland.8 They were technically untouchable – and proved it.
Trials and Tribulations
Winning the battle of the 1970s was not the end of the ‘war ’. The 1980s were turbulent years when the Corps was subjected to constant trials to justify its existence. The MOD Expenditure Committee may have been advised by a Minister at the Defence Works Department that it was a ‘waste of time’ to look again at swapping away from the RAVC to the RAF for military dog training but, its fingers remained itchy, and in March 1982, there was yet another review. This time it recommended a Joint Dog Training School at RAF Newton and RAF Syerston in Nottinghamshire, and that the horse activities at Melton should be contracted out, with the entire site being sold.
On this situation, Hansard records the following debate:
“We now have the latest proposal by Peat, Marwick, McLintock to close the RAVC altogether, and set up a service animal centre at RAF Syerston, but with admin- istrative support at RAF Newton. I have not seen the report, so I do not know what expertise, if any, its authors had in equine or dog training. First, the RAF has no horses so all the input from the horses to the service animal centre would come from the Army, but for twenty from the Marines.
Secondly, the RAF has no vets, and neither have the Marines. RAF Newton uses a civilian vet who visits twice a week, and he was living 100 miles away at the
7 Letter dated 24th May 1977 From Lieutenant Colonel H W Clarke HQ Eastern District to various in D/DAVRS/6/7. Planning. Rebuild of RAVC Training Centre.
8 Soldier Magazine dated December 1979.
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