Page 309 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
seemed quieter and were probably amused by how much they sounded like a West Indian steel band when they walked in the shop! Needless to say, the contractors were soon on the job, and all was made well.
The Veterinary Hospital became the proud owner of a modern, equine operating theatre; it was the section’s new show piece. For many years the hospital had managed with a derelict hut, brought down from Doncaster after the war; or else our horses were anaesthetised in the open, courtesy of the Clerk of the Weather. The new theatre, built on the site of the old water tower, was handed over in May of ‘62. The octagonal brick structure, with light blue washable plastic paint on the interior walls and a non-slip concrete composition floor, had strip lighting, electric heaters and an extraction fan for ventilation. The casting bed was circular, and the main lighting was supplied by a shadowless operating lamp, which had its own independent source of power, in case of mains failure. Opening off the theatre was an especially useful equipment store and steri- lisation and preparation room. The theatre was amply provided with sockets to accommodate any electrical apparatus the team cared to use. And the real boon for the hard-working surgeon? The provision of a pit beside the casting bed; it was no longer necessary for a VO to crick their back from bending over a patient and “surgeon’s knee” became a thing of the past.
The equine theatre was ‘blooded’ with an excision of a neoplasm from the lower eyelid of a horse – this originated from the rim of the orbit. One or two dogs had been seen inside the canine operating theatre, but, as one vet put it: “... they are the wiser species as they do not stay long enough in Melton to fall into the hands and tender care, of the hospital staff.” The RAVC hospital allowed only three ORs, another reason why the WRAC personnel were made so welcome as they were to shoulder the main burden of nursing the sick animals back to A1 health.
The general health of the animals was reported as good over the summer and, fortunately, there had been no outbreaks of infectious diseases. The dogs, it seems, worried staff very little; while the horses continued to provide a series of interesting conditions.5
The last batch of National Servicemen (NS) left in late November 1962 and although some had returned on regular engagements, the majority of NS had done a great job during their stay at the
5 The Journal of The Royal Army Veterinary Corps Volume 33 No 2 Autumn 1962.
Depot and in the RAVC. It was reported: “We are really sorry to see them go and extend to them our grateful thanks.” At the same time, apparently, the WRAC were, “flattering themselves that they were now quite indispensable and will be allowed to remain part of the RAVC...Thanks to the Nuffield Trust the WRAC rest room is now very luxurious with a radiogram and LP records, table tennis equipment, hair dryer, portable sewing machine and other comforts.” A ‘portable sewing machine’ was probably not every WRAC member’s idea of a ‘comfort’ and sixty years later the following description in the Journal, which was also very much of its time, would no doubt raise a few female eyebrows. The entry reads: “The only problem reported was how to keep warm during the bitterly cold spell... and so many sweaters have been packed under duffle coats that even the quite slim members appeared like small barrels dotted about the snow-covered fields. Now that the thaw had set in, it was expected that shapes will return to normal!”
That pretty much Arctic winter caused a lot of damage and for the Veterinary Hospital a lack of running water presented a real problem. Everything was frozen, including the lavatories, leaving everyone wishing for the big thaw.
The Remount Depot reported the winter was much worse than the cruel freeze of 1947. This time, we had thirty consecutive days of frost; troughs sat frozen in the fields so horses took to the streams flowing through the paddocks. It was barely possible to keep even a bare minimum of pipes unfrozen – using a barrowful of fermenting manure around the standpipe. According to the records, over forty horses were still turned out and remarks were made on the extraordinary length and thickness of their coats. The horses were fed outside and readers may be interested in how this was achieved: First of all, the horses were split into groups – Household Cavalry, Royal Horse Artillery and three year olds – for special feeding according to size and age. Next, large feed tins were put out on the scale of one per horse. Then the feed went out – a mix of approximately 1lb of oats, 1lb of beans and 2lbs of oil nuts.
Later on, hay was distributed at the rate of approximately 10-15lbs per horse per day. The three year olds had daily additions of bone meal, cod liver oil and hay seeds from the hay barn in their feed. Finally, every horse was seen and examined every day for condition. Understandably, the staff were proud to say every horse had been trained
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