Page 396 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
water transportation. The need arose to support, not replace, normal transportation over short distances. Implementation of such ad hoc transportation was possible because there was an availability of native craft and because that is an ever-increasing percentage of men in the Army knowledgeable in watermanship (sailing, boating, water skiing, etc.). Would however the position be so satisfactory in the use of extemporised animal transportation in an area where there was an abundance of ponies, donkeys, camels, yaks?
In the Army there remains a percentage of individuals with war experience of conventional animal transpor- tation. However, they tend to be conservative in outlook and thereby advanced the doctrine that extemporization of animal transport just cannot be worthwhile or else it would have been adopted when the Army was horsed. Is it not more likely that the converse be true, when the Army was horsed it was essential to be standardised as far as possible in the interests of provisioning and equipping?
When persuaded that the foregoing may have some validity, such mentors strive to refute the need for trial by asserting that the Army contains sufficient men of experience to meet the contingency. This must surely be questionable – in 1942, a mere five-ten years’ post mechanisation, Wingate1 is quoted:
‘The great difficulty in our army is to find the indis- pensable minimum of persons who can tell one end of an animal from another. Here again the answer is to centralise the available talent.’
Wingate accepted that many of the difficulties in raising a Mule Company were inevitable, but ‘another time it will be possible and necessary to avoid these causes.’ The realisation that he spoke of a Mule Company cannot be overstressed – he accepted difficulty raising a conventional company when there must surely have been a good hard cadre of well experienced animal operators!
In considering the RAVC’s responsibility
In the climate of opinion presently held, it is difficult to grant experience to sufficient personnel. Fundamental experience, together with arts and skills of horsemastership, can still be gained by a select few in the Corps. This restriction, however, does not relieve us of the responsibility for nurturing the essential spirit of being well informed, practical, and adaptable in terms of all round animal management. There can be no doubt that the Army would look to the Corps for the necessary talent and know-how.
The Corps has a good record in devising all kinds of gadgets and temporary expedients to meet local problems of animal management. Clabby2 relates that: ‘a lot of these have become accepted practice, but the origin
has often been forgotten’ and only a few were recorded. Such mundane things as the loading of an awkward horse, or mule... or the making of a manger using the ubiquitous oil drum and a thousand other things, which taken together, constitute ‘zootechny’.” However, where are the zootechnical findings recorded and annotated for rapid and easy reference?
When it came to resources...
The FARELF trials to test the utility of the Borneo pony were based upon the concept that little or no conventional PGS equipment was available. Attempts were made to find references describing native saddlery – particularly Indian, Afghan, Chinese, and Siamese. This approach met with little success, even though the Raffles Museum and Library aided our research. It was hoped that such knowledge would have provided foundation patterns to develop and modify.
Thus, it was that, as foundation ideas, we had only the Borneo saddle and the “Sunka” as guides. The Borneo saddle is, in effect, a combined riding load carrying saddle – natives ride the ponies and carry on their fore-thighs a crossbeam, which supports two carrying panniers. The saddle consists of a pair of coconut husk padded fans joined by wooden front and rear arches, but without girths. The “Sunka” may be likened to a pillow padded out with straw and canes (or another stiffening agent), doubled at its centre. It is placed on the animals back on a blanket and suitably girthed to the animal.
Developments took place
The early improvisations were all made without external help. Subtle improvisation “no.4” was the first pattern that fulfilled the requirements of:
1. adequate durability.
2. potential load carrying index of 160lbs.
3. minimum man-made materials.
4. handler made.
Improvisation no.4 was based on the “Sunka”, and
required two waterproof bags, one poncho, one surcingle, three yards of webbing, 20-26 lengths (2ft/60cms) bamboo, rattan (or string) and two gallons of filler. It was made by lashing together the necessary number of bamboo lengths to form a flexible frame using rattan. The waterproof bags are filled with vegetation filler, tied-off and affixed to the frame to form back and rib pads.
The saddle is fitted by first making up a pillow shaped pad (by folding leaves etc. into a poncho) for use as a withers and spine pad. The saddle is placed on top and pressed firmly to the contours of the back. A surcingle moving in and out of the bamboo lengths forms the girth fitting. A version that utilizes a sack girth, proved insufficiently secure.
1 Clabby (1963) The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1919-1961 1st Edition London p.122.
2 Clabby (1963) The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1919-1961 1st Edition London p.222.
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