Page 32 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
Once again, as was the same, year on year, the likely cause was owners suffering the pressure of post-Christmas household bills.
The Vet Hospital:
The wind of change that blew through 1964 also affected the Veterinary Hospital when staff and equipment were moved, en-bloc, into the drug store room–which was then to revert to its original purpose of a large animal X-ray theatre – while the hospital was repainted. The hospital, and particu- larly the operating theatre, were impressive and the new X-ray machine enhanced the facilities on offer and were an eye-opener to visitors. When the relocation to the new store room was nearing completion in the intake kennels6 the advantages of the new layout were reported in the next edition of the Corps Journal (autumn 1965):
After the upheavals of the last autumn the veterinary hospital is more or less organised. The stores are now located in the new store besides the intake kennels and the building used as a store has reverted to its original purpose of the X-ray theatre. The weather was not kind during the summer of 1965 when flooding made life difficult – the stables and dog training area being the worst hit. Most of the family quarters have suffered to some extent and reports of flooded cellars are common place.7
Visited and Tested:
Although almost up to strength, the Training Section was, as usual hard pressed, especially as nearly all detachments had undergone visits, inspections and the dogs and handlers had been tested. In addition to all of that, several demon- strations had also been given, the most notable of which was in support of the Anglo German Day held at Inselbad Stadium in Paderborn. Support was also given to various Brigade exercises. Corps personnel and dogs were well received and proved successful in their respective roles gaining the appreciation of the Units to whom they had been attached. Breaks, like that, from routine training were welcomed by RAVC trainers, some of whom had never worked with other Units before and both men and dogs gained valuable field experience.8
The prime event in 1967 was the inspection of the whole Unit and all detachments by a team from the Inspectorate of Establishments. They were briefed on the afternoon of arrival by the CO, Colonel Harry Bishop in the MSO Super-
6 The Journal of The Royal Army Veterinary Corps Volume 36 No 1 Spring 1965.
7 The Journal of The Royal Army Veterinary Corps Volume 36 No 2 Autumn 1965.
8 The Journal of The Royal Army Veterinary Corps Volume 37 No 2 Autumn 1966.
9 The Journal of The Royal Army Veterinary Corps Volume 38 No 1 Summer 1967.
intendents’ Mess with all Officers, the Chief Superintendents, SD Rhine Army, Q (Org) Rhine Army and a Brigadier representing patrol horses on issue in Germany. With the aid of a projector and mathematical equations, the Colonel left everyone bemused and bewildered – a situation from which they did not seem to recover. But then, the recommendations for the MSO and dogs amounted to what was desired. On the horse side, no beguilement was necessary as the team were very well acquainted with the definition of the word ‘patrol’. A massive consolation for the Unit was the announcement that the RAVC horses were to remain at Sennelager. The Colonel stressed the importance of the horse to the Unit, not least because the horse was synonymous with the Corps but the presence of the equine species meant that all RAVC personnel at Sennelager had the opportunity to be proficient in animal management in the broadest sense. This included encouraging members to interest themselves in the other animals present which included pigeons, ferrets, rabbits and pigs.9
“A Corporal who enjoyed his stable career with Rhine Army”
Cpl Brian Woolley had a dream – to join the circus. The thrills of the Big Top and the gaily decked Liberty horses appealed to the wide-eyed youngster whose love for horses was inspired by a friend’s pony. But it was thanks to his dad, that common sense prevailed and a change of mind led him to train to become a blacksmith.
By 1966, Cpl Brian Woolley was the Rhine Army ’s only official farrier. He was pictured making a shoe for a Patrol horse at No1 War Dog Training Unit in Sennelager where horses were used to patrol the boundaries of the vast NATO live-firing areas, a sector where the Army vehicles cannot travel. Cpl Woolley’s parents, Mr and Mrs Alfred Woolley, from Northwood in Middlesex, were proud of their son who, ten years previously, had been conscripted into the Army for National Service – as a clerk, despite a five-year apprenticeship and college training to become a “smithy”!
A year after National Service de-mob, Cpl Woolley was back in khaki and he explained why: “I was fed up, disillusioned and missed the comradeship. This time, I was shoeing horses on my very first day back in the Army.” What followed for Cpl Woolley was an opportunity to ply his trade in Hong Kong, Malaya, and Borneo.
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