Page 338 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
Centenary Commemorations and to mark the long association and bond between the Borough and the RAVC, it was agreed to provide the townsfolk with a magnificent parade of military horses, military working dogs (including twelve who have served in Afghanistan) and their handlers marching through the streets of Melton Mowbray on Thursday, 10th April. In accordance with the privileges of the Freedom, this Right of Passage was carried out with swords drawn, bayonets fixed, drums beating, bands playing and Colours flying.
The Band of the Parachute Regiment, itself with local links from World War Two led the parade. They were followed by the Parade Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Pope, and Commanding Officer of the Defence Animal Centre. Mounted on his charger, he headed the Parade and was closely followed by a mounted squad. Behind marched the RAVC Standard and the Regimental Sergeant Major, carrying the Freedom Scroll, and around one hundred and forty soldiers and twenty-four military working dogs from the Royal Army Veterinary Corps. Last, but by no means least, marched the veterans of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps Association. Two of their number had been present on the original Freedom Parade in 1977 and they included the Royal Army Veterinary Corps’ only In Pensioner from the Royal Hospital Chelsea, Ted Parsons. Despite his years, Ted proudly marched in his scarlet tunic the entire length of the 30 minute route.
The parade route formed a loop from the cattle market and through the Market Square where the salute was taken by the Director Army Veterinary and Remount Services, Colonel Neil Smith QHVS, the Mayor of Melton, and other civic dignitaries. The marching troops and animals then made their way with a rolling police escort past the Fire Station and back into the cattle market. The feedback and support from the estimated ten thousand spectators lining the route was extraordinary and the spontaneous applause and cheering that they produced made everyone on parade feel very proud to be associated with the town. This served to reinforce the fact that Melton Mowbray continues to be the spiritual home of the Corps.
The Defence Animal Centre is based in Asfordby Road, Melton Mowbray. It trains horses, dogs and instructors for the Armed Forces, Ministry of Defence Police and other domestic and foreign government departments. Animals continue to play a vital role in Defence, be it at home or overseas, and that contribution is set to continue in the years to come. The Defence Animal Centre traces its military history back to 1903 when it became a Remount Depot, and the Remount Service was absorbed into the RAVC in 1942. It became the home of the RAVC in 1946 when the Army Dog Training School moved from Doncaster Racecourse at
the end of the Second World War.
The DAC can hold several hundred dogs at any time
which can be trained for a variety of jobs, ranging from search, through to guarding. Once fully-trained they are then sent to 1st Military Working Dog Regiment or other Defence Organisations.
A wide variety of Equine training is also undertaken at the Centre, capable of stabling up to two hundred horses. The Army School of Equitation runs courses all year round on horse riding and horsemanship as well as stable management, and it is also home to the Army School of Farriery.
After the Parade, Commanding Officer of the Defence Animal Centre said: “We are immensely proud of our association with Melton Mowbray. It is a great honour for any Unit to receive the Freedom of a Borough and we enjoyed exercising that freedom on Thursday. It was a spectacular event filled with military splendour and an opportunity for us to say thank you to the people of Melton Mowbray for their support. Going down the street seeing the crowd standing so deep was fantastic. We are all extremely proud to have been part of this celebration.”52
DAC Open Day 2014
The DAC held another Open Day in 2014 with the Veterinary Training Squadron playing an important role. One of the VOs decided to carefully and steadily paint one of the horses, “Hero”, with the representation of a horse’s skeleton; the children’s washable paint looked really impressive!
A new addition to the team for the day was affection- ately referred to as ‘Jenny Right’ due to having two right arms. Our mannequin was placed in the equine theatre where visitors could imagine her as a vet taking part in surgeries conducted on a regular basis at the hospital. To add realism, a wooden horse was hung from the ceiling so the visitors could fully appreciated the complexities of conducting equine surgery.
Despite the rather wet weather forecast, many people dragged themselves from their warm beds to visit the DAC. We had a dress-up tent with various sized scrubs and gloves and our dummy dog ‘Jerry’ awaiting surgery; it made a first class photo opportunity for children and grown-ups alike. The equine pharmacy was open so that people could have the opportunity to have look behind the scenes. The doors to the canine treatment facility were also open and again guests could gaze at our treatment rooms, X-ray suite and have a peep through endoscopes. These instruments are normally used for peering into the inside of animals, were used to look around various large vegetables which proved hugely popular. The laboratory where samples were analysed was also open for viewing. All in all, everyone enjoyed the day especially as the sun
52 RAVC Rite of Passage Parade Melton Mowbray 10th April 2014 – Chiron Calling Spring/Summer 2014.
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