Page 303 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
feed preparation areas, which was a far easier arrangement than walking around with one hundred and fifty bowls of dog food and trying to figure out what dog required what!
Following the build’s completion, productivity within the DAC appeared to rise, some sections gaining up to an extra ten hours training time each week simply down to not having to ferry MWDs back and forth between outlying civilian boarding kennels. It was very welcome move to, at last, have all the MWD assets back in one location. And the kennels, once again made by Broxap, were of a high standard which complimented the enhanced husbandry techniques which ensured the DAC more than capable of giving the dogs the highest standard of care, accommodation and training for the years ahead. All the facilities were a massive improvement on all that went before and were generally well received by both civilian staff and all the RAVC and RAF personnel at Melton, as well as the dogs who appeared much more content.39
By April 2013 ETS staff welcomed the opening of a welfare building which comprised a purpose- built kitchenette, large rest area and two changing rooms which was seen to be long overdue but well worth the wait.40 This addition precipitated another visit from Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal that year who, on 28th October, opened yet another set of buildings at the DAC. On this occasion it was the long-awaited new kennels at the Canine Training Squadron. The Princess was given a full display of MWDs undergoing training, and to mark the conclusion of her time there, HRH gave a short speech in which she expressed how thoroughly she had enjoyed her visit and how impressed she had been with the hard work that had gone into planning such a successful day.41
A new emblem for the DATR
Silhouettes of a generic
horse and dog were
selected to represent the
Defence Animal Training
Regiment as Military
Working Horses and
Dogs are the two most easily recognisable outputs of the Defence Animal Training Regiment. The decision to use animals in the emblem was to help engender Unit identity, create a stronger bond between sub-Units and encourage team ethos.
Drawing together the elements that make up the
identity of the military horse and dog under one emblem prompts a reminder of how this all came together. It is, in its way a visual homage to the Melton site that had been utilised as a Remount Depot since 1903 where Military Working Horses (MWHs) had been cared for following procurement prior to release to their parent Unit ever since. On site, also, the Army School of Equitation and the Army School of Farriery which are both responsible for the training and delivery of instructors and trained personnel to the Mounted Units, Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment and the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery. And, when it comes to the Military Working Dogs, the site has been responsible for their training since 1946 and had become the de facto home mess of the RAVC since then. Army and RAF trained outputs were pooled in 1991 and from 1994 the site became the centre for the procurement and training of all MWDs, handlers and managers involved in their use.42
Melton...the barracks with no name
Despite the lack of a barrack name, the history of the site betrayed that it has gone by various names over the years, with the War Dog Training School, Welby Lane Camp, Vet Camp, and RAVC Training Centre being some of the references used until its designation of the Defence Animal Centre (DAC) – a title that lasted from 1990 to 2017.The Unit was re-designated as the Defence Animal Training Regiment on 1st April 2017. To reflect the traditions of the RAVC and the DAC’s long history, the ‘Vet Camp’ was finally given a military name. The name ‘Remount Barracks’ seemed to accurately capture the historical connection to the origins of the 350-acre military Melton Mowbray site, and its contemporary relevance to this time of writing in 2021. From the beginning, the procurement, training, referral and retirement of all Military Working Animals was co-ordinated and delivered by the Unit on site.
The RAVC Centenary celebration during 2018 was chosen as the perfect opportunity to incorporate the new name Remount Barracks.43
Reviewing the timeline for the Melton rebuild highlights the speed at which the project was undertaken – once the spade, that Col Peter Roffey referred to, was ‘taken out of the wrapper’.
Following the early termination of the Private
39 Chiron Calling Spring 2013.
40 Chiron Calling Autumn 2013 ‘Life at Equine Training Squadron.’
41 Chiron Calling Spring/Summer 2014 ‘Visit of RAVC Colonel in Chief, HRH The Princess Royal.’
42 DATR/Branding/171122 dated 22nd November 2017.
43 Oral Testimony by Lt Col Martyn Thompson MBE RAVC dated 8th March 2021.
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