Page 310 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
to come when called for its examination; this was achieved with patience...and a daily bag of oats.
It was well into May before the contractors’ lorries could get into the paddocks for the spring liming and spreading basic slag. The haymaking was late – the RQMS, SSgts and 2IC worked tirelessly and it was gratifying to see the RSM and volunteers working in the fields on the dull but necessary job of stacking bales.
Having Sgt Tony Kennedy in full charge of the kennels at the War Dog Training School gave him responsibility for nine men, twenty girls and eighty dogs. Over Christmas an NCO, on standby with Tracker handlers, was called out at 0330 hrs on Christmas morning to a public house that had been broken into by two men. When the NCO returned to camp, he couldn’t help sharing his disappointment regarding the ‘Christmas of the Sassenach’ as he wasn’t offered even ‘wan wee drap’ to keep out the cold!6
1963... Equitation reported that Pte Addison RAVC, who had not climbed on a horse until he attended a month’s recruit course in July 1962, earned a third prize in the Show Jumping Com- petition in January 1963 – way ahead of others with more experience. To maintain standards, the British Equine Veterinary Association conducted a three day refresher course within the Unit – more accurately, a number of sessions took place in the equine operating theatre, it being the warmest place available. The new theatre received plenty of favourable comments from visitors while the Vet- erinary team enjoyed adding pieces of equipment, such as an equine rhino laryngoscope; to help di- agnose noisy respiratory conditions in horses.
By the spring of 1963, after the long, freezing cold winter endured by the entire country, the Depot said goodbye to its share of ice, snow and bitter cold and thanked its lucky stars that it had not been disrupted by the power cuts and fuel shortages that had made life even more difficult for some.
The Corps Journal of Autumn 1963 reported the School of Farriery was busy with the usual shoeing and farriery training. It was also a chance to express pride in the fact that the FSM had become a Fellow of the Worshipful Company of Farriers and that all the instructional staff were registered Shoeing Smiths. The farriery competition held at the Aldershot Show was discontinued but they still had the competition at the School in August
6 The Journal of The Royal Army Veterinary Corps Volume 34 No 1 Spring 1963.
7 The Journal of The Royal Army Veterinary Corps Volume 34 No 2 Autumn 1963.
which coincided with the Corps Weekend. It was reported that the trade’s tests had been revised with the introduction of some new features including electric welding, repair of surgical instruments and harness and saddles (the metal parts). An extensive knowledge of anatomy, physiology, most particularly of the horse’s leg and foot was also now required.
While alterations were made to the ‘Dressing Shed’, Veterinary Hospital staff made the equine theatre their temporary office, surgery and pharmacy. The completed reconstruction greatly improved the working conditions and everyone was relieved to get back to normal and spread out.
Getting back to normal was something that the WDTS was happy to report as the dog demon- stration team had given two excellent public demos, the first at Leicester and the second at the Aldershot Army Display; the teams comprising both RAVC and WRAC personnel. Dog trials were organised at the Depot and judged by the Commandant and this year “Lu Lu” the sheep made a special appearance at Whitsun when it was discovered that Lu Lu was actually a ram and, therefore, promptly re-named, “Len”.7
The first six-months of 1963 had been excep- tionally busy at the Depot with numerous visits, inspections and postings. The successful Corps Weekend staged a farrier competition, and that year the Commandant had featured on the BBC giving a brief history of Army Farriery. It prompted the local press to follow-up with: “Top Army farriers had made a three day invasion on Melton Mowbray to hammer out their supremacy in the art of horse shoeing.”
A hive of industry could be seen in the Saddlers’ Shop where the leatherworkers carried out their never-ending tasks. Whenever they were convinced of being up-to-date with harnesses and other repairs, they were likely to receive an SOS from the Dog School for dog muzzles: “...urgently needed for the draft of the dogs.”
By Christmas everyone was ready for all the traditional functions that, this time, marked the end of a challenging year. In line with tradition, the Officers and SNCOs served one hundred and twenty rank and file who attended the dinner, which was followed, the next day, by an all ranks dance. Interestingly, it was reported that: “Great changes have been made in the dress of the modern soldier. This was reflected in the turnout and bearing of all ranks in the depot. The SNCOs now have a mess dress which is both smart and
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