Page 317 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
was competition time for the School of Farriery. Staff winning prizes at numerous county shows was not unusual and so it continued. The one place to find sanctuary during such busy times was, we’re told, the Saddlers' Shop. This haven of peace was in contrast to the School of Equitation where the team was earning a wealth of rosettes – around twenty-five in all. With even more events in the summer that total went up to nearly fifty in all. For those who thought it was ‘all play at Equine’ – as some notes suggested – it’s worth a reminder that a great deal of work goes into train- ing for the displays and the shows.20
By June, the ADTS reported they had taken over their new offices and lecture rooms and were only waiting for the cottage to be demolished to make way for a car park. These new facilities afforded the School three classrooms (one serving dual purpose as a cinema), a wash room and toilets; a training aids store room and, luxury beyond belief...an Instructors’ Room. This was met with huge appreciation: “No longer do we have to mark papers, prepare lessons and tot-up marks in a constantly invaded guardroom or the corner of a classroom,” was one Instructor’s comment. With these improvements it was feared production might need to be improved. The last financial year saw on average one student turned out per day and it was likely that figure would be well exceeded in 1970. A dozen different courses were being run in the instructional wing – the majority for other Arms personnel learning the various aspects of what we call ‘doggery’.
‘With the new location of the OICs office window, trainers will have to change their training area.’
The demand for Guard and security dogs was still increasing at this time. Even with the Tactical Dog Troop training security dogs in their spare time, it was still difficult to provide sufficient dogs to meet demands. That year (1970) the training wing had a small display team; the trainers doing all the work in their own time.
Looking to include notes from the Saddlers’ Shop is to find notes that are mostly unreadable and what was readable turned out to be unprintable! Suffice to say, all that can be found relates to the high standard of their work and, what’s more, they seemed to enjoy life to the full. By ‘they’ we mean Messrs Silk, Petrie and Valkeith.
As the autumn rain gathered in the fields around the School of Equitation and the Veterinary Hospital the horses were soon up to their knees in
20 The Journal of The Royal Army Veterinary Corps Winter Supplement April 1970. 21 The Journal of The Royal Army Veterinary Corps Volume 41 Summer 1970.
22 RAVC Unit Notes and News Winter 1970 – 1971.
mud. That winter ’s over stocking and the poaching of the ground followed by a very dry spring and summer – the plumbers were still digging to try and find the drains. The VO complained that there had been more digging in the hospital fields in the recent past than in his garden.21
ADTS reported Cpl Ginge Thornton had replaced Cpl John Worne in Northern Ireland for a six-month spell, although the buying of dogs over there had finished. The cry from there was now for Search dogs.
Equine reported that the long equitation course had commenced with twelve students partici- pating: four Officers, six ORs and two Nigerian Police. They also mentioned that they were training the odd student from the Royal Corps of Transport (RCT) on animal management courses before their posting to the Pack Transport Troop in Hong Kong.22
It was at this time that the future of the Journal came under scrutiny and its future decided:
It was inevitable, with the numerical decline of the RAVC, that the journal should have become a financial liability; so, we are now faced with the preparation of notes for the very last issue at a time when redundancy and retirements feature so prominently.
1974... Where Dogs and Horses Take Priority
by John Walton
For thousands of years the horse played a vital role in war. Only in this century has it been relegated to the purely ceremonial occasion. In recent times it is man’s other four-legged friend, the dog, that has taken an important part in Army operations – sniffing out bombs and ammunition, helping in riot control and guarding security establishments.
At Melton Mowbray, in the heart of the rolling fox-hunting countryside of Leicestershire, is an Army establishment where both horses and dogs are equally to the fore – the Royal Army Veterinary Corps Training Centre which employs about a third of the one hundred and twenty Officers and men of this small, dedicated Corps of animal lovers.
Animal lovers they certainly are. Not for them the luxury of forgetting about their Army job every week-end. Dogs and horses, unlike motor vehicles, cannot be put away and forgotten for a few days – they have to be fed, watered and looked after seven days a week.
Take WO1 Tony Rossell, the British Army’s Chief Dog Trainer. He did his basic training at Melton Mowbray twenty years ago and since then has served in Kenya
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