Page 421 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
networks to distribute patronage and employing shaykhs loyal to the regime to oppress disloyal tribes around them.
Among the most important majority-Sunni tribal confederations are the Dulaym, the Ubayd, the Jibur and the Shammar. They are dominant in the ‘Sunni Triangle’ region, and some also have branches in different countries. Majority-Shia tribal confederations include the Bani Malik, the Bani Lam, the Bani Hujaym and the Albu Muhammad. These tribes are located in the south and south east of Iraq. Important Kurdish tribes include the Surchi, the Baradost, the Barzani, the Zibari and the Jaf. It should be noted that membership of a tribe does not necessarily mean that people will utilise this allegiance for social action, or indeed that the association has any importance for them at all.
The tensions – religious, political and historical – all co-existed prior to the ascent of Saddam Hussein and all were intensified under his rule.
Gulf War 1
Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait on 2nd August 1990 caused the UK government to sever diplomatic ties.
On 29th October, the UN Security Council Resolution 678 authorised member states to use ‘all means necessary’ to end Iraq’s occupation if its forces failed to pull out by 15th January 1991. Operation DESERT STORM, incorporating the British element – Op GRANBY – began two days after the deadline expired and, by the end of February 1991, Kuwait had been liberated.
In the space of one hundred hours, 1st (UK) Armoured Division advanced 290 km and captured or destroyed three Iraqi divisions. During the whole of Op GRANBY, forty-seven British servicemen lost their lives. No reliable figure exists for the number of Iraqi casualties.2
With his CO Lt Col Peter Roffey’s full support, Major Tom Ogilvie-Graham3 offered his services to the Royal Engineers during Op GRANBY. His concern was that the Reverse Osmosis units lined-up for desalinating and purifying water in the Gulf, had not been fully tested under desert conditions. Acquiring the necessary technical expertise and microbiological training while studying for his MSc at the University of Reading, enabled him to supervise the use of the units.
In Al Jubayl in early December 1990, the Reverse Osmosis units were arriving at a very slow rate
and had to be commissioned, in order to iron out various manufacturing faults. In addition to this, Major Ogilvie-Graham had to collect all the ancillary equipment required to produce water, such as breaktanks, hoses, static tanks, connectors and delivery pumps. He had to train RE soldiers to operate the equipment and ensure that it was properly deployed. Consequently, he spent the first few weeks testing equipment at the docks and doing the necessary staffing to ensure that equipment would be deployed in complete packets. He suspected that the equipment would be used in the desert, rather than along the coast (as would have happened if the British contingent had remained in support of the US Marines), and so he organised the use of Demountable Rack Offload and Pickup System (DROPS) vehicles and tested the Reverse Osmosis units in the desert by late December. It was at this particular site, that Major Ogilvie-Graham traded intelligence information with the US Marines on water sources – having brought various geographical survey reports of the area from the UK – in return for the use of the well. Without doubt, it was his adept negotiating skills that eased communication with local Bedouins and government officials to gain permission to use various well sites.
By the end of December 1990, the 1st (UK) Armoured Division had arrived, and the Commander Royal Engineers tasked Major Ogilv- ie-Graham with finding, testing, purifying and producing all the water for the entire Division. Finding water in the desert was, unsurprisingly, a major undertaking. Water...the absolute priority, necessitated the Staff Sergeant, who was assisting in this colossal undertaking, to return to the UK and spend several weeks chasing the manufac- turers of the Reverse Osmosis units who had fallen badly behind schedule. Fortunately, the situation was understood and fully supported by the Major’s Commanding Officer, Lt Col Bridges RE, and since providing water was also his highest priority, most of the engineering equipment and manpower required was delivered – although not always without a struggle.
Dealing with the Saudis to gain permission to use various well sites proved challenging. Many officials seemed to take pleasure in drawing out negotiations to the point of exhaustion, few able to make a decision without consulting their many associates. For instance, in order to gain permission to use a vital source at Hafar Al-Batin, ahead of the Division deploying there, Major Ogilvie-Graham
2 British Army Review Learning 2014 Vol 3.
3 Chiron Calling extracts from article written by Major Tom Ogilvie-Graham RAVC Issue 7 dated June 1991.
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