Page 320 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
invaded and informed staff it was regarding the rebuild of ADTS. Sensibly staff said they would believe it when they saw it!
The rest of the notes were the normal reporting of moves of personnel and, typically, and quite rightly, the Equine Division reporting on their multiple successes at Horse Shows and at the Royal Tournament. It wasn’t plain sailing in other areas either. Sadly, the Corps Weekend had to be cancelled due to the lack of accommodation.
1977... August 1977 reports detailed news associ- ated with HM the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, and the award of the Silver Jubilee Medal to various mem- bers of the Corps.
The Jubilee prompted ‘the big one’ – the day, 29th September 1977 – the RAVC was granted the Freedom of Entry to the Borough of Melton Mowbray. The RAVC Training Centre exercised this right on behalf of the Corps and all who engaged in the Parade felt proud and honoured to be part of such a spectacular occasion. The ADTS could boast that a large part of the mounted contingent for the Freedom Parade were in fact Dog Trainers, who, back at the Camp faced a major concern – how to acquire reasonable sized dogs for the Protection role. If the situation continued it was going to be difficult meeting commitments.
The School of Farriery had no such worries; with great relief they reported that the workshop was now, hopefully, compliant with the Health and Safety at Work Act.25
The Silver Jubilee Procession
A mounted detachment of one Officer and eight men from the Royal Army Veterinary Corps Training Centre formed part of Her Majesty the Queen’s Carriage Procession from Buckingham Palace to St Paul’s Cathedral for the Service of Thanksgiving on Tuesday 7th June 1977.
As the detachment was formed from all divisions of the Training Centre – equitation staff, farriers, dog trainers and clerks – much preparation was required on both the riding and ceremonial sides. In fact, members of the detachment commenced training about three months prior to the Parade date and for the last month were employed full-time in the remount lines.
Having achieved a state where everyone was safe on top, training progressed into two sessions on the square while the Melton Mowbray Toy Soldiers Band rehearsed and exercised through Melton Mowbray on market days – to familiarise the horses with the bands and crowds. The preparations attracted the attention of the press and
25 Chiron Calling Issue No 8 dated August 1977.
26 Chiron Calling Issue 8 dated 1977.
broadcasting teams highlighting the role of the Corps and the Military Working Animals.
On June 1st, the detachment moved to St John’s Wood, where the horses and men were accommodated – the horses were put on piquet lines in the riding school together with those of the Royal Military Police detachment.
After Melton Mowbray market, everyone (horses and men) took London traffic in their stride. Extra crowd training was provided by five hundred school children in the barracks on the Friday morning and hordes of Scottish Football supporters throughout London during the weekend.
A rather dreary morning greeted us on Sunday 5th of June as we prepared for an early morning rehearsal of the actual procession. Fortunately, all the detachment appeared at their appointed positions at the correct time, and the trip from Buckingham Palace to St Paul’s was made without any great excitement. One was really left to hope that the few minor problems would be ironed out on the following Tuesday, if not beforehand.
Yet another wet day greeted us on the morning of 7th June. However, it remained dry from the time we left barracks until our return – a welcome state as the thought of wearing cloaks was not popular.
We left St John’s Wood at 0930 hrs together with The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, and the Royal Military Police and moved to the Broad Walk in Hyde Park. Having made final adjustments and drawn swords, we proceeded via Hyde Park Corner down Constitution Hill to form up by Buckingham Palace.
Once the members of the Royal Family Carriage Procession, and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother’s Carriage Procession had moved off, we fell-in behind the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as the second detachment in Her Majesty the Queen’s Carriage Procession. The streets were packed with cheering people for the whole length of the route and it became apparent that the weeks of training had been worthwhile as none of our horses took exception to this unfamiliar occasion. At Temple Bar there was a halt of six minutes while the Lord Mayor of London surrendered the City Sword to Her Majesty the Queen, then on to St Paul’s, followed by a long wait in Cannon Street and Queen Victoria Street while everyone lined up to return via Victoria Embankment and Horse Guards and then by various routes – we together with The King’s Troop and Royal Military Police to St John’s Wood. It was a longish hack of about four hours in the saddle, but thoroughly enjoyed by every member of the detachment.26
Melton’s Four-Footed Freedom
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